Journal of Economic Entomology (2012) 105, 1603-1611

Yanhui Lu, Zhenbiao Jiao and Kongming Wu (2012)
Early season host plants of Apolygus lucorum (Heteroptera: Miridae) in northern China
Journal of Economic Entomology 105 (5), 1603-1611
Abstract: Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür) (Heteroptera: Miridae) has become a severe pest of cotton and many other crops in northern China as a result of the widespread adoption of Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) cotton, with a corresponding reduction of broad-spectrum insecticide application in cotton fields. From the middle of April to middle June, A. lucorum feeds and develops on other host plants before dispersing to cotton fields. Effective suppression of A. lucorum populations before they enter cotton fields may be an excellent strategy for reducing the occurrence and damage of their subsequent generations in cotton fields. For that, basic information about the host plant range of A. lucorum during the early season is needed. Between 2006 and 2010, a total of 94 plant species from 41 families covering 39,956 square meters of land in natural conditions were sampled using the standard white pan beat method. Sixty-six plant species, including 45 weeds, 10 fruit trees, 5 timber trees, 4 pasture crops, and 2 arable crops were found to be hosts of A. lucorum. Among these species, Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl, Hamulus scandens (Loureiro) Merrill, Zizyphus jujuba Miller, Vitis vinifera L., Vicia faba L., and Medicago sativa L. were identified as dominant host species because of their wide distribution and high population densities of A. lucorum. The results of this study provide useful information about the early season host range of A. lucorum, which can be used to develop effective strategies to control the pest before its dispersal to cotton fields.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Kong Ming Wu

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
damage/losses/economics

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Apolygus lucorum	Cotton (Gossypium)	China (NE)