An integrated approach for Lygus lineolaris monitoring and management in cotton using trap crops and pheromones

Visual and olfactory cues are used by tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris, for mate finding and host location. Development of monitoring tools based on sensory cues are critical in the integrated management of this major cotton pest. We investigated the synergistic effects of trap color and addition of lures containing blends of pheromone components on catches of L. lineolaris on sticky traps, under field conditions. Red-colored sticky cards were more attractive to L. lineolaris adults than white, blue or yellow cards. Red sticky cards combined with blends of three potential pheromone components attracted significantly more L. lineolaris adults than sticky cards without a blend added. Traps baited with a blend of hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal in 4:10:7 ratio, respectively, caught a significantly higher number of L. lineolaris than those baited with 10:4:2 or 7:10:4 blends or an unbaited control in the first week of the experiment. This pheromone blend-red sticky card trap was further tested in combination with trap crops to attract L. lineolaris to the less expensive mustard trap crop, and can be killed by spraying insecticides. Planting trap crops significantly increases natural enemy populations and enhances biological control of different life stages of many cotton pests. Our preliminary results show that a combination of semiochemicals with trap crops attracts significantly more Lygus to the trap crops and reduces the plant bug damage in nearby rows of cotton.