Boll Weevil Eradication Program Research Articles

The Cotton Acreage Effects of Boll Weevil Eradication: A County-Level Analysis

AbstractThe success of the Boll Weevil Eradication (BWE) Program is believed to be one factor underlying the recent increase in cotton acreage in the Southeast. We find weak evidence that the initial, eradication phase of the BWE program decreases cotton acreage, and strong evidence that the second, maintenance phase of the program increases acreage. The full benefits associated with a BWE program may not become apparent until acreage adjustments occur, four to five years after program initiation. Our results indicate that for a representative sample county neglecting acreage effects may lead to underestimation of BWE program net benefits by 9 percent-12 percent.

Georgia Cotton Acreage Response to the Boll Weevil Eradication Program

AbstractAn adaptive regression model is employed for estimating pre- and post-boll weevil eradication cotton-acreage response. Results indicate cotton acreage becoming more inelastic to own- and cross-price changes. As a result of this shift in acreage response and yield increases from eradication, net producer benefits on average are $88.73 per acre.

Predator Conservation in Cotton: Using Grain Sorghum as a Source for Insect Predators

Abstract Adjacent plots of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., and grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, were established in 1997 and 1998 to study the movement of generalist predators in this system. Previous authors have suggested that sorghum acts as a source of generalist insect predators for cotton pests but several questions about the dynamics of insect movement remain unanswered. Mark–recapture methods were used to determine the timing of predator movement and to measure the net gains, if any, for cotton in terms of predators. Destructive sampling of cotton and grain sorghum plants was used to determine which environmental factors might cause predator movement in this system. Results showed that several generalist predators move between cotton and sorghum, most frequently Orius spp. and Hippodamia convergens Guerin-Meneville. Movement of predators into cotton peaked during the hard-dough and soft-dough stages of sorghum phenology in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Although cotton received a net gain in total predators, the number of insects leaving cotton once exceeded the number entering from sorghum, indicating that predator movement is not unidirectional in this system. Further, data on predator dispersal rates suggest that predators possess the necessary mobility for their use in field-scale conservation (as opposed to strip cropping). Results of destructive sampling show that predator movement was positively correlated with ambient temperatures and negatively correlated with local aphid levels. These results support the use of sorghum as a predator conservation tool in cotton and are particularly relevant as the boll weevil eradication programs increase the feasibility of pesticide reductions and conservation in cotton.

Effects of Early-Season Loss of Flower Buds on Yield, Quality, and Maturity of Cotton in South Carolina

The effect of early-season flower bud damage on yield, quality, and maturity of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., was determined at Florence and Blackville, SC, from 1989 to 1994. From 1989 to 1991, yields from insecticide-treated plots for Heliothis virescens (F.) during June were compared with plots left untreated during June. In all cases from 1989 to 1991, no significant differences in yield were observed between treated and untreated plots. From 1992 to 1994, H. virescens damage was simulated by hand-removal of flower buds. In 1992, no significant differences were observed in yield, maturity, or lint quality following removals as high as 100% for 4 consecutive weeks. In 1993, a 1-wk delay in maturity was observed in 'DES 119' and 'Deltapine 90' at both locations following removals of 100% for 3 and 4 wk, and in 1994 at Blackville following removals of 100% for 3 wk. From 1992 to 1994, there were no significant yield effects following any flower bud removal level or duration, but in 1993 at Blackville, there were significant removal X planting date and removal X planting date X cultivar interactions. In this instance, DES 119 planted late (28 May) and grown under irrigated and dryland conditions experienced yield reductions of 30-45% after 100% removal for 3 or 4 wk that extended into mid-July. No other significant interactions with removal occurred, and no differences in lint quality were observed. Our data indicate that cotton compensates adequately for flower bud loss in June in South Carolina, and that insecticides for H. virescens seldom are needed early in the season. Opportunities to ameliorate traditional insecticide approaches for cotton insect management are discussed by considering our data in conjunction with the expansion of the Boll Weevil Eradication Program and the deployment of cotton cultivars that contain genes for expression of the delta-endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis in other areas of the Cotton Belt.

