Abstract
The effects of row direction and row spacing on plant development and on Populations: of the boll weevil. Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman. in dryland cotton in the Texas Rolling Plains were studied from 1981 to 1983. A precision planter was used to obtain equal plant densities in all row directions and row spacings each year. Rows were oriented in east/west (E/W) and north/south (N/S) compass directions. The three row spacings were 51. 69, and 102 cm. Row direction did not affect plant canopy diameters or square production. Canopy diameters were significantly larger in the 102-cm spacing, but significantly more squares were produced in the 51-cm spacing. There were no yield differences between row spacings or row directions. Row spacing had little effect on soil surface temperatures under the plant canopy, but soil temperatures were considerably higher in N/S rows than in E/W rows. Boll weevil survival in fallen squares under the plant canopy was significantly higher in E/W rows than in N/S rows, and survival was higher in the 102- cm spacing than in the 51- or 69-cm spacings. A multiple regression analysis indicated that both soil temperature and canopy diameter interact to influence survival of boll weevils in fallen squares. Boll weevil damage to squares and bolls on the plant was significantly higher in N/S rows than in E/W rows, and damage was significantly greater in the 51-cm spacing than in the 60- and 102-cm spacings. Boll weevil damage was highest in the 51-cm spacing, and yields were not improved in the 51- or 69-cm spacings. Therefore, narrow-row production cannot be recommended as a boll weevil management strategy for dryland cotton production in the Texas Rolling Plains.
Published Version
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