About
  PDF
Full Text
(75 K)

Impact of Natural Enemies on the Cotton Aphid: Implications for Control

M. R. Abney, J. R. Ruberson, G. A. Herzog, T. J. Kring and D. C. Steinkraus


 
ABSTRACT

The cotton aphid has become a consistent and abundant pest of cotton in Georgia, but the extent of the economic damage inflicted by this pest is unclear. This study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of natural enemies on cotton aphid populations, and to assess the impact of aphids on cotton yield and quality. Four treatments were evaluated (1) an untreated control, (2) a fungicide treatment to reduce the activity of the entomopathogenic fungus Neozygites fresenii, (3) an imidacloprid treatment when aphids were present on 50% of plants, and (4) an imidacloprid treatment when aphids were present on >>50% of plants and natural enemies were present. Studies were conducted for two seasons (1999 and 2000) in commercial cotton fields with one-acre plots and four replicates of each treatment (total of 16 acres per year). Cotton aphid population development was similar in both seasons with peak aphid numbers occurring in early July and declining rapidly thereafter as fungal epizootics decimated aphid populations. Imidacloprid applications in early July effectively suppressed aphid populations but were followed closely by fungal epizootics. Arthropod natural enemies were not abundant in either year of the study and had no observable effect on aphid populations. Seed cotton yield and lint quality were not significantly affected by aphid infestations in either year.





Reprinted from Proceedings of the 2001 Beltwide Cotton Conferences pp. 1029 - 1031
©National Cotton Council, Memphis TN

[Main TOC] | [TOC] | [TOC by Section] | [Search] | [Help]
Previous Page [Previous] [Next] Next Page
 
Document last modified XXXXXX, XXX XX 2001