Title: Removal of pesticide Temik means trouble for cotton industry - News - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal - Lubbock, TX
Headings: Removal of pesticide Temik means trouble for cotton industry
Removal of pesticide Temik means trouble for cotton industry
Content: 80 percent of the cotton production land in Cochran and Hockley counties are infested with southern cotton root-knot nematode. Producers typically apply four to six pounds of Temik per irrigated acre, he said. Not having Temik or something as effective can determine the difference between having production and not having production, he said. A Levelland cotton producer said when he tested another nematode control pesticide against Temik, the plot using the other pesticide had half the yield of the plot treated with Temik. He planned to keep using Temik as long as it was available and, simultaneously, search for an alternative option. Farmers could devote their acres to other crops that are not as affected by nematodes, Siders said, or they may use another, less-effective product. In both cases, agriculture production would change dramatically. Boyne said there is no exact replacement for Temik in the works, but Bayer CropScience and other companies are experimenting with new nematode-resistant seed varieties and chemicals. Woodward was optimistic a new product could make its way through the pipeline and onto store shelves in the coming years, but it may be after the final year producers can use Temik. To comment on this story: