Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

Target Pests

Practices

As demand for organic cotton grows in the U.S., Arizona is poised to lead production due to its certified organic acreage, favorable climate, and agricultural infrastructure. Organic cotton, priced 50-100% higher than conventional cotton, offers a lucrative rotational crop between spring and fall produce, benefiting grower economies and sustainability. However, effective pest management remains a critical hurdle for success in Arizona.

Summer 2024 trials at the University of Arizona's Yuma and Maricopa Agricultural Centers highlighted critical challenges and opportunities for advancing organic cotton Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Building on these findings, the proposed 2025 trials aim to address a pressing question: Are organic insecticides effective in managing key pests such as whiteflies, Lygus bugs, and cotton fleahoppers, or do their applications pose risks such as disrupting beneficial insect populations and triggering primary pest resurgences and secondary pest outbreaks? These trials will investigate both the efficacy and potential ecological impacts of organic insecticides to inform sustainable pest management strategies.

This research is vital to validating organic pest control methods by assessing the efficacy, non-target effects, and sustainability of organic insecticides. The results will equip growers with tools to expand organic cotton production while preserving ecological integrity and economic viability. Future work will explore broader IPM strategies, such as alfalfa borders to attract Lygus and support beneficial insects^{5, 12}, but these hinge on resolving the efficacy and selectivity of organic insecticides.

With over 30 years of Arizona cotton IPM research, including GMO cotton and selective chemistries led by Dr. Peter Ellsworth^{6, 12}, this project addresses the unique challenges of organic systems. Organic cotton lacks the advantages of GMO traits and selective chemistries, which reduce pest populations and preserve biological control in conventional systems. As a long-season crop, organic cotton risks losses if pesticide use disrupts biological control, making evidence on organic insecticide value essential.

This project aligns with the Western Integrated Pest Management Center’s mission to promote sustainable pest management. By determining the feasibility of organic insecticides, it will establish organic cotton as a viable, profitable crop for Arizona, balancing economic and ecological sustainability and reinforcing the state’s leadership in organic agriculture.

1. Evaluate Efficacy of Organic Insecticides
   Assess the effectiveness of selected organic insecticides in controlling key pests, including whiteflies, Lygus bugs, and cotton fleahoppers, under field conditions in Arizona's organic cotton systems.
2. Analyze Non-Target Effects on Beneficial Insects
   Investigate the impacts of organic insecticides on key predator and parasitoid populations, focusing on their role in maintaining biological control within the organic cotton ecosystem.
3. Assess Risks of Pest Resurgences and Secondary Pest Outbreaks
   Examine whether the application of organic insecticides disrupts ecological balance, leading to primary pest resurgences and secondary pest outbreaks, and determine management practices that mitigate such risks while maintaining crop health and sustainability.
4. Evaluate Stakeholder Adoption Potential
   Assess growers' perceptions, economic considerations, and practical challenges to adopting organic cotton on their farms, using surveys and stakeholder feedback to inform recommendations for scaling organic cotton production in Arizona.