Role of Knowledge and Opinion in Promoting Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Eradication

Although the economic benefits of boll weevil eradication programs have been theoretically and empirically documented, a history of failed initial referendums can be attributed to concerns about relative program costs and benefits, changes in the pest management property rights of producers, and the lack of landowner cooperation with producers. Because little is known about the role of knowledge, opinion, and landowners in the success or failure of any cooperative pest management program, problems arise when attempting to design and promote a boll weevil eradication program. This study examined the factors that played a role in the defeat of the March 1995 Louisiana boll weevil eradication referendum and characterizes the actions that could be taken to successfully promote coordinated pest management programs like boll weevil eradication. Accurate knowledge of past program successes was important to developing support for boll weevil eradication, but knowledge of program specifics led to opposition, particularly in production regions with relatively low boll weevil infestations. These results suggest that program development, education, and promotion need to address regional differences in pest control demand. Although landowners were not different from producers in terms of their willingness to support the boll weevil eradication program, they appear more open to targeted education programs that increase their level of knowledge concerning the boll weevil eradication program and the concept of coordinated pest management. Overall, this study suggests that the development of a clientele knowledge base is important to the successful implementation of coordinated pest management, but that this task may require long-term, broadly targeted educational efforts.

EVALUATING POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF INSECTICIDE APPLICATIONS IN A BOLL WEEVIL ERADICATION PROGRAM1

ABSTRACT: Concerns have been expressed about the potential insecticide contamination of regional water resources from a boll weevil eradication program in Oklahoma. A mathematical model and geographic information system techniques were utilized to evaluate the potential of insecticide leaching and runoff from a major proposed program area in the state. Different but equally likely weather patterns were generated, and potential insecticide losses associated with each pattern were predicted. Soil types and their locations within cotton areas were identified, and potential chemical losses from each soil were delineated. Model simulations indicated that azinphos‐methyl and diflubenzuron could leach from some porous soils and that all insecticides suggested for use in the program could be lost to runoff. The predicted chemical movements with runoff were significantly higher on irrigated land than from non‐irrigated land. Malathion demonstrated no leaching and low potential of runoff losses among the insecticides evaluated.

Monitoring Tolerance to Insecticides in Boll Weevil Populations (Cole opera: Curculionidae) from Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Mexico

A glass vial technique was developed to estimate the toxicity of oregano phosphorus, carbonate, cyclocliene, and pyre throed insecticides to the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Bohemian, and to monitor field populations for tolerance to such insecticides. In tests in which responses of the USDA Ebony strain boll weevils were compared With those collected in the field in the Bravos Valley, TX, in 1988, tolerance to oregano phosphorus, pyre throed, and carbonate insecticides was demonstrated. The usefulness of the glass vial technique for monitoring tolerance was confirmed in 1991 and 1992 by field data from Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Sonora, Mexico. These tests indicated tolerance to oregano phosphorus and pyre throed insecticides in several boll weevil populations. Tolerance monitoring may be a useful technique in the implementation of boll weevil eradication programs.

Late-Season Termination Effects on Cotton Fruiting, Yield, and Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Damage in Texas Dryland Cotton

The plant growth regulator ethephon, Prep ([2-chloroethyl] phosphonic acid), and the desiccant arsenic acid, Desiccant L-10, were evaluated for their effects on late-season squares, green bolls, and yield of the cotton, Gossypium hirsutum, cultivars, ‘Lankart 511’, ‘Lankart Sel. 611’, and ‘TAMCOT CAB-CS’, in a dryland cotton production system in 1990 and 1991. Damage to squares and bolls by the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, was evaluated in 1991. All cotton cultivars treated with Prep (1.26 kg(AI)/ha) and Desiccant L-10 (2.63 1(AI)/ha) in September had reduced numbers of squares in October and November compared with untreated cotton. Plots were harvested in early December after a killing freeze. Both Prep and Desiccant L-10 reduced the number of green bolls and cotton squares damaged by boll weevils in all cultivars in October. Yield was not significantly reduced by either chemical in 1990 or in 1991. The late-maturing ‘Lankart Sel. 611’ had lower yields across treatments in 1990 and in 1991 than the intermediate-maturing ‘Lankart 511’ and the early-maturing ‘TAMCOT CAB-CS’. A single late-season application of a harvest aid chemical for reduction of fall food may help control boll weevils and reduce the need for fall insecticide applications in dryland cotton. Relevance of this research to the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Program is discussed.

