U.S. granted Section 18 Emergency Exemption for Transform® WG insecticide in North Carolina

 In response to an expanding geography of cotton acres afflicted by tarnished plant bug, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted a Section 18 Emergency Exemption for Transform® WG insecticide in North Carolina. The approval is welcome news to growers who need a new plant bug control option to address resistance to current insecticides.

North Carolina joins several Midsouth and Western states receiving Section 18 exemptions allowing the use of Transform this growing season. While tarnished plant bug has historically been most problematic in the Midsouth, populations are increasing in North Carolina.

“Until 2010, no more than 5 percent of cotton acres in North Carolina were sprayed for plant bugs,” says Dominic Reisig, associate professor and Extension entomology specialist at North Carolina State University (NCSU). “Since then, more and more acres are being sprayed every year. Last year, 75 percent of cotton acres in North Carolina received at least one spray. Increases in plant bug populations are significant enough, along with economic thresholds, to justify an insecticide application.”

In addition to the increasing incidence of plant bug infestations, this piercing, sucking pest is also expanding its geography.

“Prior to 2016, the plant bug problem was mostly confined to the northeast part of the state and was mostly associated with vegetable production,” Reisig says. “That was the epicenter. It has since expanded geographically. While 2017 was a lighter infestation year, more fields were sprayed because plant bugs had expanded into areas where they weren’t before.”

Field trials validate efficacy of Transform® WG insecticide

In 2016 and 2017, Reisig conducted research comparing several plant bug insecticide treatment options to untreated checks. The studies involved replicated field trials with both early and late plantings. Results were consistent over both years, showing net returns higher using established thresholds vs. untreated check.

“The 2017 efficacy study is one of the things that helped us go forward with the application recommendation, because control with Transform was very effective,” Reisig says. “Results remained consistent with 2016 data when 2017 threshold trials included Transform exclusively. In each case, the insecticide recorded higher net returns over the untreated control. Transform is certainly an insecticide that the NCSU Extension recommends for effective control of tarnished plant bug. It pays to spray.”

Establishing economic treatment thresholds

NCSU has established two different economic thresholds for North Carolina cotton based on plant development. For pre-bloom, NCSU recommends a tandem scouting approach. A threshold of eight tarnished plant bugs per 100 sweeps is combined with square retention monitoring.

“We want cotton growers to observe the nodes on top of the plant,” Reisig says. “If they’re missing more than 20 percent of those, anything below 80 percent square retention would trigger a spray.” The post-bloom threshold is based strictly on numbers. Historically, there is a higher occurrence of nymphs present post-bloom. At that point in the season, Reisig says growers should use a drop cloth to determine treatment thresholds, because a sweep net is not as effective capturing nymphs. The NCSU Extension post-bloom threshold recommendation is two to three plant bugs per drop cloth sample.

Excellent rotational partner

Transform® WG insecticide features Isoclast® active (sulfoxaflor) and is the only member of the Group 4C class of insecticides. In addition to providing outstanding control, Transform delivers excellent residual activity, does not flare spider mites or aphids, and has minimal impact on beneficial insects.

Aside from the advantage of achieving dependable tarnished plant bug control, growers are excited about the role Transform will play as a rotational partner.

“For us in North Carolina, Transform will be a great product, not only for control, but also to help address an emerging resistance to pyrethroids and organophosphates,” Reisig says. “Transform is a great rotational partner that growers didn’t have before receiving the Section 18.”

What’s ahead for 2018?

Reisig says early season wet weather conditions were ideal for growing weeds that serve as primary plant bug hosts. Although it is a bit too early to predict, all signs point to early and possibly heavy plant bug infestations across the state.

“So far, it looks to be early and heavy,” Reisig says. “We had a lot of rain early on, which is good for weeds and early season hosts. All these things really help out plant bug populations a lot.”

To learn more about possible plant bug infestations in your area, contact your local Extension agent. To find out more about Transform® WG insecticide, visit www.TransformMyCotton.com.


Square retention monitoring is important for determining treatment thresholds for tarnished plant bug. When scouting, observe nodes on the top of the plant and look for missing squares or squares with yellow stains on the outer surface. North Carolina State University Extension recommends an insecticide treatment when 20 percent or more nodes are missing.