Evaluation of thiamethoxam and imidacloprid applied in-furrow and as a seed treatment as an alternative to aldicarb for early-season cotton insect pest management

Aldicarb has been a standard in early season insect pest management in cotton, but has recently ceased production.  This recent development has left growers with a void to fill with regards to insect management in cotton.  During 2012 in Louisiana, two field trials evaluated the efficacy of thiamethoxam and imidacloprid applied both as a seed treatment and in-furrow with aldicarb being applied in-furrow as a treatment as well.  Thrips counts were collected by sampling 10 whole plants from each plot at the two and four true leaf growth stage in each test.  Statistical differences were noticed between application methods of both thiamethoxam and imidacloprid.  No treatment was statistically superior to the yields of the aldicarb plots.  Thrips species composition was made up of approximately 50% Western Flower thrips and 50% Tobacco thrips.  Normal agronomic practices and thresholds set by the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service were followed after targeted insects were sampled.  Yield was collected from the middle two rows of each plot.  Results from this study can provide a more comprehensive understanding of early season IPM without the commercial availability of aldicarb.