Economic Returns to the Boll Weevil Eradication Program

AbstractThe economic viability of the Boll Weevil Eradication Program in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia is assessed based on a five-year survey of producers. Results indicate the program increases yield 100 pounds per acre. This implies a 19 percent internal rate of return for producers over a ten-year period.

Economic Risk Efficiency of Boll Weevil Eradication

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the economic risk efficiency of implementing a boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis [Boheman]) eradication (BWE) program in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) producing regions of the Mississippi Delta. Alternative producer pest management practices and program cost sharing were incorporated into a biophysical cotton simulation model. Participation in a BWE program along with strict adherence to Cooperative Extension Service pest management guidelines proved to be the risk efficient practice.

Part Owners and the Changing Spatial Structure of Farms in the South: A Case Study

Southeastern Geographer Vol. XXXI, No. 1, May 1991, pp. 44-51 PART OWNERS AND THE CHANGING SPATIAL STRUCTURE OF FARMS IN THE SOUTH: A CASE STUDY LizbethA. PyIe Part owners, farmers who own some land to use as their base of operations and rent the additional acreage they need to assemble a competitively sized farm, are now widely recognized as leaders in large-scale agriculture across the United States. (J) They surpassed full owners in terms of land in farms they operated in 1950 and hold that position today, controlling 54% of the total acreage in farmland according to the 1987 agricultural census. The Southeast has mirrored this national trend of increasing part ownership, which virtually replaced the "old-fashioned tenancy" of the sharecropping era. (2) Despite the region's unique agricultural history, southern farms have become as labor-efficient and capital-intensive as farms anywhere in the United States, investing in machinery, adopting new technologies, and renting the additional land needed to create larger holdings. (3) In recent years, part owners have continued to expand their operations on rented land and dominate the Southeast's harvested cropland (Table 1). While their dominance in crop production is not threatened, tenants (i.e., farmers who rent all the land they operate) have challenged part owners for the control of additional acreage. Although these trends for farming units seem relatively stable overall, aggregated statistics mask the dynamic nature of land tenure. In actuality, rented parcels of land can be added to or deleted from a particular farm unit, and this leads to changes in its spatial structure. There is no basic source of published information on farm layout, and insight must be gained from case studies. The Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) houses an under-utilized source of primary data on farm operations in every county of the United States. Records on farm operators, the tracts they operate, and their tenure status on each tract can be coupled with large-scale air photos identifying the location of individual tracts. I used Dr. PyIe is Assistant Professor of Geography at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV 26506. Vol. XXXI, No. 1 45 TABLE 1 COMPARISON OF SELECTED CHARACTERISTICS OF PART OWNERS AND TENANTS IN THE SOUTHEAST, 1978 AND 1987* 19781987 CharacteristicPart OwnersTenantsPart OwnersTenants Percentage of land in farms operated44.68.243.08.8 Average acreage of farm operation339.3166.6351.7223.0 Percentage of operation on rented land51.2(100.0)53.3(100.0) Percentage of all cropland harvested58.712.356.513.5 Average acreage of cropland harvested162.094.4159.2127.1 * Southeast defined as states in two Bureau of Census regional divisions: East South Central (Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama) and South Atlantic (West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida) Source: United States Census ofAgriculture 1978 and 1987. this combination of data sources to reveal changes in selected characteristics of farms growing crops in one South Carolina county. This report studies changes that occurred in the tenure, size, and spatial structure of farms in Calhoun County, South Carolina, during a ten-year period from 1976 to 1986. (4) Farms in Calhoun County are representative of agriculture in the Inner Coastal Plain counties where row crops continue to provide the lifeblood of the local economy. The county lies amidst one of the "islands of cropland in a sea of pine trees" that Hart identified in a study of cropland concentrations in the South. (5) His characterization of the area rings even truer today. Cotton has continued to contribute significantly to Calhoun County's agricultural economy despite acreage declines in the 1970s and early 1980s. Then, many farmers turned to soybeans, which they could double-crop with wheat or other small grains, but their enchantment with soybeans did not last. Soybean acreage plummeted between the 1982 and 1987 agricultural censuses, while cotton acreage increased for the first time in years. A drop in soybean prices, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for erodible land, and the boll weevil eradication program precipitated this reversal. Calhoun County's total land area in farms declined from 54% to 38% between the 1974 and 1987 agricultural censuses. To some extent, the 46Southeastern...

