Spatial variability of tarnished plant bugs (Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois)) in late season cotton in the midsouth

The objective of this 2013 field study is to contrast infestation levels of the cotton insect pest – tarnished plant bug (Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois)) across spatially variable fields of cotton. Paired commercial cotton fields on three farms were separated into four management zones. A dual depth Veris^® 3150 Soil Surveyor was used to classify zones based on soil electrical conductivity (EC) properties. Sample sites for insect and plant monitoring with COTMAN were established in early season; three sites per zone per field. Plants in management zones with coarse sand or clay reach physiological cutout before plants in sand and sandy loam management zones, and fewer plant bugs are associated with early maturing plants. Late season plant bugs numbers in prior research show no significant impact on yield; however, plant bug sample allocation among EC based management zones may be appropriate if maturity differences of plants among zones are worthy of the extra management time and effort required to monitor and manage multiple zones per field.