CONTROL OF TARNISHED PLANT BUG WITH EXPERIMENTAL INSECTICIDES, 2002.

A caged plant bug study was conducted at the Northeast Research and Extension Center in Keiser, AR. Tarnished plant bugs (TPB) were collected from wild host plants and maintained in the lab until the study was began. Plots were 4 rows x 7.6-m long arranged in a RCB design with four replications. Insecticides were applied using a CO2 powered backpack sprayer. The sprayer was calibrated to deliver 93.5 L per ha at a pressure of 0.27 MPa through 2-TX8 hollowcone nozzles per row. Only the center two rows of each plot were treated to give a buffer of two rows between each pair of treated rows. Treatments were applied early in the morning, just after sunrise, when wind conditions were negligible to avoid spray drift. Cages were constructed from 11.5-cm hair clips bent to fit around 6-cm diameter polystyrene Petri dishes. Each cage was constructed of either two Petri dish bases or two Petri dish tops so that the edges would meet forming an enclosure. Strips of foam were glued to the edges of each dish so that a seal would form when the cage was closed. A 3.2-cm diameter hole was cut in each side of the cage, and a piece of organdy cloth was glued over the opening to allow for air-flow through the cage. Five tarnished plant bugs were placed in each cage, with four cages per replicate for a total of 80 bugs per treatment. Cages were removed 4-diameter later and mortality was determined