Diapause success and survival of the tarnished plant bug (Lygus lineolaris) on Mid-Atlantic winter cover crops

Lygus lineolaris is a pest that exists in high populations in the mid- Atlantic, feeding on a variety of cultivated crops, such as cotton, and weedy hosts. Population size is partially dependent on their ability to survive winter and the presence of favorable overwintering hosts. Lygus lineolaris has been shown to be able to break diapause and enter a reproductive state if hosts offer adequate nutrition, compared to low nutrient or no nutrient harboring sites. Winter cover crops may have a similar influence on diapause as wild hosts. Wheat, rye, crimson clover, and hairy vetch are cover crops commonly used in cotton systems in Virginia and North Carolina. Determining if L. lineolaris breaks diapause on cover crops could help understand the recent, high populations experienced over mid- to late-summer months. We measured overwintering success on cover crops using mortality rates, estimating reproductive status by fat body content, and spring hatching events. Data from this study will help influence winter cover crop choice, and crop termination dates, in mid-Atlantic cotton growing regions.