Bulletin 1154 March 2006 - Mississippi State University · 2015. 10. 23. · USDA-ARS Boll Weevil Research Laboratory who workedontheeffectofradia-tion sterilization and chemosterilization

Bulletin 1154 March 2006

Vance H. Watson, Director

Mississippi Agricultural & Forestry Experiment StationJ. Charles Lee, President • Mississippi State University • Vance H. Watson, Vice President

F. Aubrey HarrisResearch Professor

Delta Research and Extension CenterStoneville, Mississippi

Laura B. ClarkInformation Technology Specialist

Delta Research and Extension CenterStoneville, Mississippi

Bulletin 1154 was published by the Office of Agricultural Communications, a unit of the Division of Agriculture,Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University. Copyright 2007 by Mississippi State University.All rights reserved. This publication may be copied and distributed without alteration for nonprofit educational pur-poses provided that credit is given to the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

Mississippi People –Contributors to Boll Weevil Eradication

From 2001 to 2003, the Mississippi Entomolog-ical Association planned and prepared a special pro-gram for the November 2003 Annual Meeting. Thatspecial program was to celebrate the 50th anniver-sary of the association, including a half-day sessionon the Mississippi Boll Weevil Eradication Pro-gram. The eradication program began in Mississippiin 1994 before it encountered problems and endedbriefly. It started again in earnest in 1997 and wasunder way statewide at the time the jubilee celebra-tion was being planned.

The information presented in this bulletin wasfirst presented in a more abridged style at the 50thanniversary celebration in a series of posters enti-tled Boll Weevil Eradication Hall of Fame. In thisway, the association honored the people who hadmade significant contributions to boll weevil controland eradication, as well as those Mississippi ento-mologists who had worked diligently on boll weevilproblems during the early part of the 20th centurywhen control methods were inadequate and difficult.

A total of 83 individuals are featured in the bul-letin. Nineteen were/are employees of Mississippi

State University, 49 were/are employees of the Unit-ed States Department of Agriculture, five were/areemployed by Mississippi State University duringpart of their professional service and with the Unit-ed States Department of Agriculture during anotherpart of their service, four were employees of theMississippi Department of Agriculture and Com-merce Bureau of Plant Industry, five were/are Mis-sissippi farmers and agribusinessmen, and one was adistinguished U.S. congressman. All were distin-guished citizens of Mississippi during part or all oftheir professional careers.

The following individuals, in addition to thefirst author, served on the Boll Weevil Eradication –MEA Program Subcommittee, which planned theCelebration of Boll Weevil Eradication part of theprogram for the November 2003 MEAAnnual Meet-ing and also made substantial contributions of infor-mation and pictures: Farrell Boyd, JimmyEtheridge, Dick Hardee, Gerald McKibben, JoeMulrooney, Jim Smith, Eric Villavaso, Jeff Willers,and David Young.

PREFACE

Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station 1

Mississippi people in various professions havemade major contributions to a national Boll WeevilEradication Program that is nearing completionacross the entire Cotton Belt of the United States. Thecontributions of these people need to be conciselyrecorded and archived because of their importance inthe agricultural history of Mississippi, and that is thepurpose of this bulletin. The Boll Weevil EradicationProgram has been an important part of improved cot-ton insect management that is safe and successful.From both a national and state perspective, boll wee-vil eradication has been the most comprehensiveinsect management program ever undertaken. Missis-sippians who have worked on boll weevil control anderadication, both native born and others who madeMississippi their home during their professionalcareers, are important contributors to the agricultural,scientific, and educational history of the state.

Numerous manuscripts that provide informationabout the boll weevil and insight into its impact onthe agriculture, economy, culture, and quality of lifein the South have been written and published (e.g.,Cross 1973, Helms 1977, Smith and Harris 1994,Brazzel et al. 1996, and Smith 1998). Hardee andHarris (2003) wrote a perceptive and concise pres-entation of boll weevil history, its impact on Ameri-can agriculture, and the importance of boll weevileradication. Currently, the most comprehensivecompilation about the boll weevil and boll weevileradication is a Cotton Foundation reference book,Boll Weevil Eradication in the United States through1999 (Dickerson et al. 2001). One chapter in the ref-erence book tells the Mississippi boll weevil eradi-cation story (Harris and Smith 2001).

A very brief synopsis of the boll weevil story,which is detailed in the above references and otherliterature, is a needed introduction to the primary

purpose of this presentation. The boll weevil,Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, is a small-snout beetle (weevil) that came into the UnitedStates from Mexico near Brownsville, Texas, about1892. The boll weevil was adapted to live and repro-duce primarily on a single host plant, cotton. Conse-quently, its spread into the United States wasinevitable once the southwestern margin of the enor-mous cotton growing areas of the southern UnitedStates approached or encroached on the weevil’snative territory.

Once the connection was made between the bollweevil and U.S. cotton, the weevil infestationmoved north through Texas and east across the cot-ton-producing states at a rate of about 50 miles peryear until it had infested most of the cotton in Texasand all of the cotton-production areas east of Texasby 1922. The weevil crossed the Mississippi Riverfrom Louisiana and infested the southwest corner(Adams County near Natchez) of Mississippi in1907.

As the weevil progressed in its invasive migra-tion across the South, it destroyed the region’s econ-omy, which was largely dependent on cotton as itsmain source of cash income. Much of the system ofagricultural research by the United States Depart-ment of Agriculture (USDA) and the state experi-ment stations was founded on the need to solve theboll weevil problem. The highly successful Cooper-ative Extension Service that now exists in everystate of the union was founded to teach farmers howto grow cotton in spite of the boll weevil.

Insecticides that were highly effective in control-ling boll weevils were eventually developed andseemed to be a panacea for the cotton farmer. Eupho-ria over the success of this chemical technology wasshort-lived. Insecticide resistance in the boll weevil

INTRODUCTION

Mississippi People –Contributors to Boll Weevil Eradication

2 Mississippi People — Contributors to Boll Weevil Eradication

made many of the insecticides ineffective.Farmers became fearful about the future of such

an ephemeral boll weevil control method and in thelate 1950s began to look for a better way to dealwith the boll weevil problem. In 1960, after muchlobbying by cotton industry leadership, the U.S.Congress appropriated funds to construct the USDAAgricultural Research Service (ARS) Boll WeevilResearch Laboratory on the campus of MississippiState University. This unique laboratory facility wasformally dedicated in March 1961. A highlyfocused, multidisciplinary, and large-scale (morethan 70 scientists and science support staff) researchprogram was dedicated to developing the knowledgebase and control methods necessary for eradicatingthe boll weevil.

By 1969, the cotton industry wanted to know iferadication technology was far enough along indevelopment to achieve boll weevil eradication. Anational Special Study Committee determined thateffective techniques were available and recommend-ed that a large experiment should be conducted totest a multifaceted program (eight control techniquesintegrated into a coordinated program) that woulddetermine if boll weevil eradication were feasible.

Consequently, the Pilot Boll Weevil EradicationExperiment was initiated in 1971 and concluded in1973. This large-area experiment covered most ofMississippi south of Jackson and parts of Alabamaand Louisiana. A Technical Guidance Committeeevaluated the results of the experiment and conclud-ed that it was “technically and operationally feasibleto eliminate the boll weevil…” There were someunanswered questions and concerns about imple-mentation of a national boll weevil eradication pro-gram based on that experiment.

