A problem with insects – the cotton story
Images of locust plagues have long inspired movies and news items. At their most extreme, they can destroy an annual crop in hours, taking away a good percentage of a farmer’s income and increasing costs to consumers. But our past methods of widespread spraying with insecticides have proven costly both financially and environmentally.
Increased pressure from importing countries and changing Australian regulations covering farm safety, environmental degradation and pesticide residues are pushing farmers and researchers to find and adopt more sophisticated integrated pest management practices.