Cotton, Cotton Bollworm, Tobacco Budworm and Cotton Boll Weevil Control with Pyrethroids, 1989

Abstract Cotton seed was planted 28 Apr, University of Georgia Experiment Station, Midville, GA. Soil type was Dothan loamy sand. A randomized complete block experimental design was used with 4-row plots × 50 ft long × 38 in row width and 15 ft alleys with 5 replicates. Plants were treated with a high cycle sprayer using 3 hollow cone nozzles per row at 60 psi in a final volume of 10.0 gal H20/acre. Plots were sprayed 8 times beginning 25 Jul and continuing Aug 3, 6, 15, 22, 29, Sep 7 and 12. All treatments were sprayed with malathion at 0.25 lb (AI)/acre, in accordance with the APHIS/GA Dept of Agriculture protocol for the Boll Weevil Eradication Program, on 5 Jun, Jul 5, 19, Aug 9, 16, 23, 30 and 20 Sep. Twenty squares or small bolls per replicate in each treatment were examined for worm or weevile damage prior to spraying on each date.

Ovicidal and Aphicidal Actrvtty of Insecticide Combinations, 1989

Abstract A field evaluation of insecticides on cotton for ovicidal and aphicidal activity was conducted at the Auburn University Wiregrass Substation, Headland, AL. Conventionally-tilled cotton was planted in 36-inch rows on 31 May. Thirteen treatments were replicated 4 times in a randomized complete block design. Plots were 8 rows × 75 ft with 25-ft alleys. Insecticides were applied with a high-clearance sprayer at the rate of 10.0 gal spray/acre (4.5 mph, 72 psi, 2 Teejet TX10 nozzles/row). Foliar applications of insecticides were made on 14 and 28 Jul to assess aphicidal activity. Additional treatments were applied 9 and 15 Aug during a heavy Heliothis spp. moth flight. In addition to the treatments, malathion was applied to the plots as needed for the boll weevil eradication program. On 25 Jul, aphid abundance was determined by taking counts on terminals in the field. On 31 Jul, counts were made by removing aphids from the terminal with a 95% ethanol wash and then filtering the ethanol to remove the aphids. Heliothis spp. eggs were collected 1 d after application and monitored daily for ca. 1 wk for viability. White eggs, those deposited after the insecticide was applied were separated from older, brown eggs that were present during insecticide application. Eggs collected from the control plots were reared to adults to determine their species. Eggs were collected on 10 and 16 Aug. Samples for all tests were taken randomly from the middle 4 rows of each plot.

Grandlure: Use in Boll Weevil Control and Eradication Programs in the United States

The grandlure-baited boll weevil trap is an essential component of most, if not all, boll weevil control programs. While there are other minor uses of grandlure, the major use is as an attractant for the boll weevil trap. The Southeastern Boll Weevil Eradication Program uses the grandlure-baited boll weevil trap to determine areawide distribution of boll weevils, field-by-field presence of boll weevils, where and when to apply insecticide treatments and suppress very low populations of boll weevils.

The boll weevil in North America: Scientific conflicts over management of environmental resources

