As we begin to bloom in our early planted cotton, it is time to consider options for controlling our typical complex of pests. Tarnished plant bug pressure has been continuous in some areas, and early indications are that stink bugs are also off to a good start. Here are some treatment options to consider when going after a complex of pests in blooming cotton. Keep in mind that heavy or sustained infestations will typically require two or more applications to achieve adequate control, regardless of product selection. Reminder: the treatment threshold for tarnished plant bugs in blooming cotton is when you find an average of 3 bug per drop cloth or 15 bugs per 100 sweeps. When stink bugs are present, I often suggest counting them as equivalent to 3 tarnished plant bugs when determining if treatment is needed. Disregard any adult stink bugs in cotton prior to bloom.
Stand alone treatments for plant bugs
1) Orthene/Acephate (0.5 – 0.75 lb ai per acre): An excellent choice for tarnished plant bugs. Use the high rate if stink bugs are present. Our control guide does not list acephate at rates higher than 0.5 lb per acre, but it should. I consider 0.67 – 0.75 lb the x-rate as a stand-alone treatment. One of my go to treatments is 0.33 – 0.5 lb of acephate mixed with a synthetic pyrethroid (especially bifenthrin). This is a great approach when “worms” and stink bugs are in the mix.
2) Bidrin (5-8 oz per acre): An old standard that provides good control of both plant bugs and stink bugs. Bidrin at 3 oz per acre plus a pyrethroid is another great option as the season progresses and bollworms are beginning to show. Keep in mind the new label does not allow the use of more than 16 oz of Bidrin after flowering has begun, and there is suppose to be a two week interval between applications.
3) Vydate (10-16 oz per acre): I like this product at 12 oz or more per acre on both plant bugs and stink bugs. This can also be used in a tank mix (6 oz) with a synthetic pyrethroid.
4) Bifenthrin 2E (5-6 oz per acre of Fanfare, Brigade, Discipline, etc.): Not my first pick as a stand-alone treatment. It can be unpredictable because pyrethroid resistance is widely established in tarnished plant bugs. However, it is excellent on stink bugs and will usually provide acceptable control of tarnished plant bugs for at least one application. Because it typically has more activity than the other synthetic pyrethroids on tarnished plant bugs, it makes a good tank mix partner with products such as Acephate, Bidrin, Vydate, Diamond, Dimethoate, etc. Do not use other synthetic pyrethroids as a stand-alone treatment for tarnished plant bug. If you do, expect unacceptable levels of control ranging from 30-60%.
Products that often work well in a mix
1) Diamond (4-9 oz per acre): At 6 oz per acre or higher, this product by itself will compare favorably with our best treatments in controlling immature plant bugs, especially in a two shot program. Diamond has some unique attributes. It does not kill adult plant bugs or stink bugs. However, it does have good residual effects on immature stages. So perhaps the best use of Diamond is as a tank mix partner during early bloom with a product that will control adults. I have a number of tests where I’ve mixed Diamond with Bidrin, Acephate, Carbine or one of the bifenthrin products with good results. Consider using 4-6 oz of Diamond with one of these products during your first and/or second application after bloom, especially in areas where plant bug pressure is typically high.
2) Dimethoate 4E (6-8 oz per acre): By itself, this product has decent but not stellar activity on plant bugs, and it is economical. It needs some help if you are also targeting stink bugs. The most obvious partner would be a synthetic pyrethroid at a standard rate. This will improve control of plant bugs and also provide control of bollworms.
3) Chlorpyrifos (Lorsban 4E, Nufos 4E, Lorsban Advanced 3.755): I would not recommend this product as a stand-alone treatment, but it has some utility when mixed with a synthetic pyrethroid at 12 oz per acre. Cobalt Advanced is a premixed of chlorpyrifos and gamma-cyhalothrin (a pyrethroid). It has provided acceptable control at 24 oz per acre or higher in my tests.
Some pre-mixes
1) Endigo (4-5 oz per acre): This is a mix of Centric and Karate, and it has performed very well in my tests on plant bugs and stink bugs. Unfortunately, it flies in the face of UT’s resistance management guidelines (avoiding pyrethroids prebloom and laying off the neonicotinoid insecticides once blooming begins). Thus, I don’t routinely recommend this product. However, sneaking in an application in 3-4 weeks after bloom might not be too risky in terms of resistance management provided you have not used neonic’s such as Centric or imidacloprid since bloom began.
2) Leverage 360 (2.8 – 3.2 oz per acre): A mix of imidacloprid and Baythroid. It creates the same dilemma as above. It provides adequate control of tarnished plant bugs but not to the same level as Endigo. It is relatively economical and will provide good control of green stink bugs. Like Endigo, the pyrethroid component will also provide control of bollworms.
3) Brigadier (5.1 – 7.7 oz per acre): The same scenario as Endigo or Leverage 360, Brigadier is a mix of imidacloprid and bifenthrin. It will generally provide good control of plant bugs and stink bugs but at the risk of poor resistance management.
4) Athena (13.5 – 17 oz per acre): A premix of bifenthrin and avermectin, this product will provide control of tarnished plant bugs and stink bugs similar to or better than Bifenthrin alone. The avermectin component is a miticide but does add a little kick to the control of tarnished plant bugs. If the price is right, this may be a good fit for a mix of plant bugs, stink bugs and spider mites. I might be a little cautious if plant bug infestations are high.
5) Fyfanon Plus ULV (12 – 16 oz per acre): This product must be applied ULV and mixed with a once-refined vegetable oil to bring the total spray volume up to 32 oz/acre. I’ve not tested this premix of malathion ULV and gamma-cyhalothrin. However, my counterparts have given it a thumbs up for control of plant bugs, stink bugs and bollworms. On the downside, this mix will be hard on beneficials and likely to flare spider mites, aphids or whiteflies. Thus, I suggest using it on the tail end of the season and not right out of the gate after first bloom.
