Plant stalks as oviposition traps for Apolygus lucorum (Hemiptera: Miridae) under field conditions

Abstract

ABSTRACTApolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür) (Hemiptera: Miridae) is an important pest on cotton, fruit trees, tea and many other crops in China. Its small eggs are often laid inside plant tissues, making them difficult to detect and survey. In this study, the stalks of 20 plant species were assessed for use as oviposition traps for A. lucorum under field conditions in 2013, 2014 and 2017. During 2013–2014, A. lucorum adults laid eggs in the stalks of all plant species tested. When honey was added to bundles of stalks, the numbers of A. lucorum eggs laid in the stalks increased 1.79- to 44.00-fold compared with the stalks of the same plants without honey added. In general, the plant stalks of cotton Gossypium hirsutum L. and scandent hop Humulus scandens (Lour) Merr. attracted a great number of eggs among all plant species tested. In 2017, a positive correlation was found between the number of A. lucorum eggs laid in cotton plant stalks and A. lucorum adults in the corresponding field plots. Oviposition traps using cotton plant stalks provide a simple and practical method for monitoring the egg-laying dynamics of A. lucorum under field conditions.