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Development of Sampling and Decision Plans for Silverleaf Whitefly on Pima

 

INTRODUCTION

Bemisia whitefly populations are a significant annual threat to cotton production, particularly pima cotton, in the San Joaquin Valley. This pest has the potential to reduce cotton yields; however, the prospect of cotton lint contamination, creating a condition called sticky cotton, is the primary concern associated with whitefly infestations. Important research on sampling, damage potential, and management of Bemisia whiteflies has been conducted in Arizona. This research has formed the backbone of our present management scheme in California. In summary, this research supported three stages of whitefly management during the season with different insecticide chemistries during each stage. The need to management resistance and the characteristics…

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Control of Lygus hesperus on alfalfa with Beauveria bassiana

 

Justification and Problem Statement

The Western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus is a major pest of cotton in the San Joaquin Valley and a closely related species, L. lineolaris, is quickly becoming the primary pest of cotton in the Southeast US. Research in the past few years aimed at developing a control strategy that targets the pest species and sustains natural enemy populations, which would otherwise be killed by chemical pesticides that are currently used. Beauveria bassiana is a fungal pathogen that infects a wide range of insect hosts including Lygus bugs. Commercial formulations of this fungus are…

 

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Management of Key Cotton Arthropod Pests with Insecticides and Acaricides

INTRODUCTION

Integrated pest management of California cotton insect and mite pests is based on a long record of successful research and implementation. Maintaining cost-effective and efficacious insecticides and miticides is a constant, evolving process. As the pest biology, cropping patterns, cotton varieties, production techniques, and other factors change in the cotton agroecosystem, pest management needs change. The development of resistance in pests and regulatory actions are two of the key actions that influence the availability of crop protection tools. Fortunately, new materials are developed to facilitate control and to compensate for these losses. Regulatory actions with pesticides are ongoing and appear inevitable in California. Most recently, volatile organic compound (VOCs) issues have surfaced and regulations to restrict many…

 

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Studies associated with Lygus and cotton aphid management

 

Background and update on results of previous studies.
Lygus bugs play a pivotal role in cotton pest management. They cause direct damage to bolls, and their control with broad spectrum pesticides disrupts natural enemies and induces outbreaks of secondary pests. Cotton pests and their natural enemies move within cotton fields and migrate between the field and adjacent areas. Quantitative knowledge of the movement of Lygus bugs is lacking in the field. Understanding of the dispersal and host finding behavior of these pests and their natural enemies is needed for IPM. This will also…

 

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