U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research: Ames, IA
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Database Projects
                        MaizeGDB
                                    SoyBase
                                    PeanutBase
                                    Legume Information System
                                    Maize Newsletter
                                    Maize Mutant Phenotypes
                                    Maize Genetics Conference
                                    Shiny Soybase CNV
                                    Shiny Soybase SNP
                                    Common Bean and Alfalfa - PvGEA
                                    Common Bean and Alfalfa - AGEDSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Midwest Area Ames, Iowa Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Sappington, Thomasitem
                                            Brashears, Alanitem
                                            PARAJULEE, MEGHA - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITYitem
                                            CARROLL, STANLEY - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITYitem
                                            ARNOLD, MARK - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITYitem
                                            Baker, Roy
  Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 7/11/2004
                                    Publication  Date: 10/1/2004
                                    Citation: Sappington, T.W., Brashears, A.D., Parajulee, M.N., Carroll, S.C., Arnold, M.D., Baker, Jr., R.V. 2004. Boll weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) survival through cotton gin trash fans. Journal of Economic Entomology. 97:1612-1618.Interpretive Summary: The boll weevil is a major pest of cotton, and great efforts are underway to eradicate it from the U.S.  There is concern that if gins in eradicated or weevil-suppressed areas process harvested cotton from neighboring infested areas, weevils may escape to reinfest the eradication zone.  Previous studies showed that the most likely way for a weevil to escape once it enters the gin plant is in the gin trash that is separated from the seed cotton by cleaning machinery.  Gin trash is passed through a high speed fan that pulverizes the trash.  We showed that free adult boll weevils cannot survive passage through a trash fan tested at any speed.  However, a few weevils can survive passage through a fan, even when operated at high speeds, if they are inside a green boll.  We found that increasing fan speed will not solve this problem.  Our results indicate that if a device can be developed to partially crack open or crush bolls before they get to the trash fan, weevil survival may be reduced to the point where escape through this route is no longer a concern.  This study provides regulatory and action agencies with information necessary to assess the risk of boll weevil reintroduction to eradication zones through ginning of infested seed cotton, and to design appropriate guidelines to manage that risk.
                                Technical Abstract: There is concern that cotton gins may serve as loci for reintroduction of boll weevils (Anthonomus grandis Boheman) to eradicated or suppressed zones when processing infested cotton from neighboring zones.  Previous work has shown that virtually all weevils entering the gin in the seed cotton will be removed before they reach the gin stand.  Those not killed by the seed cotton cleaning machinery will be shunted alive into the trash fraction, which passes through a centrifugal trash fan before exiting the gin.  The objective of this study was to determine survival potential of boll weevils passed through a trash fan.  Marked adult weevils were distributed in gin trash and fed through a 107-cm (42-in) diameter centrifugal fan operated across a range of fan-tip speeds.  A small number of weevils were recovered alive immediately after passage through the fan, but all were severely damaged and did not survive 24 h.  In another experiment, bolls infested with weevils were fed through the fan.  Several teneral adults survived 24 h, and there was no evidence that fan-tip speed affected either initial survival of weevils, or the number of unbroken boll locks that could harbor an infesting weevil.  Thus, designating a minimum fan-tip speed for ensuring complete kill is not possible for the boll weevil.  Experiments suggest that a device installed in a gin that partially crushes or cracks bolls open before entering a trash fan will increase weevil mortality, possibly enough that further precautions would be unnecessary.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov