Home > Crops & Livestock > Crops > Cotton > Insects > Bollworm Larval Behavior on Bollgard Cotton Findings May Change Scouting Procedures [Image: Bollgard cotton] Genetically engineered plants are an important part of integrated pest management (IPM) programs in cotton production. One such plant, Bollgard cotton, includes a gene from a bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, that is toxic to caterpillar pests, while being safe for humans, other animals and the environment. Louisiana Insect Pest Management Guide [Image: Pest Management Guide] This 2009 guide was compiled by LSU AgCenter experts and includes regulations, precautions and suggestions for pest control in Louisiana. Detailed topics include drift of pesticides, hazards of pesticides to beneficial insects and wildlife, phytotoxicity and using beneficial insects to control pest populations. A section on organic gardening also is included. Seed Treatments: An Alternative Pesticide Delivery System [Image: Stink Bug] In Louisiana, southern green stink bugs and brown stink bugs (Figures 1, 2 and 3) have become common pests of corn, cotton, grain sorghum, soybean and wheat. In corn, an infestation can cause injury to the plant from seedling emergence through ear formation and grain development. Seedlings punctured by stink bugs exhibit small holes surrounded by localized dead tissue. Beyond Bollgard: Insect-resistant Cotton Varieties [Image: Boll Damage] The first caterpillar-resistant transgenic cotton varieties (Bollgard) were approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1996. The Bollgard technology has successfully reduced the frequency of sprays for caterpillar pests by about half.