New Answers for Insect Control in the Absence of New Products

This project focused exclusively on upgrading the data base for our control recommendations for insect management in peanuts. Two tasks relative to control recommendations have been accomplished. The ranking of cost effectiveness of various strategies has been completed with unbiased field data used to provide recommendations that encourage the use of the products that provide the greatest return on investment and the presentation of data on the return from less efficacious products. This has permitted a complete overhaul of insect control recommendations over the past two years. These edits and changes in recommendations are the result of funding from the North Carolina Peanut Growers Association and these studies would not have been possible without the support of peanut grower funding. The use of a 3 week post plant foliar spray of acephate has also been thoroughly evaluated and the value of this application is now well documented and become a part of standard pest management procedures.