Friday, January 12, 2007 - 8:45 AM

Economic Impacts of Termination Timing for Irrigation and Plant Bug Control

Juan Jose Monge1, Tina Gray Teague2, Mark J. Cochran1, and Diana M. Danforth1. (1) University of Arkansas, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Agriculture Building 217, Fayetteville, AR 72701, (2) Arkansas State University, Department of Entomology, Jonesboro, AR 72467

An economic analysis is performed on a three-year (2004, 2005 and 2006) irrigation/insecticide termination experiment conducted at the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station in Marianna, Arkansas with the objective of determining if longer periods of irrigation and plant bug (Lygus Lineolaris Palisot de Beauvois) control reward producers through higher fiber attribute values and higher profits. It is hypothesized that an early termination of irrigation could decrease insect incidence and damage due to plant lushness reduction. Hence, the problem posed is termination (irrigation and insect control) timing and its economic implications. With the use of COTMAN to monitor Nodes Above White Flower (NAWF), irrigation and insecticide application budgets, and Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) loan schedules for the three different years; mean yields, lint values and profits were analyzed using ANOVA for the different irrigation/insecticide treatments with mean separation using Fisher's Least Significant Difference (LSD). In 2004, results show that irrigations until NAWF=5 + 360 DD60s resulted in higher yields (1,218 lbs/ac) and the highest profit ($437.67/ac). For the same year, insecticide applications until NAWF=5 + 240 DD60s resulted in higher yields (1,168 lbs/ac) and lint values ($0.48/lb). For 2005, no significant main effect differences were found.

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