LIBR ARY 
 STATE PLANT BOARD 
 
 May 195^ £-279 
 
 United States Department of Agriculture 
 
 Agricultural Research Service 
 
 Entomology Research Eranch 
 
 EXPERIMENTS ON HIBERNATION OF THE PINK BOLLWORM 
 IN TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA, 1952-53 if 
 
 A. J. Chapman and L. W. Noble 2/ 
 
 During the winter of 1952-53 experiments on hibernation of the 
 pink "boll worm ( Pectinophora gossypiella (Saund.)) were conducted at 
 six localities in Texas end at one locality in Oklahoma. The purpose 
 of these experiments was to obtain information on pink bollworm 
 survival under different conditions, especially in areas where it had 
 recently spread. In Texas the experiments were at Brownsville, Port 
 Lavaca, Waco, Greenville, Lubbock, and Vernon, and in Oklahoma at 
 Chickasha. Climatic conditions ranged from subtropical and humid 
 at Brownsville to cold and arid at Lubbock. 
 
 Procedure 
 
 Eighty hibernation cages, each containing 3 pounds of infested 
 open cotton bolls, were installed at each locality. These cages 
 were divided into four groups of 20. In three groups the bolls were 
 placed on the soil surface and buried either in the fall or spring 
 or were not buried. In the fourth group the bolls were placed above 
 the ground to simulate conditions on standing stalks and were buried 
 in the spring. 
 
 In all burial treatments the bolls were placed about 2 inches 
 below the surface. An estimate of the number of larvae at each 
 locality was obtained by examining a sample of bolls at the time 
 they were placed in the cages. The cages were equipped with moth 
 traps in the spring, and daily records were made on moth emergence 
 for computing the percentage of survival. 
 
 1/ This study was made in cooperation with the Texas Agricultural 
 Experiment Station. 
 
 £/ The following persons assisted in obtaining the data presented 
 
 in this paper: Ivan Shiller, C. R. Parencia, G. L. Smith, W. L. Lowry, 
 and 0. T. Robertson of the Entomology Research Branch, and F. M. Wilson 
 and W. P. Senette of the Plant Post Control Branch. 
 
- 2 - 
 
 • - th< 'or.el Ltl 
 
 "rent localities, the experiments wer .•'•tre I 
 
 dates. The tolls wer- id I gOI o:. I at 
 
 'rownnvil le, or. October 10 at ? vac, ] h j. • h Der 1 ^ at 
 
 the Other locn] 8 rer- rial W«T< rf at 
 
 'lne they were placed Ln the cages. ~"he spring burial :p.te» 
 v<»re January 15 at -■ 1 at Port ] 
 
 Marc • • a ther placet. 
 
 Results 
 
 toll worm survival for epc:. treatment u i average 
 
 for all treatments at each locality are recorded la table '. . Tr.e 
 
 y'.cft 1 lata are summarized in table 2. fiatar ter?t.> rat 
 
 were si a 'Dove normal. 
 
 Survival at the different local it:**?: raritd w ■ aver 
 
 percentage r from 0.0^ at Prownsville to l6 # 33 '•* ' 
 
 wr.eville a low carryover vs e erpected owing to tht tax '*, 
 
 .ember 1, that the bolla were place! . tfaatbar 
 
 wit* taaptraturat taring the first part of Septerter caaaad a 
 
 high mortality of larvae In oils on the soil 
 
 weather war followed by heavy rainfall the latter part »f September, 
 
 and this together with mild temperatures throughout tht fall and 
 
 • er etirulated the emergence of moths before I - 
 
 or before cotton was available for propagation U 
 
 Port Lavaca similar conditionr, with s •- -t 
 
 and greater rainfall, werp also favorable for a all and viator 
 
 emergence. At Lubbock the light rainfall I I was un- 
 
 doubtedly i. factor in reducing survival. No satisfactory erplan.it. 
 can be given for the wide variation lr. survival at Waco and 
 
 ttnrillt. 
 
 Of the four treatments, fall burial Of the infest Lit 
 
 caused the lowest survival at localities with mild temperatures 
 
 heavy rainfall — that is, at Brownsville, Port Lavaca, «. BO, and 
 
 •enville. In the localities with ^r winter I f|ltl tt»f tt 
 
 t .:.at La, at liibbock, Vernon, ha--survival was lowest 
 
 •xpOtad abovs tht ground, ai llatlAg conditio: - .? on ptai I | 
 stalks. At all localities fall burial decreased survival of bOlll 
 on the surface below that for spring burial. At al I «s except 
 
 ^rownsville survival Mai .-. Ml bolll that rsii • 
 
 11 lurf.xe throughout the experiments. 
 
- 3 - 
 
 Table 1.— Pink bollworms surviving hibernation under various 
 conditions in Texas and Oklahoma, 1952-53 
 
 
 : Number of: 
 : larvae : 
 
 Percent survival in bolls 
 
 
 
 
 On soil surface 
 
 :0n stalks 
 
 
 
 :in each : 
 
 Buried 
 
 : Buried 
 
 :Not 
 
 : buried 
 
 
 Locality 
 
 : treatment: 
 
 in fall 
 
 : in springcburied 
 
 : in spring 
 
 : Average 
 
 Brownsville 
 
 10,800 
 
 
 
 o.ou 
 
 0.01 
 
 0.15 
 
 0.05 
 
 Port Lavaca 
 
 6,8?0 
 
 .01 
 
 .U2 
 
 2,5*+ 
 
 1.31 
 
 1.07 
 
 Waco 
 
 5,676 
 
 1.09 
 
 22.15 
 
 25.16 
 
 16.91 
 
 16.33 
 
 Greenville 
 
 g,5UU 
 
 .71 
 
 U.18 
 
 16.20 
 
 2.25 
 
 5.83 
 
 Lubbock 
 
 3,998 
 
 .13 
 
 .23 
 
 2.35 
 
 .03 
 
 .68 
 
 Vernon 
 
 U,552 
 
 .us 
 
 2.UU 
 
 8.13 
 
 .20 
 
 2.81 
 
 Chickasha 
 
 U.18U 
 
 .72 
 
 9.70 
 
 15.97 
 
 f05 
 
 6.61 
 
 Table 2.— CI imato logical data for localities in which pink 
 boll worm hibernation experiments were conducted, 
 1952-53 
 
 
 :Lowest 
 : winter 
 
 :Raii 
 
 if all September 1 
 
 to June 30 (inches) 
 
 
 ■ 
 • 
 
 
 
 
 : temperature 
 
 : 
 
 
 Departure 
 
 Locality 
 
 :(°E) 
 
 « 
 • 
 
 Total : 
 
 from normal 
 
 Brownsville 
 
 38 
 
 
 11. UU 
 
 -lH.30 
 
 Port Lavaca 
 
 30 
 
 
 25.32 
 
 +0.33 
 
 Waco 
 
 21 
 
 
 28.^2 
 
 +9.60 
 
 Greenville 
 
 19 
 
 
 30.91 
 
 +9.S6 
 
 Lubbock 
 
 9 
 
 
 U 9 29 
 
 -5.25 
 
 Vernon 
 
 13 
 
 
 11.03 
 
 -5.33 
 
 Chickasha 
 
 9 
 
 
 15,56 
 
 -2.51 
 
II I Mill II III 
 
 3 1262 09240 9241