Use of the center pivot irrigation system for reduction of cotton aphid sugars on cotton lint

The potential for applying water through a center pivot irrigation system to reduce cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, honeydew sugars on cotton lint was investigated for two years in the Texas High Plains. Using a center pivot chemigation simulator, one, two and three applications of water were applied to sticky lint at water volumes of 6,800 and 13,600 gal/A (0.25 and 0.50 inch water depths, respectively) and using overhead and incanopy (using chemigation splash pads) nozzle positions. After water treatments were applied, numbers of sugar spots on lint were counted using the High Speed Stickiness Detector (H2SD). Irrigation treatments were effective in reducing numbers of sugar spots on lint, removing from 20.0 to 95.8%. In all eases except one, lint that received irrigation treatments had significantly fewer sugar spots than the untreated control. Water volume and nozzle position/configuration had no significant effect on the number of sugar spots on lint, but multiple applications reduced the number of spots with each successive application. Three applications of water significantly reduced the number of spots over one and two applications, and in both years reduced the number of spots to less than ten per H2SD sample. In 1999, lower percentages of sugar spots were removed by washing treatments (when compared to the untreated control) than in 1998.

Arnold, M. D., Rummel, D. R., Bordovsky, J. P., Slosser, J. E., & Carroll, S. C.

Use of the center pivot irrigation system for reduction of cotton aphid sugars on cotton lint Academic Article