Pink Bollworm Pectinophora Gossypiella (Saunders) Moth Population in the
Imperial Valley, California, 1989 – 2003

• Chu C. C. (1), E. T. Natwick(2), T. J. Henneberry(1)
• (1) USDA-ARS Western Cotton Research Laboratory, Phoenix, AZ 85040.
  E-mail: cchu@wcrl.ars.usda.gov
• (2)University of California Cooperative Research and Extension, Holtville, CA 92250
• The Third International Conference onIPM Role in Integrated Crop management and Impacts on Environment and Agricultural Products. 26-29 November 2005, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

Adult male pink bollworm (PBW) Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) moth monitoring using gossyplure-baited non-over-loading traps (traps) was conducted over a 15-year period from 1989 to 2003 in the Imperial Valley, California, USA. During the time interval, two different area wide PBW control strategies were used. A short-season cotton system (SSC) was initiated in 1989 that mandated cotton planting after 1 March, use of a defoliant or plant growth regulator treatment by 1 September, and plowdown of shredded cotton stalks by 1 November. Numbers of male PBW moths caught in traps progressively decreased each year from 1990 to 1994 and increased for 1995 to 1997 even though the mandate for SSC remained in force. Transgenic Bollgard (Bt) cotton was planted in 1996 in 3% of the cotton area and thereafter in 80 to 93% of the cotton area from 1997 to 2003. PBW moth trap catches decreased in 1998 and increased again in 1999 when both SSC and Bt cotton production systems were practiced. SSC cotton production regulations were discontinued in 2000. From 2000 to 2003 trap catches declined when Bt cotton was the only PBW suppression measure practiced. The SSC is a proven effective strategy that is compatible with Bt cotton in PBW management programs in the Imperial Valley. It should be evaluated for its contribution to Bt resistance management and re-introduced into the valley to reduce numbers of overwintering diapause PBW larvae in the non-Bt cotton refugia area.