Cotton Root Rot Return to Treatment Calculator: A Producer Decision Aid

Cotton Root rot has afflicted cotton production for more than a century. It is estimated that 1.5 million acres in Texas alone are affected by this fungal disease, causing an estimated $29 million in annual losses.

               In 2012, the fungicide TopGuard® (Flutriafol), received a section 18 emergency use exemption label in Texas. It is estimated that up to 170,000 acres were treated with TopGuard® that first year of commercial use and adoption of this product is expected to increase for the next several years. A decision aid was developed by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension personnel to assist producers in the analysis of the decision to utilize the fungicide to control cotton root rot. The decision aid incorporates a sensitivity table to allow producers a quick measure of expected returns to treatment. The sensitivity table varies expected yield in the absence of root and the percentage of the field affected by root rot; both variables that producers would expect to change based on a large number of factors. Producers will enter as constants the cost of TopGuard®, application rate, the expected price of cotton ($/lb of lint) and produced seed ($/ton), % turnout, harvest cost, ginning cost, fertilizer cost ($/lb of N) and the expected yield response to treatment. This decision aid only looks at a return to treatment for a fungicide application, thus will not need to incorporate a full production budget and associated data.

This relative simple to use decision aid is currently available as an excel spreadsheet, but is also being developed as a mobile device application.