Managing Insect Pests of Cotton– Tarnished Plant Bug

Challenges

• Tarnished plant bugs are the most economically damaging pest affecting cotton producers, especially in the Delta region of Mississippi.
• Delta farmers typically make an average of five to nine insecticide applications each year to combat this pest.
• Controlling tarnished plant bugs requires farm-specific strategies.
• Controlling this pest requires a variety of production practice changes—earlier planting, limiting nitrogen, incorporating different plant varieties, and changing insecticide application practices.

Extension Response

Extension has worked for the past two decades to provide solutions to help farmers deal with this pest.

• Extension faculty and professional staff develop and deliver research demonstrations, workshops, various publications, and one-on-one technical assistance activities.
• Recommended practice changes include earlier planting, limiting nitrogen application, incorporating hairy leaf cotton varieties, using a window approach to insecticide treatments, and shortening treatment intervals during high-pressure situations.
• Research has shown adoption of recommended strategies could increase yields by 200 pounds per acre and reduce the number of insecticide applications by three per year.
• Adopting the recommended practices increases cotton producers’ sustainability and benefits the environment through reduced nitrogen and insecticide applications.

Economic Impacts

• Given a conservative adoption rate of 75% for the 203,504 acres of cotton grown in the Delta, adopting one or more of these practices could increase producer revenues by an estimated $24.2 million.
• Decreasing the number of pesticide applications could save farmers an estimated $6.1 million.
• Adopting recommended practices has the potential to increase farm income by $30.3 million.
• This increase in revenue could support an estimated 185 jobs, earning $9.6 million.
• As a result, value-added activities in the state could increase by $18.5 million and output by $45.2 million.
• Local taxes could increase as a result by an estimated $73,999 for municipalities, $184,408 for local special districts (e.g., school districts), and $145,625 for county governments.
• State taxes could increase by an estimated $951,911 and federal taxes by an estimated $2.1 million.
• Increases in tax revenues are based solely on increased output by producers. This analysis assumes no increase in tax rates or change in the current tax structure.

M2480-02 (10-25)

Whitney Crow, PhD, Associate Professor, Agricultural Science and Plant Protection