Lygus bug injury and its effect on the growth of alfalfa

Jeppson, L; MacLeod, G

Lygus bug injury and its effect on the growth of alfalfa

Authors

Lee R. Jeppson
G. F. MacLeod

Authors Affiliations

Lee R. Jeppson was Junior Entomologist in the Experiment Station; G. F. MacLeod was Professor of Entomology and Entomologist in the Experiment Station; resigned July 1, 1945.

Publication Information

Hilgardia 17(4):165-188. DOI:10.3733/hilg.v17n04p165. November 1946.

PDF of full article, Cite this article

Abstract

Abstract does not appear. First page follows.

History of the Problem

The group of hemipterous insects belonging to the genus Lygus, of the family Miridae, has long been recognized as injurious to many agricultural crops and ornamental plants. In the past fifteen years two species of this genus—L. hesperus Knight and L. elisus Van Duzee—have been shown to cause flower drop and injury to pods and seeds of beans (Shull, 1933);4 flower drop and shriveled seed in alfalfa (Sorenson, 1936), (1939); (Shull, Rice, and Cline, 1934) and sugar beets (Hills, 1941); (Hills, 1943); and shedding of the squares and other injury to cotton. (McGregor, 1927); (Ewing, 1929); (Cassidy and Barber, 1939). As a result of these findings much information has been accumulated on the biology of these insects in relation to each of these host crops (Shull, 1933); (Sorenson, 1939); and (Smith, 1942).

The relation of lygus bugs to flower drop and shriveled seed of alfalfa has been the subject of extensive investigations by (Sorenson (1932), (1939), (Shull, Rice, and Cline (1934)), (Carlson (1940)), and (Stitt (1940)), in which they have shown the importance of these insects in limiting alfalfa seed production.

(Shull, Rice, and Cline (1934)) were the first to suggest that lygus bugs might be a factor in alfalfa hay production. In their experiments, they put cages over four areas, each of which had from 17 to 20 plants. Two of these plots served as checks; on the others a population of bugs was maintained. An average of 17.5 per cent less hay was produced in the infested than in the check cages. (Sorenson (1939)) confined lygus bugs on alfalfa plants, and measured the lengths of the stems at various intervals. He found 8 to 35 per cent reduction in the length of the stems as a result of injuries caused by the bugs.

Literature Cited

Arnon D. I. Microelements in culture solution experiments with higher plants. Am. Jour. Bot. 1938. 25:322 DOI: 10.2307/2436754 [CrossRef]

Carlson J. W. Lygus bug damage to alfalfa in relation to seed production. Jour. Agr. Res. 1940. 61:791-815.

Carter Walter. Injuries to plants caused by insect toxins. Bot. Rev. 1939. 5:273-326. DOI: 10.1007/BF02878504 [CrossRef]

Cassidy T. P., Barber T. C. Hemipterous cotton insects of Arizona and their economic importance and control. U.S. Bur. Ent. and Plant Quar. series E. 1938. 439:1-14.

Cassidy T. P., Barber T. C. Hemipterous insects of cotton in Arizona: Their economic importance and control. Jour. Econ. Ent. 1939. 32:99-104.

Craig R., Wilson C. The use of buffered solutions in staining theory and practice. Stain Technol. 1937. 12(3):99-109.

Ewing K. P. Effects on the cotton plant of the feeding of certain Hemiptera of the family Miridiae. Jour. Econ. Ent. 1929. 22:761-65.

Hills O. A. Isolation-cage studies of certain hemipterous and homopterous insects on sugar beets grown for seed. Jour. Econ. Ent. 1941. 34:756-60.

Hills O. A. Comparative ability of several species of Lygus and the Say stinkbug to damage sugar beets grown for seed. Jour. Agr. Res. 1943. 67:389-94.

Hoagland D. R., Arnon D. I. The water-culture method for growing plants without soil. California Agr. Exp. Sta. Cir. 1938. 347:1-39. https://archive.org/details/waterculturemeth347hoag

McGregor E. A. Lygus elisus: a pest of the cotton regions in Arizona and California. U.S. Dept. Agr. Tech. Bul. 1927. 4:1-15.

Meyer B. S., Anderson D. B. Plant physiology. 1939. Inc., New York, N.Y.: D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc. 696p.

Morrill A. W. Cotton pests in the arid and semiarid southwest. Jour. Econ. Ent. 1917. 10:310

Pilkington M. The regeneration of the stem apex. New Phytol. 1929. 28:37-53. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1929.tb06746.x [CrossRef]

Shull W. E. An investigation of the Lygus species which are pests of beans (Hemiptera, Miridae). Idaho Agr. Exp. Sta. Res. Bul. 1933. 11:1-42.

Shull W. E., Rice P. L., Cline M. F. Lygus hesperus in relation to plant growth, blossom drop and seed set in alfalfa. Jour. Econ. Ent. 1934. 27(1):265-69.

Smith G. L. California cotton insects. California Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 1942. 660:1-50. https://archive.org/details/californiacotton660smit

Sorenson C. J. Insects in relation to alfalfa seed production. Utah Agr. Exp. Sta. Cir. 1932. 98:9-11.

Sorenson C. J. Lygus bugs in relation to occurrence of shriveled alfalfa seed. Jour. Econ. Ent. 1936. 29:454-57.

Sorenson C. J. Lygus hesperus Knight and Lygus elisus Van Duzee in relation to alfalfa-seed production. Utah Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 1939. 284:1-61.

Stitt L. L. Three species of the genus Lygus and their relation to alfalfa seed production in southern Arizona and California 1940. U.S. Dept. Agr. Tech. Bul. gdvs1-19

Also in this issue:

Burning tepee aids air pollution studies at Riverside

Storage management and nectarine shrivel

Water supply and irrigation effects on alfalfa

Organic matter and wettability for greenhouse soils

Sprays for San Jose scale on peaches, Fresno County

Fresh-pitted dried prunes …for the grocery retail trade

Wilt tolerance in cotton varieties

Tarweed …a nuisance plant on California ranges

Foliar sprays correct manganese deficiencies on desert grapefruit

Legume test plots

The Willamette mite on grapes