After a delay of five years, a second large-areaboll weevil eradication experiment called the BollWeevil Eradication Trial (BWET) was initiated inNorth Carolina and Virginia in 1978. A companionproject called the Optimum Pest Management Trial(OPMT) was conducted in north Mississippi at thesame time as the BWET. The purpose of the two tri-als (BWET and OPMT) conducted simultaneouslywas to determine whether the objective should be toeradicate or to manage the boll weevil. Both

philosophies had substantial followings in the com-munity of professional entomologists.

The success of the North Carolina/Virginia trialresulted in the choice of eradication as the nationalgoal. Consequently, the BWET was expanded tobecome the Boll Weevil Eradication Program, whichprogressed incrementally south and west and reachedMississippi in 1994. Concurrent western programswere conducted in California and Arizona. Therewere some start-up problems in Mississippi after theinitial start in 1994. These problems delayed fullimplementation of the program until 1997. However,since 1997 the Mississippi Boll Weevil EradicationProgram has progressed across the state and is nownear completion over the entire state.

Successful boll weevil eradication coupled withintroduction of transgenic Bt cotton (geneticallyengineered caterpillar-insect-resistant cotton) hascompletely changed cotton insect management inMississippi from an insecticide intensive program tominimum chemical insecticide use in a true inte-grated-pest-management system.

The remainder of this bulletin is devoted to itsprimary purpose — an account of key Mississippipeople and their contributions toward the manage-ment and eradication of the boll weevil.

People working in Mississippi over many yearsof efforts in boll weevil control, preparation for bollweevil eradication, and implementing the boll wee-vil eradication program have made great scientificand visionary contributions and have had profoundimpacts on the successful outcome of the nationalprogram, and consequently on the Mississippi por-tion of the national Boll Weevil Eradication Pro-gram.

Categorization and chronological order of con-tributions is elusive for some individuals with longand diverse careers, so some overlap and omissionis inevitable. Chronological order of presentations isnot rigorous. Individuals are loosely grouped asmuch as possible according to related categorizationof their work. Some individuals listed are deceased,and the current location and status of some areunknown to the authors. The order of presentationindicates no judgment about the relative importanceof any individual accomplishment.


IN THE BEGINNINGMany of the early researchers and other workers

were primarily involved in helping growers dealwith the devastating invasion of the boll weevil. Inthe early days of boll weevil infestation in Missis-sippi, this activity was focused on cultural controlmethods that promoted early fruit production toescape the heaviest mid- and late-season boll weevilinfestation. Some practices that promoted earlinesswere planting early, using of fertilizers to hastenmaturity, changing to early-maturing varieties, andharvesting early followed by destruction of stalks(Helms 1977). Attention soon evolved to searchingfor chemical insecticides that worked and dealingwith insecticide resistance when it occurred.

Robey W. Harned was anearly entomologist in Missis-sippi, who served as head ofthe Mississippi State Univer-sity Department of Entomolo-gy. He made observations ofthe first boll weevil infesta-tions in Mississippi in 1907and wrote an early experi-ment station bulletin (1910)on his observations and on boll weevil biology andcontrol. The Boll Weevil Research Laboratory, orig-inally dedicated on March 21, 1962, was renamedthe Robey Wentworth Harned Laboratory and reded-icated on November 10, 1982, in his honor.

E.W. Dunnam was aUSDA entomologist at DeltaBranch Experiment Station inStoneville, Mississippi, from1936 until 1955. He conduct-ed research on the earlyarsenical dust insecticides andcontinued boll weevil controlresearch with organochlorineand organophosphate insecti-cides. His research also spanned the important transi-tion from dust application to water-diluted sprayapplication. He was the leader of entomology scienceat Stoneville during his tenure there.

Marvin Merkl, Randle Furr, Sr., EdwinLloyd, Ted Pfrimmer, and Tomie Cleveland wereUSDA entomologists at Delta Branch ExperimentStation. Their tenures at the Delta Branch beganduring the mid-1950s and lasted for various dura-tions into the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. They workedon boll weevil control and on various aspects of bollweevil biology, behavior, and crop damage. Much oftheir work was done before the concept of boll wee-vil eradication was developed. Cleveland did earlywork on ultra-low-volume (ULV) application ofmalathion. ULV application was application of non-water diluted spray at rates usually of 1 quart peracre or less. ULV malathion became very importantin the Boll Weevil Eradication Program. Two of

Harned

Dunnam

Merkl Furr Lloyd Pfrimmer Cleveland


these scientists (Merkl and Lloyd) moved on to Mis-sissippi State and worked in specific areas of bollweevil eradication research at the USDA-ARS BollWeevil Research Laboratory. Their contributionswill be cited again in that regard.

A.L. Hamner was a Mis-sissippi Experiment Stationentomologist at MississippiState University who con-ducted research on insectici-dal control of boll weevil. Heconducted a major study onthe effect of different levelsof boll weevil infestation onthe cotton plant and yield.His work provided fundamental information onwhen cotton farmers should start spraying insecti-cides to avoid yield loss to developing boll weevilinfestations.

C.E. (Skipper) King andMarion Laster were Missis-sippi State Universityresearch entomologists whoconducted boll weevil controlresearch at the Delta BranchExperiment Station. Kingworked there in the 1950s.Laster’s tenure spanned aperiod from 1968 to 1988.The later part of Laster’scareer was devoted to workon a sterile hybrid cross(Heliothis virescens x Helio-this subflexa). Heliothisvirescens was the notorioustobacco budworm, a cottonpest that was difficult to con-trol and at various timescaused great destruction tothe crop. Caterpillar pests, such as the tobacco bud-worm, are often secondary pests in an agro-ecosys-tem. Natural enemies of such secondary pests arekilled by insecticides applied to control a key pest

like the boll weevil. This sets up a condition thatmay aggravate a serious outbreak of the secondarypest. Laster retired from Mississippi State Universi-ty in 1988 and continued his sterile-hybrid researchas research entomologist for the USDA-ARS atStoneville from 1988 until 1995.

Charlie Parencia had along career in boll weevilresearch, starting in Texaswith early insecticide experi-ments. He was a pioneer inthe discovery and promotionof benefits of early-season(pinhead-square applications)control of boll weevil. Heserved many years at USDAheadquarters in Beltsville, Maryland, as assistant tothe chief of the Cotton Insects Branch of the USDA-ARS Entomology Research Division. This servicewas during the years of intensive research and pilottesting of boll weevil eradication. Parencia finishedhis career as a scientist on the USDA-ARS staff atthe Southern Insect Management Research Unitlocated in the Jamie Whitten Research Center inStoneville.

William Scott conductedresearch on ULV applicationof malathion in the earlystages of development of thistechnology. He started hiscareer at Tallulah, Louisiana,and later moved to Mississip-pi, first to the Boll WeevilResearch Laboratory at Mis-sissippi State and then to theUSDA-ARS Southern Insect Management ResearchUnit at Stoneville. His research included work onreproduction-diapause and boll weevil trappingresearch, both very important components of bollweevil eradication. He also served a key researchrole in the Optimum Pest Management (OPM) Trialin north Mississippi.

