Cotton Insect Pests
More than a dozen different species of insect pests attack the cotton crop. Each of these pests is capable of causing economic yield loss, and some, such as the tobacco budworm, are capable of totally destroying a crop. Cotton growers may invest large sums of money per acre in producing cotto. And all of this investment is potentially at risk to insect damage. The cost of controlling insects is one of the larger items in the crop production budget.
Integrated pest management (IPM) is practiced on all of Mississippi's cotton acreage. Producers utilize a variety of non-insecticidal management tools to limit the number of times that pests exceed economic thresholds and consequently require treatment with insecticides. However, timely judicious use of insecticides is an important component of cotton IPM. Recommendations for cotton insect management are published in the Cotton Insect Control Guide, which is revised annually to incorporate the latest technology and research.
Because pest populations can change quickly, cotton insect management is both information intensive and time sensitive. During the growing season, fields must be scouted every three to four days, and accurate estimates of pest populations must be determined by time consuming sampling procedures. Because of the time involved in making these counts, most Mississippi producers contract the services of a professional crop consultant, usually for a per acre scouting fee, to monitor insect populations and make treatment recommendations.
For a more detailed summary of cotton insect management in the state, see the Overview of Cotton Insect Management in Mississippi. To see pictures of the major insect pests attacking Mississippi cotton check out the Cotton Insect Identification section and for brief tips on the best methods to scout for these pests see Cotton Insect Scouting Methods.
For more up to date information on the cotton insect situation during the growing season, check the Mississippi Crop Situation Newsletter. This newsletter is produced weekly during the summer months. It contains timely tips on scouting, thresholds, control recommendations, weekly pheremone trap capture results, and educational information on the biology and management of cotton insect pests. Back issues of newsletters from previous years are also available. Also check the Cotton Insect Hotline, 1-800-445-4931, which provides a 3 to 5 minute message on the current cotton insect situation that is updated 1 to 3 times weekly during the growing season.
Publications
Insect Control Guide for
Corn, Cotton, and Soybeans 2008
Insect Scouting and
Management in Bt-Transgenic Cotton
The Boll Weevil in Mississippi:
Gone, but not Forgotten
Biology and Control of
Thrips on Seedling Cotton
Other Information
Pictures of Slugs in Cotton
Cotton Insect Pests in Mississippi: Biology,
Damage and Control
Cotton Insect Identification - Pictures of
Cotton Insects
Cotton Insect Scouting Methods