Abstract:
The development of IPM systems in cotton hinges on the availability of information on a wide range of issues. Included among these is the response of plants to pest damage, the impact of specific pests on yield and the effects of insecticides on pests and beneficials. Each of these factors has the potential; to influence when and with what a crop is sprayed with and hence to strongly influence the costs associated with insecticide use, the conservation of beneficial insects, resistance selection against pest species and environmental pollution. This research project has focussed on (1) plant responses to early season damage with emphasis on interactions with agronomic factors that may influence the degree to which plants compensate (2) the effect of aphids on cotton yield and initial studies of their ecology and (3) the effect of insecticides on target and non-target species, with particular emphasis on beneficial species so that growers and consultants have more information on which to base insecticide choice decisions.