Hamner

King

Scott

Parencia

Laster


Important political, research, educational, and pro-motional activities began after the great scare caused byboll weevil resistance to organochlorine insecticides.Commitment to boll weevil eradication was secured.The USDA-ARS Boll Weevil Research Laboratory wasopened, research programs were established, and thelarge-scale experiment and area-wide demonstrationtrial were planned, financed, and conducted. Mississip-pi people were key players in much of this long-term,broad-based journey toward a Beltwide Boll WeevilEradication Program. Much of the work was done inMississippi by Mississippi residents and members ofthe Mississippi Entomological Association. Of course,there were many contributions from people in otherstates, but this bulletin focuses on those who worked inMississippi.

Jamie Whitten, memberof the U.S. House of Repre-sentatives from Mississippi,was a key congressionalleader in obtaining congres-sional authorization and fund-ing for boll weevileradication. He was influen-tial in boll weevil eradicationpolicy development. Whittenexerted an important influence on the USDA budgets,to which funds were appropriated for research facili-ties, personnel, support, large-scale experiments, andarea-wide trials. He played a significant role in loca-tion of the national boll weevil research facility onthe campus of Mississippi State University.

Theodore B. (Ted)Davich was a luminary inboll weevil research and avisionary advocate of the sci-entific potential and possibil-ity of boll weevil eradication.He was the first director ofthe USDA-ARS Boll WeevilResearch Laboratory at Mis-sissippi State and began hiscareer there in 1961. He provided a type of leader-ship that allowed and promoted creativity in indi-

vidual scientists. Under his direction, major scien-tific discoveries and developments in boll weevileradication technology were achieved. Especiallynotable were advances in insect rearing, andpheromone and trapping technology.

Norman Mitlin was aninsect physiologist at theUSDA-ARS Boll WeevilResearch Laboratory whoworked on the effect of radia-tion sterilization andchemosterilization on thephysiology, behavior, andlongevity of boll weevil.

Jack Haynes was anentomologist who spent hisprofessional career, includinggraduate school, at theUSDA-ARS Boll WeevilResearch Laboratory at Mis-sissippi State. His work wasfocused on sterilization of theboll weevil. He tested radia-tion, chemosterilants, addi-tives, and synergists in attempts to attain a sterileand competitive boll weevil.

Robert T. (Bob) Gastwas a scientist of great intel-lect and exceptional creativeability. He designed, built,and tested many of the auto-mated processes used in massrearing of boll weevil,processes that have beenadapted to mass rearing ofother insects. It was his abili-ty to rear very large numbers of boll weevils thatmade some of the early pheromone (grandlure)research possible. His achievements were done at atime when instruments were far less sensitive thanthey are today. Bob was killed in a tragic accident inhis laboratory in 1966. The Robert T. Gast RearingFacility at MSU is named in honor of him.

Whitten

Davich

Mitlin

Haynes

Gast

PREPARATION FOR THE PROGRAM

J.G. (Jack) Griffin fol-lowed Bob Gast as a leader inboll weevil rearing researchat Mississippi State. He con-tinued the progress in devel-opment of mass rearingtechniques with emphasis oncontrol of microbial contami-nants and pathogens.

Stan Malone contributedsignificantly to the develop-ment of boll weevil rearingtechniques. In his work as atechnician, he developed,modified, and maintainedhighly sophisticated automa-tion equipment for mass rear-ing.

Dorwayne Glover was aUSDA Animal and PlantHealth Inspection Service(APHIS) Methods Develop-ment Division employee whowas assigned to the USDA-ARS Boll Weevil ResearchLaboratory in 1968 to workon rearing procedures formass production of boll wee-vil. He briefly (1970-1972) worked with a team ofresearchers to construct and maintain a boll weevilrearing facility for APHIS Methods Development inGulfport, Mississippi. In 1972, he returned to theGast Rearing Laboratory at Mississippi State Uni-versity, where weevils were reared, sexed, and ster-ilized (males) for release in the Pilot Boll WeevilEradication Experiment in south Mississippi.

Oliver H. Lindig workedas a research leader in bollweevil rearing at the GastRearing Facility. During histenure at the facility, heorganized and improved massrearing procedures.

Jon Roberson worked inboll weevil and other insectrearing research and produc-tion techniques at the GastRearing Facility at Mississip-pi State. He provided leader-ship in improvement ofproduction capacity and wee-vil quality, and he was a par-ticipant in sterile weevilresearch. He initiated work on rearing of boll weevilparasites. His work was cut short by death midwayin his career.

Alan C. Bartlett was aninsect geneticist in the BollWeevil Research Laboratoryat Mississippi State. His workaffected other areas of bollweevil research includingrearing, behavior, chemoster-ilization, and irradiation ster-ilization. His discovery andpropagation of the ebony traitin boll weevil made it possible to identify boll wee-vils that were reared and released.

Peter P. Sikorowski wasan insect pathologist in theEntomology Department ofMississippi State University.He led research and develop-ment of sanitary methods ofrearing boll weevils free ofdebilitating disease andmicrobial diet contaminants.

William H. (Bill) Crosswas a consummate naturalistand insect behaviorist in theBoll Weevil Research Labo-ratory at Mississippi State.Keen observation and carefulrecords characterized hisresearch. From his work, onecould see high-speed photog-raphy of a boll weevil takingoff in flight, of the positions and motion of elytraand membranous hind wings during flight, and of a


Griffin

Malone

Glover

Roberson

Bartlett

Sikorowski

Cross

Lindig


landing. One could find time and motion studies ofa boll weevil on a cotton plant, as well as the flightpattern of a boll weevil responding to pheromone.He knew the alternative wild host plants of bollweevil in the subtropics and tropics of the Americ-as. He headed the Biological Evaluation Teams ofboth the Optimum Pest Management Trial in Mis-sissippi and the Boll Weevil Eradication Trial inNorth Carolina and Virginia. Cross conceived theneed, promoted the concept, and shepherded theearly organization of the Insect Museum at Missis-sippi State University. He possessed rare andextraordinary talent that was unfortunately far tooshort-lived. He died at the hands of criminal high-waymen while on one of his many ecologicalresearch excursions into Mexico.

Joe Leggett worked withBill Cross and is creditedwith pioneer work inpheromone trap design. TheLeggett Trap was the firsttrap that captured weevils ina cage instead of using themessy Stickem® (glue coat-ing) method of capture.

W.L. (Bill) Johnsonworked with Bill Cross, DickHardee, and others on bollweevil behavior, trapping,and biological control. Heconducted some of the earlyresearch on the boll weevilparasite, Catolaccus grandis.

William L. (Bill) McGov-ern had a long career in bollweevil research at the BollWeevil Research Laboratorywith Bill Cross, Jack Haynes,Gerald McKibben, EricVillavaso, and Jim Smith. Heworked on behavior, biologicalcontrol, sterilization, phe-romone trapping, attract-and-kill technology, and malathion dose efficiency. Bill wasa keen observer who helped perfect the boll weevil trapand the attract-and-kill device.

