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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Southern Insect Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #311403
Title: Comparison of degree-day accumulation models for prediciting spring reproductive populations of Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois)

Author
item Parys, Katherine
item Snodgrass, Gordon

Submitted to: Midsouth Entomologist
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/23/2015
Publication Date: 3/1/2015
Citation: Parys, K.A., Snodgrass, G.L. 2015. Comparison of degree-day accumulation models for prediciting spring reproductive populations of Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois). Midsouth Entomologist. 8(1):61.

Interpretive Summary: Tarnished plant bugs are the primary pest of cotton in Mississippi and across the Midsouth, where they spend the winter as adults. We evaluated a variety of methods and parameters to calculate degree day accumulation using historical data from Stoneville, MS. Predicting the appearance of spring reproductive population has implications for understanding pest populations.

Technical Abstract: Tarnished plant bugs, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), are a major pest of cotton throughout Mississippi and the Midsouth region. Adult L. lineolaris diapause and overwinter utilizing leaf litter and winter host plants. Degree day accumulation models were evaluated using six biofixes, four lower temperature thresholds, and 13 years of data to predict the appearance of two phenological events (first instar nymphs and adults). Determining seasonal and temporal patterns of L. lineolaris contribute to further understanding this pest’s population dynamics, and have broad implications for pest management programs.