Sampling Pink Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Eggs: Potential for Improved Timing and Reduced Use of Insecticides1

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Abstract
A presence-absence egg sampling plan for pink bollworm (PBW), Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), developed to provide a more accurate index of moth (target stage) activity, was evaluated during 1986 to determine whether egg sampling rather than conventional larval sampling provided more optimal timing of insecticide applications. The large-scale field test (260 ha) consisted of 16 commercial fields, ca. 16.2 ha each, in the Palo Verde Valley, Calif. Of the eight fields that were treated based on egg sampling (treatment threshold, 6 to 8% egg-infested bolls), an average 35% seasonal reduction in insecticide use was obtained when compared with larval sampling. Despite the reduction in insecticide use, PBW larval infestations were not significantly different in fields sampled for eggs and fields sampled for larvae from June to September. Lint yields as well as lint quality parameters were also not significantly different between the two sets of fields. Economic and environmental benefits of a 35% reduction in insecticide use is discussed.

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