Reduction in Yield and Quality of Cotton Damaged by Green Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Abstract

Damage to cotton by adult green stink bugs, Acrosternum hilare (Say), was evaluated in field cage studies. Adult green stink bugs significantly reduced harvestable cotton at levels of three bugs per plant in a 6-d exposure. Puncture number continued to increase with longer exposures, but losses in harvestable cotton plateaued at the longer exposures. In addition, lower seed germination rate and fiber maturity of lint harvested from cotton bolls previously exposed to stink bugs occurred. In 1987, the number of punctures was related to boll age, but boll age and amount of harvestable cotton from these bolls were not related. In 1986 boll shed tended to increase with increasing exposure time to green stink bugs, but this effect was not observed in 1987.