Statewide average temperatures were 2 degrees below normal for the week of June 9 through June 15, and average rainfall was 1.7 inches above normal. One of the major factors that affects the severity of plant bug problems in cotton is the timing of plant bug movement from alternate hosts relative to the stage of development of the crop. Due to the lateness of this year's crop, it appears that plant bug movement into cotton may coincide more closely than in past years with the period when the crop is most susceptible to damage. This means that careful, frequent sampling for plant bugs will be more important this year. It is critical that damaging populations that could cause further delays to the crop not be overlooked.
Treatment thresholds for plant bugs change as stage of crop development changes.
During the first 2 weeks of squaring the threshold is 7.5 bugs per 100 sweeps, and increases to 15 bugs per 100 sweeps during the third and forth week of squaring. Plant bug counts can change quickly at this time of year due to migration from alternate hosts. Therefore its is important that fields be swept at least every 3 to 4 days. It is best to avoid the temptation to use lower thresholds or to treat automatically just because the crop is late. A late crop means more exposure to late season pests outbreaks, and any unnecessary treatments applied now will only intensify this problem.