BULLETIN 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



places. Attacked shoots usually wither and are either retarded in 

 their growth or, in cases of severe infestation, die. Such damage 

 has been noted on Irish potato and sweet potato. 



In the case of immature fruit the tissue around the point where the 

 beak has been inserted does not develop normally and these points 

 sometimes become centers of callous growth. The growth of devel- 

 oping fruit is retarded when injured in this manner and the fruit 

 often withers and drops from the plant. Injured tomatoes, 

 although small and distorted, sometimes assume a yellow color. 



During 1917 injury by the nymphs to tomatoes and beans was 

 demonstrated by confining nymphs with tomato fruits and grow- 

 ing beans. In the case of tomato a number of small green fruits 



Fig. 1.— Injury to tomato fruit by nymphs of the Southern green plant-bug (Nezara viridula): Injured 

 fruit above, normal fruit below. Developing fruit was covered with cheesecloth sacks in which nymphs 

 were confined. Fruit bearing same number was approximately same size when inclosed in sacks. 



growing in the field were closely covered with cheesecloth. In 

 some of these covers nymphs were placed while other fruit was left 

 to serve as checks. Examination later showed that those fruits 

 with which nymphs had been confined had not developed to the 

 same extent as did the check fruit. In some cases the fruits upon 

 which nymphs had fed withered later and dropped from the stem. 

 (See fig. 1.) 



Beans growing in flowerpots were placed under covers. Nymphs 

 were confined with some, while other plants were used as checks. 

 No fruit developed on those plants upon which nymphs were allowed 



