Despite being an important commodity, < 2% of the cotton cultivated area in Brazil is considered to be “low-input”. A major reason for this relatively small area is infestation by boll weevils (BWs), Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, which are usually controlled using conventional synthetic-based insecticides. Cotton grown in low-input systems of Brazil lack an integrated pest management strategy. We hypothesized that the alteration in row spacing would act as a preventive cultural practice driving BW infestation down while improving lint production and fiber quality, thus justifying its adoption. We assessed the effects of three row spacings: 0.5 m (narrow), 0.75 m (conventional), and 1.0 m (wide) on boll weevil infestation levels, during two seasons in areas without the adoption of any control against BW. In both seasons, plants were surveyed for 23 successive weeks and shed structures were collected for 17-21 weeks. BW-infested and non-infested reproductive structures, number of BW, and yield parameters were assessed. Shed structures were kept for 21 days to assess BW emergence. The narrow row spacing was the least effective, and the conventional and wide spacings delayed boll weevil control interventions and resulted in fewer boll weevil-injured reproductive structures early in the season, and produced lower numbers of adult boll weevils without altering the quantity and improving the quality of lint and the financial returns obtained from a better quality lint. This is the first study to demonstrate the effect of row spacing on boll weevil infestations and inflicted injury in low-input systems. The results can also be applied to conventional cotton production systems.

尽管是重要的商品，但巴西不到2％的棉花种植面积被认为是“低投入”。面积相对较小的主要原因是棉铃虫（BW），大花tho（Anthonomus grandis grandis）的侵扰Boheman，通常使用常规的基于合成的杀虫剂进行控制。在巴西低投入系统中种植的棉花缺乏综合的病虫害防治策略。我们假设行距的变化将作为一种预防性的文化习俗，在降低皮棉感染的同时提高皮棉产量和纤维质量，从而证明其合理性。我们评估了在两个季节中未采用任何BW防治措施的地区，三个行距：0.5 m（窄），0.75 m（常规）和1.0 m（宽）对棉铃象鼻虫侵害水平的影响。在两个季节中，连续23周对植物进行了调查，并收集了17-21周的棚结构。评估了感染BW和未感染BW的生殖结构，BW数量和产量参数。将棚架结构放置21天以评估BW的出现。狭窄的行距效果最差，而常规行距和宽行距会延迟棉铃象鼻虫的控制干预，并导致本季节初棉铃象鼻虫受伤的生殖结构减少，并且成年棉铃象鼻虫数量减少，而不会改变数量和改进皮棉的质量以及质量更好的皮棉获得的财务回报。这是第一个证明行间距对铃输入象鼻虫侵扰和低输入系统伤害造成的影响的研究。该结果还可以应用于常规棉花生产系统。传统和较宽的间隔延迟了棉铃象鼻虫的控制干预措施，并在本季节初期减少了棉铃象鼻虫造成的生殖结构，并减少了成年棉铃象鼻虫的数量，而没有改变皮棉的数量和质量，并从中获得了经济收益质量更好的皮棉。这是第一个证明行间距对铃输入象鼻虫侵扰和低输入系统伤害造成的影响的研究。该结果还可以应用于常规棉花生产系统。传统和较宽的间隔延迟了棉铃象鼻虫的控制干预措施，并在本季节初期减少了棉铃象鼻虫造成的生殖结构，并减少了成年棉铃象鼻虫的数量，而没有改变皮棉的数量和质量，并从中获得了经济收益质量更好的皮棉。这是第一个证明行间距对铃输入象鼻虫侵扰和低输入系统伤害造成的影响的研究。该结果还可以应用于常规棉花生产系统。这是第一个证明行间距对铃输入象鼻虫侵扰和低输入系统伤害造成的影响的研究。该结果还可以应用于常规棉花生产系统。这是第一个证明行间距对铃输入象鼻虫侵扰和低输入系统伤害造成的影响的研究。该结果还可以应用于常规棉花生产系统。