Effects of insecticide rotations on pest and beneficial abundance in mid-Atlantic cotton

In the mid-Atlantic, the rapid increase in Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) has led to a significant increase in the area and frequency of insecticide applications in cotton. The overall goal of this project is to evaluate insecticide rotations for L. lineolaris control in Virginia and eastern North Carolina. Insecticide rotations promote resistance management and may reduce the number of applications based their effect on natural enemy populations, but specific effects on natural enemy guilds and the importance of rotation order is unclear. Our study was conducted for two years at the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Suffolk, VA, and the Vernon G. James Research Center in Plymouth, NC. We measured how insecticide treatments applied at threshold affected L. lineolaris (density), plant injury (fruit retention, damaged bolls), additional insect pests (aphids, mites, stink bugs, bollworm), beneficials, and lint yield. Results of our study will be used to optimize insecticide applications to maximize grower profit while enhancing the environmental profile of cotton.