James H. (Jim) Tumlin-son gave a stellar perform-ance as a capable scientistwhile he was a graduate stu-dent working toward a Ph.D.degree in organic chemistry atMississippi State University.His work on the boll weevilpheromone was a major con-tribution to the Boll WeevilEradication Program. The boll weevil pheromone,grandlure, used as a lure in a trap made it possible todetect very low population densities of the boll wee-vil. Without such a technique, it would be cost-pro-hibitive, if not practically impossible, to determineareas that harbor low weevil infestations and todirect eradication efforts to such areas. It also allowsthe confident determination of eradication in an areaor region. Tumlinson was the key person in a team ofscientists who isolated, identified, and synthesizedthe four-chemical blend that makes up the boll wee-vil pheromone used in these boll weevil traps.

Paul Hedin was thechemistry investigationsleader at the Boll WeevilResearch Laboratory. Herecruited, employed, organ-ized, and led the team ofresearchers that developedgrandlure. He served one ofthe longest tenures at the BollWeevil Research Laboratory.

Richard C. (Dick)Gueldner was a syntheticorganic chemist at the BollWeevil Research Laboratory.He provided guidance to thesynthesis team and did muchof the synthesis work on thefour components of grandlure.He synthesized the first grand-lure that was field-tested.

Tumlinson

Hedin

Gueldner

Leggett

Johnson

McGovern


James P. (Jim) Minyardwas a USDA-ARS researchchemist who served on theboll weevil pheromoneresearch team with Jim Tum-linson and others during theyears of Tumlinson’s gradu-ate school studies andresearch on isolation, identi-fication, and synthesis ofgrandlure. After Minyard’s work at the Boll WeevilResearch Laboratory and attainment of a Ph.D.degree from Mississippi State University, he wasemployed for many years with the MississippiDepartment of Agriculture and Commerce, Missis-sippi State Chemical Laboratory at MississippiState.

A.C. Thompson was aUSDA-ARS research chemistat the Boll Weevil ResearchLaboratory who worked withTumlinson, Hedin, Gueldner,and Minyard in the isolation,identification, and synthesisof grandlure.

J.C. (Jack) Keller wasinvolved in several aspects ofboll weevil research in theearly years of concentratedeffort at the Boll WeevilResearch Laboratory. Hiswork included participationin experiments on the sterilemale technique. He was thefirst scientist to observe, test,and report that male boll weevils produced a sexattractant.

D.D. (Dick) Hardee wasa leader in research on bollweevil response topheromone and bioassaymethods for testing grandlurecomponents and formula-tions. He had a productivecareer at the Boll WeevilResearch Laboratory and was

deeply involved in the original development of trapsand lures for boll weevil monitoring, management,and eradication. Following his tenure at the BollWeevil Research Laboratory, Hardee spent severalyears in private business, and then returned toresearch with USDA-ARS. He served as researchleader of the Southern Insect Management ResearchUnit at Stoneville from the late 1980s until heretired in 2004.

E. Bruce Mitchell is anative Mississippian whogrew up near Louisville, Mis-sissippi. He was employed atthe Boll Weevil ResearchLaboratory and earned aPh.D. degree at MississippiState University. He is credit-ed with having a major rolein developing the complexbioassay procedure that was critical to thepheromone isolation process, and he developed thefirst practical trap. He obtained the first patent thatwas issued on a boll weevil pheromone trap.

Nevie Wilson was a bio-logical technician at the BollWeevil Research Laboratory.Jim Tumlinson credited herwith having the magic touchin the bioassay procedure forchemical fractions (gas-chro-matography separations ofpotential active pheromonechemicals) to determineactive components. She successfully assayed thou-sands of fractions in search for the magic four activeones. Her work over many years also contributed tosterile weevil research and to development of theattract-and-kill tactic.

Paul Huddleston workedon the sterile boll weeviltechnique with Ted Davich,on boll weevil behavior withBill Cross, and was a keycontributor to boll weeviltrapping research with DickHardee.

Minyard

Mitchell

Wilson

Huddleston

Thompson

Keller

Hardee


Gerald H. McKibbenwas a leader in research anddevelopment of formulationsfor stable and controlledrelease of grandlure. He had along career in boll weevilresearch at the Boll WeevilResearch Laboratory andcompleted his tenure as theresearch leader of the BollWeevil Research Unit. He researched many aspectsof the boll weevil, including flight, movement, trap-ping, sterility, response to grandlure, attract-and-killdevice, and control with malathion. He has obtainedseveral patents on boll weevil control devices.

Eric J. Villavaso has hada long and productive careerin boll weevil research at theBoll Weevil Research Labo-ratory at Mississippi Stateafter a short tenure withUSDA-ARS at LouisianaState University. He con-tributed significantly toresearch on sterility, grand-lure, trapping, diapause, attract-and-kill devices,and malathion insecticide. He led in the researchthat showed that the malathion rate could be reducedbelow the standard rate of 16 ounces per acre, amajor basis for reduced cost of eradication in Mis-sissippi.

Terence L. (Terry) Wag-ner conducted basic researchon and modeled boll weevildispersal and development ofdiapause. He worked withEric Villavaso and others todevelop models of boll wee-vil diapause development andspray scheduling. His next-spray-needed predictionmodel improved the efficiency of diapause controlsprays in the first two years of intensive treatmentsin the Mississippi Boll Weevil Eradication Program.

Edwin P. Lloyd began along boll weevil researchcareer in Mississippi begin-ning with USDA-ARS atStoneville in the late 1950sand continuing at the BollWeevil Research Laboratory.He made a major contributionto boll weevil eradicationthrough his research on dia-pause and reproduction-diapause control. He wasinvolved in many aspects of boll weevil researchincluding trapping and insecticidal control. He pro-vided leadership in both the Pilot Boll Weevil Erad-ication Experiment in south Mississippi and in theBoll Weevil Eradication Trial in North Carolina andVirginia. He served as director of the USDA-ARSBoll Weevil Research Laboratory at MississippiState until retirement in 1986.

Marvin E. Merkl workedas a boll weevil researcher atthe Boll Weevil ResearchLaboratory at MississippiState after transferring in theearly 1960s from Stoneville.He contributed to the sterileboll weevil research program,to diapause and diapause con-trol research, and to insectici-dal control of boll weevil.

John McCoy worked inEd Lloyd’s laboratory andcontributed to research on dia-pause control, trapping, andinsecticide research. He devel-oped the McCoy Bug Catcherand later contributed to earlydevelopment of geographicinformation systems (GIS) forboll weevil eradication.

McKibben Lloyd

Merkl

McCoy

Villavaso

Wagner


E.C. (Eddie) Burt wasan agricultural engineer whoworked in insecticide appli-cation research in the BollWeevil Research Laboratoryat Mississippi State. He was aparticipant in early work onULV application of mala-thion and azinphosmethyl(Guthion®). His work withground application enabled small plot testing of theconcept.

