Delta farmers take $17 million hit on cotton pests
Bollworms top 1999 cotton insect loss estimates list in Delta BY JULIE SPEED
Contributing Writer, DBJ
  In 1999, cotton growers in the Delta lost 61,580 bales of cotton, worth $17.7 million, thanks to bullying cotton insects.
"Arthropod pests reduced overall yield by 7.66% in 1999," said Michael R. Williams, chairman and extension entomologist of the Mississippi State University Extension Service. "Acreage was up and yields were down, largely due to the weather."
  Delta cotton growers shelled out an average of $98.73 per acre to treat various pests, which includes the cost of eradication, insecticide, technology fee estimates and scouting.
  Nationally, the cotton fleahopper was the No. 1 pest in 1999, which reduced yield by 2.36%, followed by boll weevils with a 2.2% yield loss, and the bollworm/budworm, accounting for a 1.05% loss. In the Mississippi Delta, the order of cotton pests was very different, Williams said.
  In 1999, the No. 1 cotton insect bully in the Delta was the bollworm/bud worm, which infested 760,000 acres and attributed to a total of 4,693 bales lost. About 510,000 acres were treated at a cost of $2.30 an acre for insect application. More than 34,000 bales were lost because of the bollworm/bud worm.
  Aphids accounted for the No. 2 cotton insect, which infested 760,000 acres, of which 640,000 were treated at a cost of $7.33 per acre. Still, almost 7,000 potential bales never made their way to market.
  The No. 3 pest was lygus, causing 5,225 bales to be lost. Again, 760,000 acres were infested, of which 523,000 were treated at a cost of $8.07 per acre.
  At No. 4, the boll weevil infested 512,000 acres and destroyed 4,693 bales. About 330,000 acres were treated at a cost of $2.30 per acre.
  According to the National Cotton Council, boll weevils are considered a key pest in cotton production because the insecticides cotton producers use early in the season to control boll weevils also eliminate populations of beneficial insects.
  Through the Boll Weevil Eradication Program (BWEP), as the need for early season boll weevil sprays is eliminated, beneficial insects can effectively control other cotton pests, such as the bollworm and aphids. Growers in eradicated areas can now delay initial spray operations, reduce pesticide rates, use alternative pesticides or lengthen intervals between sprays to reduce operating costs while controlling remaining cotton pests, the NCC wrote in a newsletter.
  Early season thrips accounted for the No. 5 cotton insect, which infested 760,000 acres, of which 320,000 were treated at a cost of $1.39 per acre. Thrips kept 2,613 bales from going to market.
  The No. 6 cotton pest was the stinkbug. Ten percent of the 120,000 infested acres were treated. At a cost of 12 cents per acre, 2,200 bales were lost.
  "The tarnished plant bug will be one of the main bug problems after the boll weevil eradication program is complete," said Farrell Boyd, state manager of BWEP in Mississippi. "We might see sporadic problems with the tobacco budworm and the armyworms. We may see some new problems like the stinkbugs. They seem to be increasing in some areas." Back