Regional Assemblages of Lygus (Heteroptera: Miridae) in Montana Canola Fields

Sweep net sampling of canola (Brassica napus L.) was conducted in 2002 and 2003 to determine Lygus (Heteroptera: Miridae) species composition and parasitism levels in four regions of Montana. Regardless of region or seasonal change, Lygus elisus (Van Duzee) was the dominant species in all canola fie...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 2010-10, Vol.83 (4), p.297-305
Main Authors: Ritter, R. A., Lenssen, A. W., Blodgett, S. L., Taper, M. L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult insects
adults
biological control
Brassica napus
Canola
economic impact
Economic regions
economic threshold
Entomology
geographical variation
Hemiptera
Lygus
Lygus borealis
Lygus elisus
Lygus lineolaris
maturity stage
Miridae
Nymphs
Oilseeds
Parasitism
population
Population density
Proportions
sampling
seasonal variation
Species
species diversity
water shortages
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Sweep net sampling of canola (Brassica napus L.) was conducted in 2002 and 2003 to determine Lygus (Heteroptera: Miridae) species composition and parasitism levels in four regions of Montana. Regardless of region or seasonal change, Lygus elisus (Van Duzee) was the dominant species in all canola fields sampled, averaging 60–99% of the total adult populations. Lygus borealis (Kelton), Lygus keltoni (Schwartz) and Lygus lineolaris (Palisot) were detected at much lower levels. Total lygus population density was greatest in the southwest and central regions. The northeast and southwest regions had the greatest lygus species diversity. The proportion of L. elisus increased from early to late crop maturity stages in the southwest and central regions while there was no change in northeast and southwest canola production regions. Nymphal stages III–V were dissected to detect parasitism in 2003 only. Parasitism was found to be negligible in the dissection of 1,230 nymphs. Lygus population densities in canola indicate the potential for economic impact on Montana canola, especially in years when moisture is limited.
ISSN:0022-8567
1937-2353
DOI:10.2317/JKES0912.23.1