Technical Abstract: The southern green stink bug (Nezara viridula L.) is a member of the stink bug complex that has reached elevated pest status in cotton production in recent years. A disease of cotton bolls, identified as South Carolina boll rot, appeared coincidental to the increasing populations of stink bugs. The relationship between the occurrence of the cotton disease and the southern green stink bug is discussed here. This review documents: the identification and description of the disease; potential causal agents and insect vectors; conclusive identification of Pantoea agglomerans as the causative agent of the disease; establishment of southern green stink bug as a model insect based on ingestion, retention, and transmission of the disease to cotton bolls; determination of boll age susceptibility to disease; and transmission of other disease agents by southern green stink bugs. Future research avenues are also discussed.