Oklahoma Boll Weevil Eradication Status
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INFORMATION |
Oklahoma Boll Weevil Eradication Annual Report March, 2006 The final balance was paid on the FSA loan March 1, 2006. The OBWEO board at the February board meeting voted to lower the 2006 assessment to $2.00 per acre and $0.0085 per pound of lint. The board hopes that with a stable acreage harvested, and an average yield for the 2006 crop, they will be able to lower the assessment even further before harvest begins for the 2006 crop. Technical Information With the advent of a diapause spraying program in northeast Texas in the fall of 2005, we were able to initiate our own program in southeast Oklahoma at the same time. As a result of the spraying and a severe drought in the same area in 2005, weevil numbers were down in late season and what weevils did get into diapause were probably malnourished. This would result in very poor emergence in the spring of 2006. All weevils caught in 2005, except one caught 9 miles south of Hobart, were caught in southeast Oklahoma. We will continue to treat fields in southeast Oklahoma in 2006 on an as-needed basis. The 2004 crop averaged 749 pounds per acre on 191,789 acres. The 2005 crop is averaging 762 pounds per acre on 187,315 acres as of March 3, 2006. There are still approximately 20% of the harvested acres that the assessment has not been collected on at this time. It is very likely that we could break the yield record set in 2004.
In 2006 all traps in southeast Oklahoma and those in southwest Oklahoma within 5-10 miles of the Red River or western border will be deployed at 1 trap per 5 acres. As we proceed northward and eastward from the southwest border, we will go to 1 trap per 20 acres (checked every 2 or 3 weeks), then as we proceed further north, 1 trap per 40 acres (checked every 3 weeks). If you have any questions concerning the Oklahoma Boll Weevil Eradication Organization, please feel free to contact us at (580) 726-4280).
Bill Massey, Ph.D. Joe Harris Executive Director Business & Finance Officer |