Document ID: EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0657-0033
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2006-10-11T04:00Z

To: Sharlene Matten

From: Larry Antilla

Subject: September 8, 2006 Request for additional information.

VOLUME 2 SAMPLING AND TRAPPING DATA-SUPPLEMENT

 

 

TRAP DENSITY

NON-BT COTTON

1 trap per ten acres or 1 trap per field on fields less than ten acres.

BT

1 trap per forty acres on small contiguous blocks of fields with out
biological separation.

1 trap per eighty acres on large contiguous blocks of fields with out
biological separation.

TRAP PLACEMENT

Protocol calls for traps to be placed at or near the northeast corner of
the field in a protected location (near a permanent structure such as a
telephone pole). If a field has more than one trap, the traps are evenly
spaced and numbered in a counter clockwise manner. Traps are placed as
near to the field edge as possible while not obstructing the movement of
equipment in and out of the field. Traps are attached to a wooden survey
stake in order to maintain traps at canopy height.

TRAP SERVICE

Traps are regularly serviced once each week unless environmental
conditions are prohibitive i.e. moisture soaked terrain inaccessible by
4 wheel drive. When a trap is serviced the entire trap is removed and a
new trap with a new Pink Bollworm pheromone lure is placed in the trap.
The “old” trap is labeled with the service date and the crop stage.
Trap locations are bar-coded and each “new” trap is labeled with the
field number and trap number. Traps are baited a with rubber dispenser
impregnated with a 4 mg dose of Shinitsu Corporation Hexadecadienyl
acetate (Gossyplure, Pheromone) that has been subjected to field
bioassay for field activity by USDA personnel.

The traps removed from the field are transported to the field offices in
a protected manor for identification.

MOTH IDENTIFICATION

Traps are brought in from the field each week; identifiers stationed at
each field office inspect each trap. All Pink Bollworm moths are counted
and recorded as either “native” or “sterile”. The sterile pink
bollworms are dyed red through the media they are fed in the rearing
facility. The trapping date (date the trap was removed from the field),
field number, trap number and crop stage are all recorded along the
“native” and “sterile” counts for entry into the database. Any
questionable determinations regarding the identity of moths are
forwarded to the principle identifier. 

At the discretion of program management and as readily available samples
for Dr. Tim Dennehy’s Extension Arthropod Resistance Management
Laboratory (EARML), moths are saved for testing related to BT resistance
or genetic identity. The moths collected for these functions are placed
in alcohol and kept in a freezer to protect from deterioration until
testing can be completed.

BOLL SAMPLING

Boll sampling is conducted on randomly selected fields or pairs of
fields throughout the program area to determine representative
infestation levels. When possible, a BT and a NON-BT field in close
proximity at the randomly selected location are included. The purpose of
this exercise is to approximate the approach taken in Arizona since 1998
wherein, randomly selected paired BT and NON-BT fields were intensively
sampled late season for comparative infestation levels and resistance
monitoring. 

BOLL SAMPLING (continued)

Based on trapping information, history and targeted field inspection,
other fields are checked for boll infestation as needed. Program
personnel make these decisions by dedicating the majority of our
resources on field based activities whereby anomalies are isolated and
investigated to the benefit of the producers in the program. Due to the
targeted approach in this instance any findings are neither
representative nor random and therefore statistically not indicative of
program wide infestation levels.

Sampling each of the four thousand six hundred and twenty six fields
each week is not logistically or economically feasible and would
certainly be undesirable to producers in the program.

 

The initial boll survey sampling was performed for 4 sampling cycles (1
sample every other week). Additional sampling will be conducted using
boll boxes. Boll boxes data is much more reliable as bolls are picked
and then placed in boxes (cages) and stored at controlled temperatures
until any organisms inside the bolls have emerged and can be counted.

STERILE/NATIVE TRAPPING DATA

By statute, all growers within the program area must report NON-BT
cotton in a timely manner. BT cotton reporting is not legally required
and therefore must be ground proofed by program personnel. Circumstances
do exist wherein late planted or unreported cotton results in data
beginning the week after traps are deployed.

Trapping data is not a self contained gauge of populations. Pheromone
traps are subject to hindrance from many biological, environmental and
seasonal influences. Inherent variability in trapping information from
specific trap location data must be evaluated as an aggregate from
multiple data points to be meaningful per the maps provided by Dave
Bartel and the statistical data model. Moth numbers found in traps are
not directly proportionate to release levels on that field or the
surrounding area. Native populations in the program area are still very
high. Native and Sterile females produce pheromone which competes with
the traps. As the native populations become less significant the
pheromone traps will become more consistent population indicators as
individual data points. As discussed in the trapping section above,
there are periodic instance where traps cannot be accessed, in these
instances no data is available. 

STERILE/NATIVE TRAPPING DATA-continued

As indicated in the trapping section of this document, BT fields are
grouped together in regards to trap allocation. Not every BT field has a
trap directly assigned to it however; traps are distributed through the
region to produce a representative sample of the region and all of the
fields therein. Trapping each BT cotton field individually is cost
prohibitive and logistically impossible within the constraints of the
Pink Bollworm Eradication Program. This approach is in strict contrast
to non eradication program grower practices where BT cotton is not
monitored with pheromone traps. 

All fields have received sterile release every week on timetable with
minor variations due to weather and or chemical treatment. Chemical
treatment only affects sterile release on NON-BT cotton as BT cotton is
not treated with chemical or pheromone treatments. Sterile release has
been unremitting once sterile release began. No release days have been
compromised due to mechanical failure, moth supply or due diligence.
Sterile moths in excess of 1,137,012,553 have been released over Arizona
BT and NON-BT cotton as of September 5, 2006 within the Pink Bollworm
Eradication Program.

VOLUME 1 TREATMENT DATA TABLE 1-SUPPLEMENT

“PBW Pheromone rope” is synonymous with PB-Rope L
((Z,Z)-7,11-Hexadecadien-1-yl Acetate 46.7% (Z,E)-7,11-Hexadecadien-1-yl
Acetate 44.1%) (Gossyplure, Pheromone). PB-Rope L is a high rate
dispenser that is distributed throughout the field at a rate of 200
dispensers per acre. The dispensers are applied several different ways.
Dispensers are either hand tied to the plants, wrapped on a bamboo stick
and placed in the planted row by hand or, wrapped and on a bamboo stick
and mechanically inserted into the planted row. PB-Rope L is a 60-90
pheromone mating disruption treatment.

Dual indicates a dual treatment including a mating disruption pheromone
constituent such as NoMate PBW fiber ((Z,Z)-7,11 -Hexadecadien-1-01
acetate 3 .80% + (Z,E)-7,1 1- Hexadecadien-1-01 acetate 3.80%)
(Gossyplure, Pheromone) or NoMate PBW MEC ((Z,Z)-7,11- Hexadecadien-1-
yl Acetate 10.0% + (Z,E)-7,11- Hexadecadien-1 -yl Acetate 10.0%)
(Gossyplure, Pheromone) (Microencapsulated concentrate) and a chemical
component such as Lock-On.

Lock-On is a formulation of microencapsulated chlorpyrifos.

Cumulative trapping, treatment and sterile release data will be provided
at a later date. We hope that this information provided will be
sufficient to help you complete your review. 

Arizona Cotton Research And Protection Council

3721 E. Wier Ave

Phoenix AZ, 85040

Phone: (602)438-0059

Fax: (602)438-0407

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