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isolated boll weevil population could be eliminated through use of several 

 integrated suppression methods. The area selected for 2-year experiments con- 

 sisted of over 20,000 acres of cotton centered in southern Mississippi and 

 extending into Louisiana and Alabama. The central core of approximately 3,000 

 acres constituted the eradication test area. Buffer zones around the core, 

 ranging in width from about 15 to 25 miles, constitute a general suppression 

 area where insecticides were used to minimize migration of boll weevils into the 

 central core area. The pilot experiments were designed to test the feasibility 

 of boll weevil eradication and to further develop technology for large-scale 

 operations. The program is a cooperative effort by many Federal, State, and 

 cotton industry institutions, financed by the Agricultural Research Service, 

 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Cooperative State Research Service, 

 and Cotton Incorporated. The boll weevil rearing facility was constructed by 

 Mississippi State University. Several suppression systems were applied in the 

 core and first buffer areas during the first year. Intensive applications of 

 insecticides to limit reproduction and diapause were made to the core and first 

 buffer zone in the fall, supplemented by defoliants and stalk destruction. The 

 next spring pheromone-baited traps and trap crop planuings were employed to 

 further reduce the boll weevil population. Supplemental insecticide applica- 

 tions were also employed at pinhead square time. The last suppression compo- 



nent consists of sterile male releases. Tests are now in the second year. 



481. . 1976. Report of Technical Guidance Committee for the Pilot Boll 

 Weevil Eradication Experiment. In_ Boll Weevil Suppression, Management, 

 and Elimination Technology. Proceedings of a Conference, February 13-15, 

 1974, Memphis, Tennessee. U.S. Agric. Res. Serv. [Rep.] ARS-S-71, 

 pp. 122-125. 

 Based on the results and experiences gained in the Pilot Boll Weevil Eradication 

 Experiment conducted in south Mississippi and adjacent areas in Alabaica and 



