OCR Text |
Show Kits Allow Farmers To Test Weevil Insecticide Alfalfa growers may soon be doing their own testing for weevil insecticide resistance with kits developed by Bill Brindley, Utah State University entomologist. One headache for alfalfa growers is resistance developed by the alfalfa weevil to insecticides. Up to now, this resistance could only be determined through complicated and expensive bioassays. "This simplified test kit," Dr. Brindley pointed out, "could enable growers to determine themselves what insecticide will work on the weevil populations in their fields," It should also make growers more aware of the effect of insecticides upon beneficial insects, he added. Insecticide effectiveness, according to Dr. Brindley, varies from field to field and an easy-to-use "early warning system" could save farmers both money and frustration at spraying time. Dr. Brindley tested his kit with weevil adults and larvae collected from an alfalfa and sweet clover field near the University, He destributed the insects by species In the kit's 36 vials, dosed them with four different insecticides, and recorded what happened, According to his completed record sheet, carbofuran did the best job on the captives, followed closely by methidathion. Either of these insecticides would then be likely candidates for that field. A field as close as a mile away, though, might do better on something else. The completed record sheets provide growers with a more practical guide by which to choose insect control methods than an inquiry at the neighboring farm. Brindley sees his kit useful also in developing regional insect control, not only of the alfalfa weevil but of other insects as well. "A data sheet filled in by growers with lead pencil and returned by mail," he explained, "could be read manually or by an optical scanner. The resulting information could provide regional and national patterns of insecticide resistance." |