Debugging cotton

Introduction

A change in date of sowing can help cotton plants in fighting the stink bug. The bug has been one of the most damaging pests for cotton plantations in the US for the past several years. It has been found that the impact of the pest on cotton planted in May is significantly less than it is on crops planted in June. Data from 2011 shows that the yield of cotton planted in the month of June was 36 per cent less than that of cotton planted in May. The crop planted in May blooms in July, when there are many other suitable plants playing host to the bug.

Source

Down to Earth April, 2014