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A nectariless, okra -leaf germplasm line of cotton, Gossvpium hirsutum L., designated WC-12NL, was compared with a nectaried, regular leaf commercial cultivar, 'Deltapine 61' (DPL-61) at two locations, Maricopa, AZ and Brawley, CA. At Maricopa, two and three insecticide applications were required for control of pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), on WC-12NL and DPL-61, respectively. At Brawley, six and nine applications were required. Lint yield of WC-12NL was 30% higher than that of DPL-61 at Maricopa, while at Brawley, lint yields were about equal.

Ninety-nine germplasm lines and a resistant check line of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., were infested artificially in the field with eggs of pink bollworm (PBW), Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), and evaluated for an antibiosis type of resistance to the insect and also for yield potential. All 99 lines came from crosses of well -adapted cultivars, or the nectariless, or nectariless-okra-leaf versions of those cultivars, with previously identified sources of antibiosis (a type of resistance that affects the growth and development of the insect once inside the boll). Twenty-three of the 99 were selected for low PBW damage or for a combination of high lint yield and low damage.

The development of populations of pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) in 0.003 ha field cages containing 'Deltapine 61' (DPL-61) or a closely related nectariless cultivar 'Deltapine NSL' (DPL-NSL) was studied at the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center, Maricopa, AZ. Boll infestations were significantly lower in cages of DPL-NSL and total catches of moths in gossyplure-baited Delta traps at the end of the season were lower in these cages. The overall seasonal increases were 15.3- fold for DPL-NSL and 21.4 fold for DPL-61, a highly significant 29% reduction for DPLNSL.

Populations of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), were observed in field plots of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., Deltapine-61 (DPL-61) and WC-12NL, a nectariless, okra -leaf variety in the DES -56 germplasm line, and in fields of Stoneville-825 (ST-825), DPL-61, and DP -77 in Maricopa, AZ, during June - August 1987. The thrips were collected from plant terminals; square shed was observed on the upper five nodes of plants; and the bractedness (three-bract = normal) of matchhead-size squares was determined from samples of squares picked from the plants and from shed squares beneath the plants. Shed squares were microscopically examined to determine the cause of shedding. Populations of Lygus hesperus Knight were determined from sweep-net samples.

An early -maturing, nectariless, okra-leaf germplasm line of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., designated WC-12NL, was compared with a full- season, nectaried, regular -leaf cultivar, 'Deltapine 61' (DPL-61) over two locations, Maricopa, Arizona (AZ) and Brawley, California (CA), and two seasons, 1986 and 1987. Half of each plot was treated with ethephon ( =Prep) when the crop was approximately 60% open. Lint yields were higher in WC-12NL than in DPL-61 at AZ, but not at CA. WC-12NL was earlier maturing than DPL-61, but the difference was greater in untreated than in ethephon-treated plots and at AZ than at CA. From 33 to 67% less insecticide was needed to control pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), on WC-12NL than on DPL-61. Pink bollworm infestations were also significantly lower in bolls of WC-12NL.

During 1987, a sequential sampling plan for pink bollworm eggs was field-tested in eight 40-acre fields in the Palo Verde Valley, CA. Final analysis of the sequential procedure, including the time necessary to collect and check all bolls, required an average sampling time of 16 minutes/field, approximately a 70% savings over the fixed sample size of 160 bolls/field. Using the sequential plan, the number of bolls examined averaged 46.75/field. The sequential sampling plan error rate for making no-treat recommendations when a field actually required treatment (i.e., actual egg infestation 6%) averaged only 6.4% throughout the season. A final sequential sampling chart, based on the field validation data, is presented.

A process- oriented simulation model of pink bollworm population dynamics in commercial cotton has been developed. The model, written in FORTRAN, is driven primarily by temperature and crop phenology. In addition to key ecological parameters, the model incorporates the impact of multiple insecticide applications. The model is presently being validated and modified for use as an on-line management tool.

Pink bollworm egg -larval survivorship in insecticide -treated fields averaged (± SE) 19.8% (± 2.3) for the F2 and F3 generations developing during the primary boll producing time of the year (July and August). These observations have been useful in developing a simulation model of pink bollworm population dynamics.

Growth and development was studied in the beet armyworm (BAW), Spodoptera exigua, reared on cotton seedlings at high (650 ppm) or ambient (325 ppm) carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels and at 2 fertilizer levels. Under high fertilization, female BAW reared on CO₂-enriched seedlings weighed significantly less (873 mg) than controls (101.0 mg) and had a significantly longer developmental time (14.2 vs. 12.4 days for controls). Male BAW followed the same pattern but the data were not statistically significant. Combined (male & female) survival rates for BAW reared on CO₂-enriched cotton seedlings on a high fertilizer level were 19.1 compared to 41.6 % for controls; more females survived than males by a significant ratio of 2:1.