Laboratory Evaluation of Insecticides for Control of Tarnished Plant Bug in Mississippi, II, 1995
Abstract Insecticides were evaluated at Mississippi State University in a randomized complete block design with 4 replications. Insecticides were applied on 31 May in a spray chamber equipped with a single Spraying Systems TX3 hollow cone nozzle and calibrated for 5 gpa at a pressure of 28 psi and a speed of 3 mph. Carrier of the insecticides was water, with an initial pH of 8.0. Plant bugs were collected the morning of application by sweeping wild flowers with a 15 inch diameter sweep net. Leaves were collected in the field and transported to the lab where leaf disks 48 mm in diameter were cut and placed in 50 x 11 mm Petri dishes with two filter papers moistened with four drops of water to keep the leaf turgid. The leaf disks were then sprayed and allowed to dry before being infested. Four leaf disks with five plant bugs each were used per treatment and replicate. The bioassay was maintained in darkness at 80° F for 24 h prior to evaluation.