Abapa begins monitoring the cotton boll weevil for the 2020/21 harvest

Even before cotton planting begins in the next 2020/2021 harvest, technicians from the Phytosanitary Program of the Bahian Association of Cotton Producers (Abapa) have already entered the field to monitor the cotton farmer's main enemy: the cotton boll weevil. The work began with the sanitary vacuum and the end of the harvest, in mid-September, with the installation of traps in the main lines of the 18 cotton producing centers in Bahia. 503 traps were installed, 455 in the West and 48 in the Southwest. The readings consist of calculating the infestation level with the average number of Boll Weevils per Trap per Week (BAS).

In the first reading, carried out on September 25th, 2.483 boll weevils were captured in 455 traps installed in the West region, reaching a BAS index of 5,46. In the Southwest region, there were 87 boll weevils in 48 traps reaching a BAS of 1,81. “This pre-harvest monitoring is essential to alert producers to eliminate any crop residue that could increase the infestation before planting. The levels are still considered high, and the objective, with the support of leading producers, is to increase mobilization so that the levels can be further reduced before planting”, says the coordinator of Abapa's phytosanitary program, Antônio Carlos Araújo.

Among the actions to control the boll weevil, the technicians promoted a series of educational blitzes on the highways of Western Bahia, guiding cargo drivers on the correct storage and transportation of cotton fiber and seed. “With the support of producers, the elimination of volunteer plants, the tigueras, has also been carried out on the sides of highways in the event of cotton detachment, especially where producers have difficulty accessing. This is a time when the productive sector needs to be united in the destruction of any type of voluntary plant or cultural remains, to start the next one with reduced BAS rates in agricultural areas”, explains the agronomic consultant supervisor and technical director of Abapa, Celito Breda. .

“The reduction of these rates depends directly on the producer, who needs to be aware of the destruction and respect for the cotton sanitary void period. The boll weevil is a collective control pest, and each producer needs to do their part. The continued high productivity, which has also allowed for higher fiber quality, is the result of adequate pest management at all stages, from planting to harvesting. Paying attention to the recommendations at this stage of the sanitary void will result in productivity and economic gains in all agricultural areas”, reinforces the president of Abapa, Júlio Cézar Busato. Cotton sowing, which marks the beginning of the harvest, will be allowed from November 20th, the period that ends the period of sanitary emptiness in Bahia.