Here's something for Roundup users to think about: Roundup-resistant weeds.
Quotes:
"The spread of resistance was almost overnight. Many suspicious plants in
the 2006 growing season in isolated areas were almost field-wide in 2007, in
cotton and every other crop we grow."
And,
"The extension specialists have a lot to answer for."
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=
NOTE: They've been growing GM cotton (Bt and RR) in the U.S. longer than
anywhere else and, though this article is written from a pro-GM perspective,
it's clear they have replaced the problem of bollworms and budworms with hungry
plant bugs, spider mites and other insects that Bt cotton can't help them
with, not to mention the even bigger headache they have with (Roundup) resistant
weeds. All of which adds up to a shrinking acreage.
Farmers were made dependent on what's turned out to be a very short-term
fix. The extension specialists have a lot to answer for.
EXTRACTS: "Resistant Palmer pigweed is part of the driving force for our
cotton acres decreasing in my part of the Mid-South... Yield reductions will
occur and revenues will be lost.
"The spread of resistance was almost overnight. Many suspicious plants in
the 2006 growing season in isolated areas were almost field-wide in 2007, in
cotton and every other crop we grow."
---
---
Hungry insects crowd cotton's table
By Elton Robinson
Delta Farm Press, Feb 2 2009
http://deltafarmpress.com/cotton/beltwide-insects-0202/
The rapid decline in U.S. cotton acreage means one thing to Mid-South
entomologists and producers — the cotton dinner table is even more crowded with
sucking insects.
Speaking on a panel at the 2009 Beltwide Cotton Conferences in San Antonio,
Gus Lorenz, University of Arkansas entomologist, who is responsible for
integrated pest management programs in Arkansas, noted that cotton producers are
learning to deal with a changing pest spectrum brought on by the use of
transgenic cotton varieties resistant to lepidopteran pests and the success of the
boll weevil eradication program. “We spray less for these pests, which has
freed up the sucking pest complex.”
Over the past two years, “the huge reduction in cotton acreage has created
more alternate hosts which are really problematic for us,” in terms of sucking
pests, Lorenz said. “We’re seeing extremely high numbers of pests. Cotton
has always been an attractive crop for a lot of pests. We’re not growing as
much now, but that means there are more pests coming into (a smaller acreage)
of cotton.”
Mid-South cotton acreage declined 35 percent from 2006 to 2007, and dropped
32 percent from 2007 to 2008. Arkansas acreage dropped from 1.2 million acres
in 2006 to 640,000 acres in 2008.
“We have a bunch of fields around cotton now that are supplying pests,
particularly plant bugs, stink bugs and spider mites. Things have changed and we
have to change to meet the needs of the cotton producer.”
Lorenz noted that the cost of Lygus (plant bug) control in 2007 was about
$8.65 on average across the Cotton Belt. “But Mid-South costs were $25 to $48
per acre just to control tarnished plant bug. Twenty years ago, our major
pests were bollworm and tobacco budworms. With the transgenic cottons, those are
not that big an issue, but we’re still trying to sample the same way we did
when worms were a problem. The whole plant, or modified whole plant search for
worms just doesn’t apply to the sucking bug complex.
“We have to use the most effective methods we can find to effectively
evaluate the population out there and determine when we need to take action.”
Mid-South research entomologists including Lorenz, are evaluating sampling
techniques for plant bugs and are also evaluating current thresholds.
Entomologists say that the sweep net is the most effective tool to assess
plant bug populations prior to bloom, while black shake sheets are best for
assessing populations after bloom. “If you monitor early square retention, that
will help even more,” Lorenz said.
“We settled on an early season threshold of from nine to 12 plant bugs per
100 sweeps and three plant bugs per 5 row-feet in mid-season.”
Producers must also deal with insecticide resistance issues for plant bugs,
Lorenz noted. “Certainly pyrethroids have not been effective for most of the
Mid-South for the last several years. We are starting to see some problems
with acephate. It’s important for us to determine how to manage plant bugs
without getting into resistance problems. We really need insecticides with new
modes of action. The toolbox is getting pretty low for control of plant bugs.”
Lorenz said new chemistries for plant bug control such as novaluron
(Diamond) and flonicamid (Carbine) “don’t necessarily work with older scouting
methods of spraying and then checking three days later for plant bugs. You have to
look past eight to 10 days to really get a feel for how effective the
products can be.”
In addition to new chemistries, Lorenz said, alternative methods to chemical
control such as an area-wide management program could work for plant bugs. “
We also need to maintain the insecticides that we have, particularly the
organophosphates.”
Stink bugs are also emerging as a big pest of cotton, according to Lorenz. “
We’re beginning to learn about the damage that this pest can cause. We still
have a lot of work to do on thresholds. We’re not certain that the current
threshold of one bug per 6 row-feet is going to work.”
On spider mites, entomologists are trying to find a correlation between mite
infestation and yield decline. “The same corn-cotton interface is an issue
for us there, too. We’re finding that mites are coming out of corn and moving
into our cotton.”
Entomologists are also seeing differences in the efficacy of miticides for
early-season spider mites versus late-season mites.
On a positive note, entomologists believe that new triple-stack Bt corn
hybrids will reduce the number of bollworms that emerge from corn (compared to
original Bt and non-Bt hybrids).
According to panelist and Arkansas crop consultant Chuck Farr, “increases in
pest pressure along with low cotton prices and high grain prices “have
caused many of our cotton producers to park their cotton pickers for the 2009
growing season. Ten years ago, we faced many pest problems, including tobacco
budworm and cotton bollworm. We’ve moved through those years to plant bugs,
spider mites and other insects.”
Resistance has become a big problem in weed control as well, noted Farr.
"Those in areas where weeds are resistant are struggling for control, and those
who don't have resistance issues should do everything they possibly can to
preserve the technology we have today.
“Roundup Ready technology gave cotton producers a great ability to increase
acres with over-the-top applications of herbicide, and for the most part kept
many cotton producers in the cotton business during poor economic times for
agriculture. It's a great technology, but speaking from my heart and
first-hand experience, it's a technology that we cannot afford to lose. We must do
everything we can to preserve it.
"Resistant Palmer pigweed is part of the driving force for our cotton acres
decreasing in my part of the Mid-South. Ninety percent control is not
adequate anymore. Yield reductions will occur and revenues will be lost.
"The spread of resistance was almost overnight. Many suspicious plants in
the 2006 growing season in isolated areas were almost field-wide in 2007, in
cotton and every other crop we grow. We have to do what we can to preserve the
technology and get cotton acres back on track."
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