Seasonal occurrence and within-field distribution of Lygus lineolaris on buckwheat in Manitoba

Abstract

Plant bugs, species of the genus Lygus Kelton (Hemiptera: Miridae), damage many crops in western Canada (Kelton 1980; Wise and Lamb 1998; Wise et al. 2000). Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), L. borealis (Kelton), and L. elisus Van Duzee are the most common species in the eastern prairie of Canada (Schwartz and Foottit 1992). Manitoba is the leading producer of buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum Moench (Polygonaceae), in North America, growing about 15 000 ha annually (Canada Grains Council 1999). Plant bug adults are known to oviposit (Painter 1927) and feed on buckwheat (Bugg and Ellis 1990), but little is known about their ability to develop on this crop. The objectives of the study were to determine (i) the species of plant bugs on buckwheat, (ii) their ability to develop on buckwheat, and (iii) the distribution of plant bugs within commercial fields of buckwheat in Manitoba.