Sweeping up mirids gives a net improvement

Caragh Threlfall, Sandra Deutscher, Lewis Wilson, Trudy Staines

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Bollgard II cotton has dramatically reduced the need to spray for Helicoverpa spp. and other lepidopteran pests such as tipworm. Sucking pests previously controlled by these broad spectrum sprays are now a management issue in Bollgard II crops.

Such pests include the green mirid (Creontiades dilutus) in Australia, and the equivalent in America, the Lygus bug. Accurate sampling of these pests is crucial in a successful IPM program, although this is made harder by the mirids’ flighty nature.

Standard industry insect sampling techniques at present are the visual check and the beat sheet. Both of these techniques are valuable although visual checks are slow and beat sheets are difficult in wet fields.

In America the sweep net is used to sample for the Lygus bug. The sweep net is favoured because it is cheap, easy to use, quick and there are reliable thresholds available. It was the objective of this study to examine the sweep net’s ability to accurately and consistently sample pest and beneficial species, particularly the mirid under Australian conditions. We also compared it to the standard techniques so we could develop conversion factors between them.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)55-57
Number of pages3
JournalThe Australian Cottongrower
Volume26
Publication statusPublished - 2005
Externally publishedYes

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