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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Southern Insect Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #333176
Research Project: Alternative Approaches to Tarnished Plant Bug Control

Location: Southern Insect Management Research

Title: Field evaluation of potential pheromone lures for Lygus lineolaris (Hemiptera: Miridae) in the Mid-South

Author
item Parys, Katherine
item HALL, DAVID - University Of Greenwich

Submitted to: Journal of Insect Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/16/2016
Publication Date: 2/28/2017
Citation: Parys, K.A., Hall, D. 2017. Field evaluation of potential pheromone lures for Lygus lineolaris (Hemiptera: Miridae) in the Mid-South. Journal of Insect Science. 17(25):1-3. doi:10.1093/jisesa/iew109.

Interpretive Summary: Tarnished plant bugs, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), are pests of cotton in the mid-South and cause economic damage. Previously published research on pheromones of the tarnished plant bug and other closely related species indicated that the bugs produce blends of three compounds: hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate, and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal. Several previously published blends were tested in combination with white sticky traps to evaluate the attractiveness to field populations of tarnished plant bugs in Mississippi. Lures that were formulated with a ratio of 4:10:7 were the most effective at collecting tarnished plant bugs.

Technical Abstract: Plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) are phytophagous pests of cultivated plants around the world. In the mid-South region of the United States, Lygus lineolaris is a primary pest of cotton, and causes economic damage. Previously published research about the volatiles produced by members of the genus Lygus, and other closely related groups, indicated that they produce blends of hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate, and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal. Varying ratios of the three compounds were loaded into pipette tips, and screened in combination with non-UV white sticky cards for attractiveness to field populations of L. lineolaris in Mississippi. Field screening indicated that a lure expressing a ratio of 4:10:7 was the most effective at collecting L. lineolaris, and collected similar numbers of individuals to those reported in other studies using traps baited with live virgin insects over a similar period of time. Availability of a synthetic pheromone usable in the climate of the mid-South will enable broader scale landscape level monitoring for populations of L. lineolaris before movement into cotton fields and resulting economic damage.