Frank Aubrey Harrishad a long career in cottoninsect research that includedwork on boll weevil fall biol-ogy, diapause, control withULV malathion, and safety ofmalathion to commercial cat-fish production. He started inEd Lloyd’s laboratory (in theBoll Weevil Research Labo-ratory) as a graduate student at Mississippi StateUniversity. He was a professor and researcher in theMississippi State University Department of Ento-mology from 1968 to 1976, after which he was inprivate business for several years before returning toMississippi State University to work as a researchprofessor at the Delta Research and Extension Cen-ter. He became chairman of the Mississippi BollWeevil Technical Advisory Committee in 1995.

Johnie N. Jenkins cameto the Boll Weevil ResearchLaboratory soon after itopened in 1961 as a geneti-cist and plant breeder and hashad a highly accomplishedcareer in boll weevil and cot-ton genetics research. Jenkinswas the lead scientist for allboll weevil genetics work inthe early days of that research program. He accumu-lated an archive of cotton germplasm in search ofboll weevil resistant traits, one of which was theFrego bract characteristic.

Fowden G. Maxwellbecame a leading host-plant-resistance entomologist whoworked as a team memberwith Johnie Jenkins in thehost-plant-resistance researchprogram at the Boll WeevilResearch Laboratory. Hebecame department head inthe Department of Entomolo-gy at Mississippi State University in 1968 andserved through the period of the Pilot Boll WeevilEradication Experiment in south Mississippi. In thatcapacity, he provided leadership and a stabilizinginfluence during controversy about that experiment.Maxwell later served as head of the Department ofEntomology and Nematology at the University ofFlorida and completed a nationally acclaimed careeras head of the Department of Entomology at TexasA&M University.

Jack C. McCartyworked as plant breeder atthe Boll Weevil ResearchLaboratory. He is a nativeMississippian who has had aneffective career in cottongenetics and breeding. He didmuch of the early work oncrossing modern cotton withprimitive stocks of cotton insearch of resistance and good agronomic qualities.

William L. (Bill) Parrottwas an entomologist whobegan his work in 1963 onhost-plant-resistance at theBoll Weevil Research Labo-ratory with Johnie Jenkinsand Fowden Maxwell. Heevaluated cottons possessingpotential resistance to bollweevil, including the influ-ence of the Frego bract trait on boll weevil behaviorand insecticide efficacy.

Burt Maxwell

McCarty

Parrott

Harris

Jenkins


Jeffrey L. Willers hasprovided expertise in insectsampling and modelingimportant to boll weevil erad-ication. He worked on bollweevil diapause, movement,and malathion control. Hiswork showed the pattern ofboll weevil invasion and dis-persion in cotton fields.

W.T. (Billy) Buford worked as a technician andgraduate student in the host-plant-resistance labora-tory in the USDA-ARS Boll Weevil Research Labo-ratory with Johnie Jenkins. Part of his workinvolved testing a trait in cotton that suppressedoviposition of the boll weevil.

James W. (Jim) Smithmoved from the USDA-ARSSouthern Field Crop InsectManagement Laboratory atStoneville in 1987 to becomeresearch leader of the BollWeevil Research Unit at Mis-sissippi State. He led andconducted research on devel-oping new technologies foruse in boll weevil eradication programs. That workincluded development of GIS technology applicableto the Mississippi Boll Weevil Eradication Program,as well as application of pheromone technology inan attract-and-kill device for boll weevil control. Heserved as chairman of the Mississippi Boll WeevilTechnical Advisory Committee from 1994 to 1995.

R.J. Daum was an insect toxicologist at the BollWeevil Research Laboratory with a special interestin developing and testing boll weevil bait in whichpathogens could be incorporated.

Glenn Wiygul worked inboll weevil physiologyresearch and made significantcontributions to knowledgeabout pheromone production inthe boll weevil. Wiygul alsoworked with Jim Smith in theUSDA-ARS Boll WeevilResearch Unit on developmentof a GIS for application in bollweevil eradication, and he worked as a computer ana-lyst in the Geographic Information System Project ofthe Mississippi Boll Weevil Management Corporation.

Joseph E. (Joe) Mul-rooney was an entomologistin application technologyresearch in the USDA-ARSApplication and ProductionResearch Unit at Stoneville.He did extensive research onULV malathion, air-assistspray technology, and adju-vant/additive technology. Hiswork provided essential support of reduced rate forULV malathion in the Mississippi Boll Weevil Erad-ication Program and essential information on driftpotential for ULV malathion.

R.E. McLaughlin was an insect pathologist atthe USDA-ARS Boll Weevil Research Laboratory atMississippi State. He discovered, isolated, cultured,and tested numerous boll weevil pathogens.

Randy Bell was an insect pathologist inMcLaughlin’s laboratory at the Boll WeevilResearch Laboratory. After completing a Ph.D.degree at Mississippi State University, he continuedhis work in insect pathology at USDA-ARS labora-tories at Tempe, Arizona and Stoneville, Mississippi.

Willers Wiygul

Smith

Mulrooney


The politics, program organization, and logisticsof boll weevil eradication are analogous to gettingready for war. The methods (weapons) werebelieved to be available, operational, and effective.The important and necessary task then was to con-vince the U.S. Congress and state legislatures,research and regulatory agencies, the general public,and cotton farmers that it could and should be done,and that it would be safe and cost-effective. The jobof putting it all together into an organized, struc-tured, cohesive, and functioning system requirednumerous people with super organizational andnegotiating skill. Mississippi provided a large num-ber of these skilled people.

David F. Young was theExtension entomologist forMississippi and, for manyyears, head of the ExtensionEntomology Department atMississippi State University.He began his entomologycareer in Tylertown in 1949with the State Plant Board(now the Bureau of PlantIndustry), and then moved to Stoneville in 1951before moving to Mississippi State University in1955 to work for the Cooperative Extension Serv-ice. He was keenly interested in utilizing boll wee-vil diapause control as the foundation of a cottoninsect-pest-management system. He became astrong proponent and spokesman for boll weevileradication in Mississippi and served in various pol-icy-influencing capacities.

Gordon L. Andrews wasthe area pest managementspecialist with MississippiCooperative Extension Serv-ice at Batesville in PanolaCounty during the OptimumPest Management Trial innorth Mississippi from 1978to 1981. He provided techni-cal expertise and on-sitemanagement of this trial in Mississippi.

Ron Seward was opti-mum pest management opera-tions chief located atBatesville in Panola County.He worked closely with Gor-don Andrews in managementand operation of the OptimumPest Management Trial.Seward later worked as a pri-vate cotton entomology con-sultant, an entomology specialist with the Universityof Tennessee Extension Service in West Tennessee,and the Tennessee program manager for the South-eastern Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation.

Jim Hamer was the stateIPM coordinator in theExtension Service at Missis-sippi State University. Heprovided part of the leader-ship for the Optimum PestManagement Trial.

Clyde F. Sartor, Jr., wasExtension entomologist inthe Extension Service at Mis-sissippi State Universitybetween 1971 and 1976. Sar-tor later worked for privateindustry before becoming aprivate consultant. He hasparticipated in boll weevileradication in several capaci-ties and represented the Mississippi AgriculturalConsultants Association on the first State TechnicalAdvisory Committee.

