As incidence of lock damage increased, micronaire decreased. This preliminary study suggests that stink bugs influence both lint yield and quality of cotton. The presence of external injury on bolls from stink bug lowered lint yield per boll by 24 percent during 1997 and 20 percent during 1998 compared with bolls with no visible sign of external injury. The incidence of damaged locks also influenced color grades and micronaire. Stink bugs are a potential pests in low spray environments.
More research is needed to characterize damage and potential impact on yield.
Lint per boll and percent lint of bolls with and without external symptoms of stink bug feeding. Bleckley County, GA, 1998. Quality measurements for stink bug damaged bolls based on number of damaged locks. Bleckley County, GA, 1998. This project was funded in part by a grant from the Georgia Cotton Commission.