Evaluation of Selected Alternatives for Tobacco Budworms on Cotton in Southern North Carolina, 1997

Abstract

Abstract Cotton was planted on 1 May in a Faceville loamy sand on 38-inch rows near Laurel Hill in southeastern NC. Recommended practices for fertility and weed management were followed, and 0.75 lb (AI)/acre Temik 15G used at planting for thrips control. Plots were 45 ft X 6 rows, with 10-ft alleys and 4 replications arranged in a RCBD. The entire test was oversprayed with 0.75 lb (AI)/acre Orthene 75S on 19 Jun to encourage TBW establishment via destruction of beneficial arthropods. Karate and Naturalis-L were applied on 30 Jun. All applications were applied with a CO2-pressurized backpack sprayer calibrated to deliver 8 gpa at 50 psi with a single Spraying Systems TX-8 hollow-cone nozzle per row. On 26 Jun, all squares and terminals were removed from the middle 2 rows of one treatment and 50% removal of the squares and terminals constituted a second. On 17 Jul, at early bloom, the 3 oldest, most mature fruit were removed from all plants in a 3rd fruit removal treatment. On 8 Jul, 25 terminals from each plot (100 per treatment) were examined for terminal and square damage by TBW and live larvae. On 23 Sep, the numbers of open and closed bolls were counted for 15 ft of the middle 2 rows of each plot per replicate (30 ft total per treatment). Plots were not harvested. All data were analyzed via ANOVA and DMRT.