EDUCATION AND PROMOTION

Young

Seward

Hamer

Sartor

Andrews


H.C. Mitchell wasExtension entomologist inthe Extension Service at Mis-sissippi State University from1976 to 1979. He had a keyrole in promotion, education,and leadership of the Opti-mum Pest Management Trial.Prior to his Extension Servicework, Mitchell did some out-standing research with isotope tracers for markingboll weevils and tracking them in the field.

Robert B. (Bob) Headsucceeded H.C. Mitchell asExtension cotton entomolo-gist and served in that capac-ity from 1979 until 1993. Hehad been an area pest man-agement specialist before thatappointment. His tenure wasduring much of the criticalstage when boll weevil eradi-cation was initiated in Mississippi. He served aschairman of the State Technical Advisory Commit-tee, which was the first technical advisory commit-tee for boll weevil eradication. The directors of theMSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultur-al and Forestry Experiment Station appointed thiscommittee.

M. Blake Layton suc-ceeded Bob Head as Exten-sion cotton entomologist forMississippi and provided out-standing service to Mississip-pi in that capacity from 1993until 2003. He possessed awealth of information andability to effectively presentit. He played an importantrole in informational and promotional activities insupport of boll weevil eradication in Mississippi.

Michael R. (Mike)Williams served as an Exten-sion entomologist at Missis-sippi State University. He hascontributed significantly tothe Mississippi Boll WeevilEradication Program by oper-ating a boll weevil trap lineprogram that identified theextent and intensity of bollweevil infestation in different regions of the state.

Dave C. Ranney was aplant pathologist who workedin cotton pathology researchthen administration in theUSDA-ARS before becominghead of the Delta Researchand Extension Center. Hewas called upon by the Mis-sissippi Boll Weevil Manage-ment Corporation to serve aschair of the Mississippi Boll Weevil Technical Advi-sory Committee during the early stages of promo-tion and initiation of the Mississippi Boll WeevilEradication Program.

Clarence H. Collisonbecame head of the Depart-ment of Entomology (cur-rently Department ofEntomology and PlantPathology) at MississippiState University in 1989, afew years before intensiveactivity to initiate boll weevileradication in Mississippi.He provided leadership and support of the manyentomological activities involved before initiationand during implementation of the Mississippi BollWeevil Eradication Program.

Mitchell Williams

Ranney

Collison

Head

Layton


Fred T. Cooke, Jr., hasworked for many years as anagricultural economist at theDelta Research and ExtensionCenter (retired from USDAEconomics Research Serv-ice). Cooke has been involvedin the economic evaluation ofboll weevil eradication sincethe early days of the pilotexperiment in south Mississippi and the eradicationtrial in North Carolina and Virginia. He served on theevaluation teams for these trials.

O.T. Guice, Jack Coley, Robert McCarty, andEdwin Dyess were state entomologists and directorsof the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and

Commerce, Bureau of Plant Industry (formerly theState Plant Board). They collectively served formany years from the 1960s through 2002. Theywere shepherds of the regulatory aspects of bollweevil eradication, of which there were many,including state registrations of boll weevil insecti-cides, environmental issues, and issues of enforce-ment and collection of assessments.

David W. Parvin, Jr.,professor of agricultural eco-nomics at Mississippi StateUniversity, was involved formany years in economicanalyses of various aspects ofboll weevil control and eradi-cation.

Cooke

McCartyColeyGuice Dyess

Parvin


IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMBoll weevil eradication was not an easy sell in

all of Mississippi. It was very important to cottongrowers in some areas of the Hills Region of thestate and a simple decision for them. However, thedecision was not so straightforward for much of theDelta, which had large cotton acreages in mostcounties. Strong leadership was needed to bring thediverse factions together in an acceptable and work-able plan. That leadership came forward andengaged in the task of education, promotion, andpersuasion. Statutory authority was secured. Aneffective organization was created. Competent per-sonnel were employed. Referenda were scheduledand passed. The program was implemented.

James R. (Jim) Brazzelwas one of the luminaries ofboll weevil research and ofscientific, technical, and pro-motional leadership. Hecould fit into any one or allcategories for people cited inthis publication. He becamethe head of a newly organizedDepartment of Entomology atMississippi State University in 1963. He did semi-nal research on diapause in the boll weevil while atLouisiana State University and shortly thereafter didthe conceptual and validation work at Texas A&MUniversity on diapause control of boll weevil. Hebrought this interest and expertise to MississippiState University, where he restored the EntomologyDepartment to a position of national leadership. Helater moved to USDA-APHIS Methods Develop-ment, where he provided operational and technicalguidance to the Boll Weevil Eradication Program formany years.

Kenneth Hood, a farmer/ginner/agribusinessman inBolivar County, stood headand shoulders above the frayduring the early days oforganizing a Mississippi BollWeevil Eradication Program.He was undeterred by chal-

lenges of substantial opposition, a recall referendumin east Mississippi that failed and stopped the pro-gram for a year, or daunting financial shortfalls. Heprovided energetic and committed leadership essen-tial for the political, financial, and operational suc-cess of the program. He has served as president andchairman of the Board of Directors of the Mississip-pi Boll Weevil Management Corporation. Hood wasrecipient of a special award from the MississippiEntomological Association in 2003 for his contribu-tions to boll weevil eradication.

Bernard King, a farmer/ginner/agribusinessman inRankin County, providedcommitted and tireless lead-ership throughout the organi-zation, initiation, roadblocks,and ultimate statewide imple-mentation of the MississippiBoll Weevil Eradication Pro-gram. He has served as treas-urer of the Mississippi Boll Weevil ManagementCorporation since its charter was issued. He hasbeen a key person in dealing with the MississippiLegislature to obtain enabling legislation for theprogram and has been tireless in the pursuit offinancing and financial assistance for the program.King received a special award from the MississippiEntomological Association in 2003 for his contribu-tions to boll weevil eradication.

Bobby Miller, a farmer/agribusinessman in LefloreCounty, was one of the earlyleaders in the MississippiBoll Weevil ManagementCorporation. He served as thefirst chairman of the Board ofDirectors of the corporationand spent much time andenergy in the planning andorganization phases of boll weevil eradication inMississippi.

Miller

King

Hood

Brazzel


Don Waller, a farmer andbusinessman in LafayetteCounty, was president of theMississippi Farm BureauFederation during the promo-tional, organizational, andinitiation phases of the Mis-sissippi Boll Weevil Eradica-tion Program. He providedvaluable leadership for bollweevil eradication in Mississippi.

David Bennett, a farmerand former state legislator fromBenton County, was one of thestrongest advocates in the statefor boll weevil eradication. Hispolitical connections andfriendships provided importantopportunities to help secureauthorization and funding forthe eradication program.

George Mullendore, aretired Extension cotton spe-cialist, was employed as theproject coordinator for theMississippi Boll WeevilManagement Corporationwith offices on the campus ofMississippi State University.In that capacity, he managedthe Geographic InformationSystem Project that had the primary objective ofdeveloping a computerized system of handling bollweevil trapping data for the eradication program.

J.L. Slay, commoditydirector of the MississippiFarm Bureau Federation, pro-vided guidance and support tothe eradication program frominception through implemen-tation. He was a competentadvocate and excellent com-municator who served as liai-son between Farm Bureau andvarious stakeholders. Slay served a key role in devel-opment and passage of enabling legislation.

