ABSTRACT
The TEXCIM30 model is currently being used on-the-farm as an insect pest management tool and will be replaced by the new version TEXCIM40 during early-1990. TEXCIM40 is designed to improve the profits of pest management by improving the accuracy of pest management decisions. Forecasted benefits of pest control are compared with the costs of pest control to determine if a favorable benefit/cost ratio exists. If benefits of controlling fleahoppers, bollworm-budworms, or boll weevils exceed the costs of control, then control should be profitable. Forecasted benefits of control are a function of pest numbers, cotton fruiting rate, weather, predators, and many other factors. The conventional economic threshold is redefined as the costs of pest control rather than based on pest numbers or their injury. The economic action level is based on the returns desired from the investment in pest control. Thus, an investment of $5.00 in control must provide a return of $5.50 to provide a 10% return on the investment. If a 10% return is required, then the economic action level would be $5.50. If a 10% return on investment is not possible, then it would be more profitable to place the investment in a bank rather than in pest control.
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