Seasonal abundance of the mirids, Lygus lucorum and Adelphocoris spp . (Hemiptera: Miridae) on Bt cotton in northern China

Abstract

Lygus lucorum Meyer-Dür, Adelphocoris fasciaticollis Reuter and Adelphocoris lineolatus (Goeze) (Hemiptera: Miridae) are important secondary insect pests in cotton fields in northern China. The seasonal dynamics of their mixed populations on a transgenic variety expressing the insecticidal Bt protein Cry1A, and a cotton line expressing proteins of Cry1A and CpTI (cowpea trypsin inhibitor gene) were compared to seasonal dynamics on similar but non-transgenic varieties from 1998 to 2001. No significant differences were detected between population densities of these bugs on unsprayed normal cotton and unsprayed transgenic cotton. However, mirid damage on unsprayed transgenic cotton was significantly higher due to a reduced number of insecticide sprays against Helicoverpa armigera compared with the number of sprays in the normal cotton. This suggests that the mirids have become key insect pests in transgenic cotton fields, and that their damage to cotton could increase further with the expansion of the area planted to transgenic cotton if no additional control measures are adopted.