Out with the old in with the new: Plinazolin and ThryvOn technologies in cotton

Recently, two new technologies have been developed to manage insect pests in cotton, which include ThryvOn™ (Bayer CropScience) and Plinazolin® (Syngenta Crop Protection). ThryvOn™ is a cotton variety containing a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) trait targeting thrips and tarnished plant bug (Lygus lineolaris). Currently, this variety has not reached full commercialization. Plinazolin® is an insecticide containing the active ingredient isocycloseram. This insecticide is now under review to be registered in cotton to use as a foliar application to manage pests, including plant bugs, stink bugs, and spider mites. At present, limited research is available on these technologies; therefore, this research aimed to assess the efficacy of these technologies and identify the most effective approach to use these products to manage insect pests in cotton. This study consisted of a field test replicated in Glendora and Stoneville, Mississippi, arranged in a 2x7 factorial within a randomized complete block design with four blocks. One factor was cotton variety, either with the ThryvOn technology or without. The other factor consisted of foliar insecticide applications with active ingredients of isocycloseram, sulfoxaflor, or novaluron that were made throughout reproductive development. As these technologies become fully commercialized, the results from this research will be useful to cotton producers as they make decisions for managing insect pests.