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ARS Home » Plains Area » Kerrville, Texas » Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory » Cattle Fever Tick Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #373725
Research Project: Integrated Pest Management of Cattle Fever Ticks

Location: Cattle Fever Tick Research Unit

Title: Review of major crop and animal arthropod pests of South Texas

Author
item DAVIS, HOLLY - Texas A&M Agrilife
item Goolsby, John
item Thomas, Donald
item BADILLO, ISMAEL - Texas A&M Agrilife
item KARIYAT, RUPESH - University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley
item VITEK, CHRISTOPHER - University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley
item SEKULA, DANIELLE - Texas A&M Agrilife

Submitted to: Subtropical Agriculture and Environments
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/7/2020
Publication Date: 7/2/2020
Citation: Davis, H.N., Goolsby, J., Thomas, D.B., Badillo, I., Kariyat, R., Vitek, C., Sekula, D. 2020. Review of major crop and animal arthropod pests of South Texas. Subtropical Agriculture and Environments. 71:36-48.

Interpretive Summary: The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) is an area in Texas that consists of the four southernmost counties. This area contains a diverse range of agriculture and land use, including vegetable, row-crop and livestock production. The year-round subtropical climate means that vegetation is continually present. Geographically, the LRGV shares an international border, making it a region vulnerable to new invasive species and the reintroduction of pests that have been previously eliminated in the United States. These combined factors lead to an array of arthropod pests that have had serious impacts on the crops, animals, and people in the region. This review focuses on arthropod pests that have historically, currently, or have the potential to significantly impact vegetables, row-crops, livestock, and humans in the LRGV. This is not an all-inclusive review but aims to focus on many of the arthropods that have been significant in the last 20 years.

Technical Abstract: The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) is an area in Texas that consists of the four southernmost counties. This area contains a diverse range of agriculture and land use including vegetable, row-crop and livestock production. The year-round subtropical climate means that vegetation is continually present. Geographically, the LRGV shares an international border, making it a region vulnerable to new invasive species and the re-introduction of pests that have been previously eliminated in the United States. These combined factors lead to an array of arthropod pests that have had serious impacts on the crops, animals, and people in the region. This review focuses on arthropod pests that have historically, currently, or have the potential to significantly impact vegetables, row-crops, livestock, and humans in the LRGV. Several tick species were noted as livestock pests in South Texas including: American Dog Tick, Dermacentor variabilis; Black-Legged Tick, Ixodes scapularis; Cattle fever ticks, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) spp.; Cayenne Tick, Amblyomma mixtum; and Gulf-Coast Tick, Amblyomma maculatum. This is not an all-inclusive review but aims to focus on many of the arthropods that have been significant in the last 20 years.