ABSTRACT
The Mexican cotton boll weevil crossed the Rio Grande Valley in 1892. Only boll weevils that complete diapause are able to survive the winter. It was generally thought that boll weevil could never become a problem on the High Plains of West Texas. Through 1963 and 1964 support and funds were solicited from the cotton growers in PCG's 5-county region surrounding Lubbock for establishing a diapause control program. In the Fall of 1964 a control program was initiated by Plains Cotton Growers Inc., in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and the Texas Department of Agriculture. The control zone is about the same area as New Jersey. Treatment is designed to protect future year's crop, not the current year's. So far, no alternative control methods have been found to be effective. The program is administered by Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. from its offices in Lubbock, Texas and from its field office in Spur, Texas, which is about 60 miles due east of Lubbock.
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