Note: This site is for reviewing legacy plan of work data from 2007-2011. If you are looking for the current plan of work interface, visit pow.nmsu.edu.

Insect Pest Management of New Mexico Crops

Plan Goal

Develop and identify techniques to maintain insect pest and beneficial populations at levels that will not have a significant economic impact.

Situation Statement

Many growers in New Mexico make multiple applications of insecticides to low value crops. Many of these applications are based on very little sampling in the field and little information on the actual impact of inset pests on yield or profit. I want to determine when it makes sense to make an insecticide application for cotton bollworm in cotton. If we apply insecticides only when justified, applications will be reduced and that money can be spent on other farm or family needs. Further, we need to look at alternatives that will prevent pest populations from increasing to the points where they are causing economic losses. This will also reduce insecticide applications. Control of alfalfa weevil using biological control is one example. It has been enourmously successful nationally but there are areas where alfalfa weevil needs to be controlled better and parasitoids can play a major role.

Target Audience and Actions

New Mexico farmers are the primary target. Information will be disseminated through field days, workshops, commodity meeting presentations, direct grower contacts, radio or television, magazine or newspaper interviews, press releases. Also information will be available in commodity reports from various commodity-based organizations, proceedings, Extension publications and newsletters and research journals.

Short-Term Objectives

1. After hearing or reading about the value of late-season cotton bolls 20% of cotton farmers will reconsider the value of late season insecticide applications for bollworm when squares are available. At least one consultant will consider this information in making control recommendations.

2. Oomyzus incertus a parasitoid of alfalfa weevil will be collected in the Mesilla Valley and released in at least one nursery field in the Pecos Valley.

Medium-Term Objectives

1. At least 10% of the cotton farmers attending our presentations will consider our information on yield compensation and microclimate impact when making insecticide application decisions for cotton bollworm. Insecticide applications for cotton bollworm are reduced on those farms by at least 20%.

2. Oomyzus incertus, a parasitoid of alfalfa weevil, will be recovered in at least 5 hay fields in the Pecos Valley

Long-Term Objectives

1. At least 15% of growers attending our presentations will use field sampling of insects, cotton mapping and yield estimates of at risk fruit to determine if insecticide applications are justified. Late-season insecticide applications for cotton bollworm are reduced at least 50% on those farms.

2. Oomyzus incertus, a parasitoid of alfalfa weevil, will be recovered in at least 10% of hay fields in the Pecos Valley. Insecticide applications for alfalfa weevil will be reduced by 20% in those fields. Oomyzus incertus will be recovered in 70% of counties with hay fields in New Mexico.

Evaluation Plan

1. Insecticide use will be reduced, as reported in the Proceedings of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences cotton loss report.

2. We will periodically directly determine the proportion of fields with Oomyzus incertus and level of control of alfalfa weevil in New Mexico with particular emphasis on SE NM. Those numbers can be used to infer levels of insecticide use.