Jeannine KirkpatrickSmith, office administratoron the Mississippi Boll Wee-vil Management Corporationstaff at Mississippi State Uni-versity, succeeded GeorgeMullendore upon his retire-ment with the title of execu-tive director of thecorporation. She continuedresponsibilities for boll weevil trapping data man-agement.

Farrell J. Boyd, Missis-sippi program manager forthe Southeastern Boll WeevilEradication Foundation, Inc.,had responsibility for admin-istration and management ofthe program in Mississippi.He worked for USDA-APHISfor many years and had oper-ational responsibility for thePilot Boll Weevil Eradication Experiment in southMississippi (1971-73). His capable direction andmanagement of the program has been a key to itssuccess in Mississippi.

Robert G. (Bob) Jones,an entomologist with USDA-APHIS PPQ Methods Devel-opment, worked for manyyears with Jim Brazzel onfield testing and improve-ments of eradication methodsin the southeastern program.He was transferred to Missis-sippi with an office at Missis-sippi State where he continued methodsdevelopment work with ULV malathion, applicationmethods, and attract-and-kill devices. Jones coau-thored a pictorial key for weevil identification.

Waller Smith

Bennett

Jones

Mullendore

Slay

Boyd


A program as geographically large in scope andas technically and operationally complex as the BollWeevil Eradication Program needed a formalizedsource of technical advice and guidance during itspreparatory, implementation, and operational stages.This was accomplished in Mississippi with two tech-nical advisory committees. The first was establishedbecause of the foresight of a group of universityadministrators when it was obvious to them that theprogram was about to move across the Cotton Belt.The second was required by state law, the Mississip-pi Boll Weevil Management Act, which authorizedcreation of the Mississippi Boll Weevil ManagementCorporation that would function to implement andmanage a boll weevil eradication program in thestate. Many of the people who served on one or bothof these committees are featured in the previous sec-tions of this bulletin, but some are not. Following arebrief discussions of the functions of these commit-tees and lists of committee members.

State Technical Advisory Committee. TheSouthern Agricultural Experiment Station Directorsrecommended in their May 1989 meeting that eachstate producing cotton in the southern region shouldappoint a Statewide Technical Advisory Committee(STAC). At Mississippi State University, Verner G.Hurt, director of the Mississippi Agricultural andForestry Experiment Station (MAFES), and HiramD. Palmertree, director of the Mississippi Coopera-tive Extension Service (MCES), appointed the fol-lowing Mississippi STAC on August 15, 1989, (asrevised with two additional names on January 15,1990).

STAC Appointed by Hurt and PalmertreeBob Head, MCES, Extension Cotton Entomologist, ChairRoy Reid, MCES, Delta Cotton Extension EntomologistThomas Love, MCES, County AgentBarney Tanner, MCES, County AgentAubrey Harris, MAFES, Entomologist (Delta Cotton)Randy Luttrell, MAFES, Entomologist (Hill Cotton)JohnWilson, MCES, Program Leader

Fred Cooke, MAFES, Agricultural Economist

Ex-Officio STAC MembersC.H. Collison, Head, MSU Department of EntomologyJ.W. Smith, USDA-ARS, Research Leader, Mississippi StateD.D. Hardee, USDA-ARS, Research Leader, Stoneville

STAC Members from State RegulatoryAgencies and Other OrganizationsJack Coley, MDAC, Bureau of Plant IndustryBruce Bracken, Mississippi Department of HealthKenneth Hood, Cotton Producer, Delta CouncilRobroy Fisher, Cotton Producer, Delta CouncilDavid Bennett, Cotton Producer, MississippiFarm Bureau Federation

Bernard King, Cotton Producer, MississippiFarm Bureau Federation

Vince Muzzi, Mississippi Aerial Applicators AssociationSam A. Newsom, Mississippi Agricultural Chemicals CouncilClyde Sartor, Mississippi AgriculturalConsultants Association

Robert Seyfarth, Mississippi Departmentof Environmental Quality

STAC became active in late 1989 with its firstmeeting on November 30, 1989. A Grower AdvisoryCommittee was appointed with cotton producersrepresenting all cotton growing areas of the state:Tom Garrett, Jakey Hurdle, L.H. Johnson, WendellJohnson, Margaret McKee, Bobby Miller, FrankMitchener, Tom Robertson, Bo Robinson, BillThomas and Robert Mashburn. STAC reported tothe Grower Advisory Committee, and the growersacted as liaison between STAC and other cotton pro-ducers in their home areas.

STAC became active in various aspects ofpreparing for boll weevil eradication. During late1989 and early 1990, the committee developed andproposed a plan to initiate a statewide boll weevilmanagement program that could be implemented inthe 1990 growing season to take advantage of aharsh 1989-90 winter. There was interest in a sus-tained boll weevil management program that wouldmaintain boll weevil infestations at relatively lowlevels and consequently make boll weevil eradica-tion a less daunting task when eradication came toMississippi. Five technical members of the commit-tee (Hardee, Harris, Head, Sartor, and Smith) pro-posed a management program. The Cooperative

TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES

Extension Service and the farm media conducted aconcerted educational program that encouragedMississippi cotton producers to implement a bollweevil management strategy. This effort probablyprovided some general suppression of boll weevilinfestations in the state, but an organized and sus-tained management program did not materialize.

STAC made proposals for general provisions ofnew legislation that would be needed for boll weevileradication and could also serve for establishing pestmanagement districts for suppression of boll weevilor other pests where eradication was not necessarilythe objective. STAC provided an important functionof conceptualizing an area-wide or statewide insectmanagement or eradication program, and itaddressed various options for organization, regula-tion, and operation of such programs. However, asthe reality of implementing a boll weevil eradicationprogram in Mississippi became imminent, cottonproducers and other industry leaders in the statebegan to organize independently of STAC. Technicalpeople who worked for Mississippi State University,USDA, or other state agencies were called upon dur-ing a brief transitional period on an ad hoc basis fortechnical advice and information. The resultingorganization — including a technical advisory com-mittee — was created and managed by cotton farm-ers under provisions of a state law.

