Don't spread your refuge acres throughout the field in strips or alternating rows. Planting in strips or alternating rows makes it hard to scout the refuge for pests, and it makes it hard to apply an insecticide only on refuge acres. Also, worms hatching from eggs laid on non-Bt cotton can and do move to Bt cotton after several days of feeding with relative impunity to the Bt toxin. Growers who use Bt cotton should give their refuge acres as much care and management as the rest of their crop. Otherwise, their refuge acres will not produce enough Bt-susceptible moths to make a difference in resistance management, he added.
Bt cotton is valuable technology for growers.
Our goal is to delay the onset of resistance for at least 10 years. Hopefully, in that period of time new technology will better enable us to keep pace with insect resistance. Producers who want to grow Bt cotton face refuge acreage and other legal requirements mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Brand names appearing in this article are used for product identification. No endorsement is intended, nor is criticism of similar products not mentioned.