Cotton expressing the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Mpp51Aa2 (formerly Cry51Aa2.834_16) protein, known as ThryvOn™ Technology, was fully commercialized in the United States for the 2023 growing season. Previous research has shown this toxin to be effective against thrips and various plant bugs with piercing-sucking feeding behaviors, but the impact of this protein on stink bugs has not been investigated. The green stink bug, Chinavia hilaris (Say), and brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say), are economically important members of the stink bug pest complex in Tennessee cotton production systems. The primary objectives of this study were to determine the impact of cotton expressing Mpp51Aa2 on feeding damage to cotton bolls and ovipositional preference for these two stink bug species under greenhouse conditions. Preliminary field data will also be presented. The information gained from this study is critical to developing management guidelines in Tennessee for stink bug pests in this newly commercialized cotton technology.
.png)
