D3255: Hemipteran insects occurring in Florida sugarcane and rice felds

Sugarcane is grown on more than 150,000 ha in four counties in southern in Florida and is the most valuable row crop produced in the state. In the sugarcane production area, rice is produced under flooded conditions on more than 8,000 ha of sugarcane and vegetable fallow land, which increases revenue while providing soil and water conservation benefits. Six field surveys were conducted between September 2019 and September 2021 to determine the species composition and relative abundance of hemipteran insects occurring on sugarcane and rice foliage. For each survey, eleven sugarcane fields and nine rice fields were sampled using a sweep net (100 sweeps/field). In sugarcane and rice, 1,831 and 9,373 specimens were collected, respectively. Perkinsiella saccharicida represented 18.2% of specimens collected in sugarcane. This exotic delphacid planthopper is considered a minor pest of sugarcane in Florida. Oebalus insularis represented 30.9% % of specimens collected in rice. This exotic stink bug is considered a major pest of rice in Florida.