Seasonal History and Damage Caused by Neurocolpus nubilus (Hemiptera: Miridae) on Cotton in Northern Mississippi

Abstract

Adult clouded plant bugs, Neurocolpus nubilus (Say), were caged for 2 d on individual cotton plants ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) during two stages of plant physiological development. Regression analyses of number of plant fruiting structures and yield on insect densities indicated that feeding by N. nubilus at the peak squaring period caused shedding of small pinhead squares and delayed crop maturation, although with no significant effects on total yield. The effects of N. nubilus feeding were less apparent at boll maturation. Observations of cotton fields with a history of N. nubilus infestations and analysis of data collected by the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service in northern Mississippi indicated that N. nubilus overwinters in the egg stage, develops its population on several host plants, and moves to cotton during late season, when cotton is less susceptible to its damage.