This paper is a historical and philosphical reconstruction of how U.S. entomologists attempted to mitigate the depradations of the boll weevil on cotton, the world's most important natural fiber. The boll weevil caused severe losses in the U.S. after 1892. Early control methods were based on altering the cultural practices of cotton growers. The discovery in 1917 that calcium arsenate was an effective insecticide for boll weevils eventually allowed some farmers to rely on chemical control. Development of synthetic, organic insecticides allowed many U.S. growers after 1945 to rely heavily on insecticides for boll weevils. By the 1960s, resistance of boll weevils to insecticides, induction of secondary pest outbreaks, and environmental health hazards threatened cotton production practices based on insecticides. U.S. entomologists devised two new strategies to rescue cotton production from its insecticide crisis: integrated pest management (IPM) and total population management (TPM). Eradication of key insect pests such as boll weevils was envisaged by TPM entomologists with adequate technology. E.F. Knipling, the USDA entomologist who designed TPM, gave 1968 as a target for possible boll weevil eradication. The pilot boll weevil eradication experiment (PBWEE) was conducted in 1971–1973. IPM entomologists argued the futility of attempting to eradicate the boll weevil from the U.S.A., but TPM adherents argued for a second test, which was held in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina (1978–1980). A new controversy erupted over how to interpret the fact that a few boll weevils were found at the end of the second test. IPM and TPM entomologists were once again pitted against one another on three major issues: defining eradication; explaining secondary pest behavior; and drawing conclusions about the wisdom of a national boll weevil eradication program. Currently, entomologists have reached a stalemate over boll weevil eradication in the U.S. Some entomologists are attempting to synthesize opposing views in the hope of reaching a professional consensus on appropriate boll weevil suppression methods. Significant distinctions separate IPM and TPM and will make it difficult to achieve an agreement. Budgetary problems in the U.S.A. argue for a management rather than eradication stance against boll weevils. The split in the U.S. entomological profession could have adverse effects on efforts to develop insect-control science outside of the U.S.

Boll Weevil Control Strategies: Regional Benefits and Costs

Throughout the southern states and at the federal level, much attention is being focused on the appropriate strategy for controlling cotton insect pests, particularly the boll weevil. This paper presents estimated economic impacts to farmers, regions and consumers of implementing three alternative boll weevil control strategies. One strategy evaluated is a proposed boll weevil eradication program which involves integrating many controls including insecticides, reproduction-diapause control by early season stalk destruction, pheromone-baited traps, trap crops, early season control with insecticide, and massive releases of sterile boll weevils. The plan is to eradicate the boll weevil in the U.S., and then indefinitely maintain a barrier at the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent future weevil immigration to the U.S.

Response of Virgin vs. Mated and Sterile vs. Fertile Female Boll Weevils1 to Male-Baited Traps34

In field cage and isolated field tests the response of virgin female boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, to male-baited traps was from 2 to 9 times greater than that of mated females. Females that had mated as long as 1 wk prior to release were still not as responsive as were virgins. The interval after the last mating may be important in determining whether or not a mated female will remate. Response of mated females is also influenced by male density. The fact that some mated native females will respond to males a second time should be beneficial to a boll weevil eradication program. In field cage tests the response of sterile female boll weevils to male-baited traps was approximately the same as that of fertile females. If eradication of the boll weevil is attempted, the release of sterile females along with the sterile males may contribute to premature sperm depletion of the sterile males, unless an effective pheromone trapping system is devised to remove these females from the field after release.

Effectiveness of Frego Bract as a Boll Weevil Resistance Character in Cotton1

In 1970 four farms located in different parts of Mississippi each were planted to 4 to 8 ha of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), homozygous for frego bract ( fg fg ), and to an approximately equivalent acreage of a nonfrego commercial variety. Cottons with frego bract have shown resistance to boll weevils (Anthonomus grandis Boh.) when grown in small plots. Our 1970 tests were designed to measure the cumulative effects of a fregobract cotton, designated M‐64, on boll weevil populations when this cotton was grown in large acreages and when the resistance was measured over three or four insect generations. Results from these tests will be used to assess the role of cottons resistant to boll weevil in an integrated approach designed to eradicate this insect. A pilot scale boll weevil eradication program is now underway in Mississippi.In the frego‐bract cotton boll weevil oviposition, an indirect measure of population, was suppressed 66, 71, 75, and 94% below that in the nonfrego varieties. The variation in suppression was due to different numbers of overwintering weevils and to various control measures used during the season. On two farms no insecticides were required for boll weevil control in the frego‐bract strain. The frego‐bract strain suppressed the population 94% on the farm with the smallest number of overwintering weevils. Thus, oviposition suppression was greatest where it can be of the most use in an eradication program.Fiber properties and yields of the frego strain were adequate for a nonbiased test of the boll weevil resistance attributed to frego bract.