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Population Trends of Beet Armyworm on Cotton in the Lower Rio Grande Valley During the 1996 Production Season

K.R. Summy, J.R. Raulston, D.W. Spurgeon and A.W. Scott, Jr.


 
ABSTRACT

Population trends of beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hubner), and its natural enemy associates on south Texas cotton were monitored during the 1996 production season. Pheromone traps detected a continual presence of beet armyworm moths at each of two study locations throughout a 4-month study period. However, infestations of the pest in a series of cotton plantings remained at innocuous levels throughout the season and caused no appreciable damage to plants. The latter trend was attributed to an extremely high incidence of mortality among immature stages (>99%), much of which was caused by members of an indigenous natural enemy species complex. The principal natural enemy groups included a complex of spiders, predaceous bugs (e.g., Orius and Geocoris spp.), beetles (e.g., Hippodamia and Scymnus spp.) and green lacewings (Chrysoperla spp.). The significance of indigenous natural enemies in the beet armyworm life system of southern Texas is discussed.



Reprinted from Proceedings of the 1997 Beltwide Cotton Conferences pp. 1035 - 1039
©National Cotton Council, Memphis TN

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Document last modified Sunday, Dec 6 1998