S.E. Plato, T. B. Johnson, O. G. Manessi, M. Margulis, J. S, Plato, T.a. Plato, and R. Sanz. Plato Industries, Ltd., 2020 Holmes Road, Houston, TX 77045
An “attract & control” product, based on the USDA – ARS invention of the “bait stick” technology, is expanding in use in boll weevil control, prevention, suppression and eradication programs in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Paraguay. The expansion is partly due to an increase in the boll weevil populations and to the utilization of transgenic BT Cotton in many countries; as a result, this has resulted in a greater interest in the “bait stick” technology. The “Bait Stick” or TMB/TMP usage in the national and/or regional area wide programs and in IPM programs in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Paraguay and the USA has been validated in each country as a viable alternative, preventive approach for managing the boll weevil. Where used correctly, as a complement to good production practices, the boll weevil has been removed from the production scheme, weevil populations have been reduced by 95+%, seed cotton yields have been increased an average of 400 kilograms per hectare and the requirements for massive insecticide usage for boll weevil control have been substantially reduced. When used according to Plato Industries recommendations, the TMB/TMP, as an additive to IPM programs, has greatly contributed to the elimination of economic damage from boll weevils at an approximate per hectare cost of US $22 per crop cycle and resulted in an average “cost to benefit” ratio of “$1 to $12”.
Presentation