Mississippi Boll Weevil Technical AdvisoryCommittee. The Board of Directors of the Mississip-pi Boll Weevil Management Corporation appointed a“technical advisory committee” as required by theMississippi Boll Weevil Management Act. The Mis-sissippi Boll Weevil Technical Advisory Committee(MBWTAC) was appointed early in 1993, before thestatute took effect on July 1, 1993. The statutedefined the technical advisory committee as “a groupof professional scientists in the fields of entomology,agronomy, agricultural economics and other appro-priate disciplines…to provide guidance in developingand conducting effective boll weevil managementprograms.” Following is a list of the first committeemembers:

C.D. Ranney, Head, Delta Researchand Extension Center, Chairman

Clarence Collison, Head, MSU Department of EntomologyD.D. Hardee, Director, Southern Insect Management Lab,USDA-ARS, Stoneville

Aubrey Harris, Entomologist, Delta Researchand Extension Center

Blake Layton, Extension Entomologist, MSUR.G. Luttrell, Entomologist, MSU Department of EntomologyGerald McKibben, Entomologist, Boll WeevilResearch Unit, USDA-ARS, MSU

Roy Reid, Area Entomology Specialist, Delta Researchand Extension Center

JamesW. Smith, Research Leader, Boll WeevilResearch Unit, USDA-ARS, MSU

Bill McGovern, Entomologist, Boll WeevilResearch Unit, USDA-ARS, MSU

Clyde Sartor, Consultant, VicksburgFred T. Cooke, Jr., Agricultural Economist,Delta Research and Extension Center

David W. Parvin, Jr., Agricultural Economist,MSU Department of Agricultural Economics

DeWitt Caillavet, Extension Agricultural Economist,Delta Research and Extension Center

Robert McCarty, Director, MDAC Bureauof Plant Industry, MSU

Will McCarty, Extension Cotton Specialist, MSUHubert Tubbs, Commercial Beekeeper, Webb, MississippiJoe Love, County Agent, Lowndes CountyBarney Tanner, Area Extension Agent,Hinds and Rankin Counties

James McPhail, Area Director, Extension Service,Delta Research and Extension Center

Responsibilities assigned by law and by theMississippi Boll Weevil Management Corporationto the MBWTAC were to (1) provide technical guid-ance for developing and conducting boll weevilmanagement or eradication programs, (2) determinecosts upon which program budgets and growerassessments would be based, and (3) define specific“regions” within the state for the purpose of holdingreferenda and conducting boll weevil managementprograms.

C.D. Ranney retired as head of Delta Researchand Extension Center (DREC) in 1994 and concur-rently resigned as chairman of the MBWTAC.James W. Smith was named head of DREC toreplace Ranney and was named chairman of theMBWTAC. Smith elected to resign from the chair-manship of the MBWTAC in 1995, and Aubrey Har-ris was appointed as chairman at that time.Membership in the committee has been adjustedsince 1993 because of resignations due to retirementand job changes, and new members have beenappointed as needed.


Resignations have included R.G. Luttrell, RoyReid, Clyde Sartor, DeWitt Caillavet, Joe Love,Barney Tanner, and James McPhail.

Replacements and additions to membership haveincluded Joe Mulrooney, USDA-ARS research ento-mologist, Stoneville; Mike Williams, MSU Extensionentomologist; Gordon Andrews, Extension entomolo-gist, DREC; Eric Villavaso, USDA-ARS researchentomologist, MSU; Terry Wagner, USDA-ARSresearch entomologist, MSU; Bob Jones, USDA-APHIS Methods Development entomologist, MSU;Jim Robbins, assistant entomologist, DREC; JackReed, entomologist, MSU Department of Entomolo-gy and Plant Pathology; Scott Stewart, assistant ento-mologist, MSU Department of Entomology and PlantPathology; John Robinson, Extension agriculturaleconomist, MSU Department of Agricultural Eco-nomics; Michael Ouart, MSU Extension programleader; John Coccaro, Extension agent, SharkeyCounty, Rolling Fork, Mississippi; John M. Kim-brough III, consultant, Lexington, Mississippi;Phillip L. McKibben, consultant, Mathiston, Missis-

sippi; George Mullendore, state coordinator, Missis-sippi Boll Weevil Management Corporation, MSU;and Farrell Boyd, Mississippi program manager,Southeastern Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation,Inc., Clinton, Mississippi.

MBWTAC meetings have served both in a tech-nical advisory capacity for the Mississippi BollWeevil Management Corporation and in an informa-tion exchange capacity for various groups interestedin the eradication program in Mississippi. MBW-TAC has been required to deal with numerousimportant technical issues, including determiningboundaries of the four boll weevil eradicationregions of the state, studying and recommendingbudgets for each region, recommending the ULVmalathion rate for use in Mississippi, recommend-ing pheromone trap capture treatment thresholds forULV malathion sprays, defining buffer (transition)zones and special treatment regimens for theseareas, and recommending variations in trapping pat-terns in special situations.


The Boll Weevil Eradication Program that hasprogressed across the cotton-growing areas of theSoutheast, Midsouth, Southwest, and West will havea long-term beneficial impact on the safe and effec-tive management of cotton insect pests. The processof developing and implementing the program willserve as a model for other large-scale pest-manage-ment programs that may evolve in the United Statesand internationally. It has greatly reduced thedependence of cotton producers on chemical pesti-cides for control of insect pests. Boll weevil eradi-cation, coupled with the cotton insect resistancenow available through transgenic technology, pro-vides the foundation for a sustainable system ofintegrated pest management for cotton. These twotechnologies, which reached Mississippi at aboutthe same time, have made possible and mark thebeginning of a new era in cotton insect management.

A risk in making this list of Mississippi contrib-utors to boll weevil eradication is that some impor-tant contributions and contributors may be omitted.The list cannot be sufficiently comprehensive toinclude every worker who ever made a research,leadership, organizational, or operational contribu-tion in Mississippi to boll weevil eradication. Thatis regrettable because many other Mississippi farm-ers, businessmen, political leaders, promotional andadvocacy organizations, and employees in the erad-ication program made contributions that, collective-ly, have been monumental.

For those whose names were listed and whoseaccomplishments were briefly described, it is appro-priate that their record is chronicled, honored, andarchived as important in the history of Mississippi.

CONCLUSION


Brazzel, J.R., J.W. Smith, and E.F. Knipling. 1996. BollWeevil Eradication, pp. 625-662. In E.G. King, J.R.Phillips, and R.J. Coleman [Eds.]. Cotton insects andmites: characterization and management. CottonFoundation Reference Book Series, No. 3. The CottonFoundation, Memphis, Tennessee.

Cross, W.H. 1973. Biology, control, and eradication of theboll weevil. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 18: 17-46.

Dickerson, W.A., A.L. Brashear, J.T. Brumley, F.L.Carter, W.J. Grefenstette, and F.A. Harris. 2001.Boll weevil eradication in the United States through1999. Reference Book Series No. 6, The Cotton Foun-dation, Memphis, Tennessee.

Hardee, D.D., and F.A. Harris. 2003. Eradicating the bollweevil. Am. Entomol. 49: 82-97.

Harned, R.W. 1910. Boll weevil in Mississippi, 1909. Miss.Agric. Exp. Stn. Bull. 139.

Harris, F.A., and J.W. Smith. 2001. Boll weevil eradica-tion in Mississippi, pp. 305-344. In Dickerson, W.A.,A.L. Brashear, J.T. Brumley, F.L. Carter, W.J. Grefen-stette, and F.A. Harris. [Eds.], Boll weevil eradicationin the United States through 1999. Reference BookSeries No. 6, The Cotton Foundation, Memphis, Ten-nessee.

Helms, D. 1977. Just lookin’ for a home: the cotton bollweevil and the south. Ph.D. dissertation, Florida StateUniversity, Tallahassee.

Smith, J.W. 1998. Boll weevil eradication: area-wide pestmanagement. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 91: 239-247.

REFERENCES

Bulletin 1154 March 2006 - Mississippi State University · 2015. 10. 23. · USDA-ARS Boll Weevil Research Laboratory who workedontheeffectofradia-tion sterilization and chemosterilization

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