Several years of testing cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., for tolerance to the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.), revealed that an early season fast fruiting cotton required higher levels of infestation and a longer time period to receive the same amount of damge as a full season cotton. Eight cultivars were grown for two years and the percentage of plants that matured a harvestable boll was determined by fruiting site. More plants on the early season cultivars retained a boll at lower nodes. Averaged over all cultivars, 77% of total yield was produced at position one.

DES 119, an early season cultivar, yielded more on nodes 6-14 than Stoneville 213, a full season cultivar. Yield on nodes 15-21 was greater on Stoneville 213. The change in fruit set on early maturing cotton requires a different pest management scheme than was practiced on full season cottons. Protection of early fruit will allow the plants to maintaina its fruit and produce an early crop.