Modelling the interaction of cotton and the cotton boll weevil. I. A comparison of growth and development of cotton varieties.
Abstract
Varietal growth characteristics affect yield and the ability of cotton plants to avoid and/or compensate for herbivore damage, in particular by the curculionid Anthonomus grandis. A relatively simple per capita, supply-demand regulated, age-structured model of cotton growth and development is described and used to simulate 7 varieties in 2 species of cotton from different regions of the world. The model is used to examine plant/weather and other abiotic variable interactions. Measures of earliness are used to assess varietal characteristics.