ABSTRACT: The boll weevil colonizes cotton fields as early as cotton squaring, causing significant losses due to feeding and protected development inside fruiting structures throughout crop phenology. Successful control depends on control of adults and their accurate detection when they colonize the crops. The commercial trap and boll weevil attract-and-control tubes (BWACT) are the only available tools to monitor and attract-and-kill boll weevil, despite limitation in efficacy, and insecticide in BWACT is not allowed in organic production. A grandlure-and-glue reusable and insecticide-free tube (GGT) made with polyvinyl chloride tube, smeared with entomological glue, and lured with pheromone was tested to detect boll weevil activity across various seasons. Boll weevil showed activity during growing season and off-season from 2009 to 2012 in the Semiarid and with higher numbers captured in GGT in comparisons to commercial traps. GGT was able to detect early weevils in the field right after planting. Further, the overall averages resulted in 34-, 16.8-, and 7.5-times more weevils captured in GGTs compared to the traps during stalk destruction in the Semiarid 2011 and Cerrado season 2012/13 and during the harvesting period in the Cerrado season 2011/12, respectively. Therefore, boll weevils were captured actively during season and off-season and early captures obtained in GGT compared to traps showed a better correlation between captures and square damage.

O pulgão Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) é uma importante praga do algodoeiro, independente do sistema de cultivo convencional ou orgânico. Entretanto, no cultivo orgânico não é permitido a utilização de inseticidas sintéticos, o que dificulta o controle desta praga. Assim, avaliou-se o controle e a proteção da planta à infestação pelo pulgão com inseticidas permitidos em cultivo orgânico. O experimento de controle empregou três inseticidas naturais [Beauveria bassiana (Boveril®), óleo de nim (Neemseto®) e óleo de algodão comparado ao inseticida sintético tiametoxam (Actara®)]. O experimento visando a proteção da planta à infestação foi conduzido com os mesmos inseticidas exceto o Boveril® . As avaliações foram realizadas após 72 e 120h para os experimentos de controle e de proteção da planta, respectivamente. O controle do pulgão 72h após a aplicação foi similar entre óleo de algodão, Neemseto® e Actara® e atingiu 100% de controle com o Actara®. Em relação à proteção da planta contra a colonização, o Actara® destacou-se com maior proteção das plantas quando comparado aos demais inseticidas, sendo a eficiência mantida em todos os intervalos de avaliação. Já os demais tratamentos apresentaram variabilidade com relação à proteção ao longo dos intervalos de avaliação.

The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a key pest of cotton, irrespective of the use of conventional or organic management. In organic systems, however, the use of synthetic insecticides is not allowed, increasing the difficulty of controlling this pest. This work evaluated aphid control and the ability of products to prevent aphid infestation using natural insecticides compared to a standard synthetic insecticide. The control trial was conducted with four products [Beauveria bassiana (Boveril®), neem oil (Neemseto®), and cotton seed oil compared to thiamethoxam (Actara®)], and untreated plants served as the control group. The trial testing the efficacy of these products in preventing aphid infestation was conducted using the same products, excluding Boveril®. The evaluations were conducted 72 and 120h post-treatment for the efficacy and the protection against colonization trials, respectively. The aphid control by cotton seed oil, Neemseto®, and thiamethoxam was similar, with 100% control being achieved on the thiamethoxam-treated plants. Regarding the plant protection against aphid colonization, the insecticide thiamethoxam exhibited a better performance compared to the other tested products with steady results over the evaluation period. The natural products exhibited variable results with low protection against plant colonization throughout the evaluation period.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a época apropriada para a realização da poda apical em algodoeiro. O trabalho foi realizado durante as safras de 2008 e 2009 (maio a novembro) em delineamento de blocos ao acaso, em dois ambientes, com as variedades: BRS 201, de fibra branca, e BRS Rubi, BRS Safira e BRS Verde, de fibra colorida, em Paudalho, PE; e BRS 201 e BRS Rubi, em Surubim, PE. A poda apical consistiu na retirada dos ápices das plantas com estruturas vegetativas e reprodutivas, em duas idades fenológicas: com 50% das maçãs maduras (poda I) e no surgimento dos primeiros capulhos (poda II). A poda I resultou em maior retirada de botões florais do que a poda II. Em ambas as podas, houve a retirada de cinco nós dos ponteiros. A produção e a qualidade de fibra não diferiram entre plantas podadas ou não. Um número significativo de estruturas atacadas foi eliminado pela poda. A poda apical é recomendada para reduzir o número de estruturas não produtivas, ao final da safra, que são utilizadas como hospedeiras de pragas

The objective of this work was to determine the appropriate time to prune the terminal portions of the cotton plants. The work was carried out during 2008 and 2009 (May-November) growing seasons in a randomized block design in two environment, with the varieties: BRS 201, of white fibers, and the colored fiber varieties BRS Rubi, BRS Safira, and BRS Verde, in Paudalho, PE, Brazil; and BRS 201 and BRS Rubi, in Surubim, PE, Brazil. Pruning consisted in excising the apices with the vegetative and reproductive structures, at two plant ages: with 50% mature bolls (prune I), and at the opening of the first boll (prune II). Prune I resulted in greater excision of flower buds than prune II. In both prunings, five nodes from the plant apex were excised. Yield and fiber quality did not differ between pruned and nonpruned plants. A significant number of infested structures was removed by pruning. Pruning can be recommended to reduce nonproductive structures that can, at the end of the season, be used as hosts for important pests