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First cotton stalk destruction deadline looms in South Texas.

Logan Hawkes 1, Contributing Writer

August 26, 2019

3 Min Read
LOGAN-HAWK-19-South-Texas-cotton-harvest-23.jpg
Logan Hawkes

With cotton harvest progressing quickly across much of deep South Texas, the Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) Agriculture and Consumer Products Division is reminding farmers of mandatory cotton stalk destruction dates beginning on Sept. 1.

Southwest Farm Press reached out to Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller last week about the importance of timely cotton stalk destruction; the role and the responsibility of farmers and his department; and the fight against the migration of cotton boll weevil.

See, South Texas cotton harvest underway

“Texas is the first line of defense for the United States cotton industry and the cotton stalk destruction program is a crucial tool to control the spread of the boll weevil and protect this industry,” Miller said.

The history and destruction of the boll weevil in the U.S. cotton industry has been well documented, and Miller says the fight to contain the risk of the weevil migrating from Mexico back into U.S. cotton fields is an ongoing task.

“It is vitally important for all (Texas) farmers in cotton stalk destruction zones to destroy those stalks before the deadline and help us keep the program running smoothly until the boll weevil is eradicated. Cotton stalk destruction doesn’t just protect growers in Texas, but across the nation’s cotton belt,” Miller added.

History

According to TDA, the purpose of the Cotton Stalk Destruction program is to suppress boll weevil and pink bollworm populations in Texas.  The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, is a native of Mexico and Central America. It was first introduced into the United States near Brownsville, Texas, in the early 1890s.

Not long after it became evident the pest was so destructive and difficult to control, a cotton-free zone was created on the U.S.-Mexico border. By the early 1920s, the pest had migrated throughout Texas into Oklahoma and eventually as far as the Atlantic coast, wreaking havoc on the entire cotton industry.

In the early 1940s DDT and other chlorinated hydrocarbons were developed to help control weevil populations, but a little over a decade later the weevil had developed resistance to hydrocarbons. Organophosphate insecticides eventually became the tool of choice for short period of time.

By the 1970s researchers discovered the boll weevil could enter a diapause stage in late summer, seeking shelter and hibernate in ground trash, including cotton stalks. Eventually, by 1978, an eradication program was initiated in the southeastern United States, and in 1993 the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation (TBWEF) was established by the Texas Legislature, and to this date the Foundation oversees the state’s eradication program.

While the weevil has been eradicated in some parts of the state, a good portion of Southeast Texas and most of Central and South Texas remain the focus of TBWEF eradication efforts. Working with the Texas Department of Agriculture, the cotton stalk destruction program divides this area into zones and sub-zones, or areas, and stalk destruction deadlines have been set accordingly.

Cotton growers can refer to the current stalk destruction zone map here or refer to the list below to determine the appropriate deadline dates for their zone and area:

boll weevil.jpg

 

Individual extensions can also be granted to individual growers within a zone for specific reasons. Those growers who believe they require an individual extension should apply online as soon as possible. They may do this online at this TDA site.

 

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