Field tests were conducted at Baton Rouge in 1984, 1985 and 1986 to study boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis Bob.) preference and nonpreference of selected cottons (Gossypium hirsutum L.) compared with standard cultivars 'Stoneville 2131 and/or 'Deltapine 41'. Certain genotypes were shown to be several times more attractive to boll weevils than Deltapine 41. Their greater attractiveness was due, in part, to an early and more rapid rate of fruiting, but in the case of 'Tamcot CAB-CS', Tx CAMD 2IS-7-81 and Tx BLLEBOS 1-83, an additional weevil attractiveness factor was indicated. These highly attractive cottons were predicted to make excellent 'traps' for attracting boll weevils to small trap plantings where they could be poisoned with limited usage of insecticide. A number of genetically-enhanced cotton breeding strains with red-stem, red-stem-nectariless, frego-bract, and frego-nectariless (fgne) traits were confirmed as being resistant (nonpreferred) to the boll weevil when compared with the check cultivars. Their levels of resistance approximated those based on earlier studies of the traits per se. Field resistance to boll weevils was confirmed in six day-neutral-converted race stocks obtained from Dr. J.C. McCarty, Jr. and co-workers (MT-109, MT-293, MT-326, MT-330, MT-763 and MT-1180) and in one day-neutral race-stock-derived strain obtained from Dr. M. J. Lukefahr (T277-2-6). Their levels of resistance were similar to that of La. 81-560 fgne. These primitive cottons represent new sources of boll weevil resistance that can be readily used for the germplasm enhancement of upland cotton.