The timing of cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus, herbivory and cotton's compensatory response

The cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriata (Hemiptera: Miridae), is a rising pest of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (Malvaceae).  Fleahoppers feed on developing cotton flower buds causing them to abscise.  In some years fleahopper outbreaks have significantly reduced yields while in others, cotton has been able to compensate for herbivory and maintain high yields.  In this study we investigated the timing of herbivory on cotton's compensatory response to fleahopper herbivory.  Cotton was infested with fleahoppers during different weeks of flower bud production and we measured cotton growth and yield responses.  We found that cotton was best able to tolerate early season herbivory, and can even overcompensate for fleahopper herbivory if herbivory occurs during the second week of squaring.  The number of cotton fruits and the amount of lint produced was highest on plants damaged by fleahoppers during the second week of flower bud production. Cotton was also able to tolerate herbivory later in the season. Results suggest that the cotton fleahopper may be a minor pest of cotton in the Brazos Valley, and that early season pesticide applications for cotton fleahoppers may be unnecessary.