Tarnished plant bug is the number one pest of cotton in the Mid-South and many growers rely efficacy data to make treatment decisions in order to effectively manage this pest. The objective of this study was to evaluate the selected insecticides for control of tarnished plant bug in cotton. Cotton was planted on 27 May at Lon Mann Cotton Research Station in Marianna, AR. Plot size was 4 rows by 50 feet long planted on 38 inch rows, arranged in a RCB design with four replications. Insecticides were applied with a Mud-Master sprayer equipped with a multi-boom delivering 10 gpa at 40 psi through txvs-6 cone jet nozzles with 19.5-inch spacing. All treatments received insecticide applications on 15 Jul and 18 Jul. Plant bug densities were determined by sampling 10 row-ft per plot with a black drop cloth. Percent square retention was measured by recording the presence or absence of the first positions square on the third node from the top of 25 randomly selected plants within a plot. Boll damage was recorded by splitting 10 random nickel sized bolls/plot and checking for discolored lint. Samples were taken on 18 Jul, 21 Jul, 26 Jul, 29 Jul, and 1 Aug: 3 days after the first treatment (3 DAT1), and 3, 8, 11, and 14 days after the second treatment (3 DAT2, 8 DAT2, 11 DAT2, 14 DAT2), respectively. A two-row John Deere cotton picker was used to harvest plots. Data were analyzed with ANOVA and means were separated using a Duncan’s New MRT (P < 0.10). At 3 DAT1 all treatments except Admire Pro 3 oz/acre reduced TPB densities compared with the untreated check (Table 1). At 3, 8, and 11 DAT2, all products reduced TPB densities compared with the untreated check. At 3 DAT2, Transform and Orthene delivered the greatest control of TPB. Transform had the greatest control of TPB at 8 DAT2, although it was no different from Orthene or Admire Pro 2.5 oz/acre. At 11 DAT2, both Orthene and Transform had lower TPB densities than all other treatments. At 14 DAT2, all products except Admire Pro 1.7 oz/acre had TPB densities lower than the untreated check with Transform providing the greatest control. All products had lower season total TPB densities than the untreated check with Orthene and Transform providing the greatest control. Means within columns followed by the same letter are not significantly different according to DMRT (P < 0.10). There were no differences between treatments and the untreated check in square retention 3 DAT1 (Table 2). At 3 DAT2, all treatments had greater square retention than the untreated check. Only Carbine 4.2 oz/acre, Admire Pro 1.7 oz/acre, Orthene, and Transform had greater square retention than the untreated check at 8 DAT2. At 11 DAT2, all treatments had lesser boll damage than the untreated check. At 14 DAT2, Orthene and Transform were the only treatments that had lesser boll damage than the untreated check. Orthene- and Transform-treated plots resulted in the greatest yields numerically but were only significantly better than Admire Pro 1.7 oz/acre and the untreated check. Means within columns followed by the same letter are not significantly different according to DMRT (P < 0.10). This research was supported by industry gifts of products and research funding.
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Taillon et al. (2019) studied this question.