Data from: Hemipteran Species in Row Crops of the Brazos River Bottom in Central Texas

Stink bug and plant bug species, commonly known as hemipterans, continue as major pests of cotton and other row crops in the U.S. Cotton Belt, but the composition of hemipterans has changed substantially over the past decade. Determining species composition is critical to understanding and managing these pests. Thus, a 2-year study was conducted to identify hemipteran species within corn, sorghum, cotton, and soybean in the Brazos River Bottom production area of Central Texas. Overall, 18 species of hemipterans were collected across all four crops. The brown stink bug and rice stink bug were the predominant species encountered in corn and sorghum, respectively, in both years of the study. The tarnished plant bug was the prevalent species in cotton during 2021, but the brown stink bug was predominant in 2022. Soybeans possessed the highest number of species, with the southern green stink bug as the prevalent species. Given that several of the hemipteran species were encountered in all four crops and are known to transmit disease-causing pathogens of row crops, our findings suggest the need for due diligence in monitoring these pest species in the major crops produced in Central Texas.