Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) mitigation in seedling cotton using strip tillage and winter cover crops.
BACKGROUND
Thrips are the most consistent insect pests of seedling cotton in the southeastern United States, where symptoms can range from leaf curling to stand loss. In a 2 year study, thrips adults and immatures were sampled at 14, 21 and 28 days after planting on cotton planted with a thiamethoxam seed treatment in concert with crimson clover, wheat or rye winter cover crops and conventional or strip tillage to investigate potential differences in thrips infestations.


RESULTS
Densities of adult thrips, primarily Frankliniella fusca (Hinds), peaked on the first sampling date, whereas immature densities peaked on the second sampling date. Regardless of winter cover crop, plots that received strip tillage experienced significantly fewer thrips at each sampling interval. In addition, assessment of percentage ground cover 42 days after planting showed that there was more than twice as much ground cover in the strip-tilled plots compared with conventionally tilled plots. Correlation analyses showed that increased ground cover was inversely related to thrips densities that occurred on all three sampling dates in 2008 and the final sampling date in 2009.


CONCLUSIONS
Growers who utilize strip tillage and a winter cover crop can utilize seed treatments for mitigation of early-season thrips infestation.
Toews
Michael D
MD
Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, USA. mtoews@uga.edu
Tubbs
R Scott
RS
Wann
Dylan Q
DQ
Sullivan
Dana
D
D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D003368:Gossypium / Q000469:parasitology*; D007300:Insect Control / Q000379:methods*; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology*; D036226:Seedlings / Q000469:parasitology