Cotton plant phenology and bollworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), populations were monitored in Arkansas and Texas during 1972–75. The purpose was to determine the influence of food supply and food age on population development and damage. Our data indicate that bollworm establishment is markedly reduced when the number of squares ≥ 6 mm in diam drops below 160 thousand/ha. Sixty-four percent of the squares which were tagged after mid-July were ≥ 12 days old when damaged by bollworms. Eighty-nine percent of the bolls receiving injury were damaged within 5 weeks after bloom, and 95% of the yield was produced from 1 mm squares formed during the 1st 6 weeks of squaring.
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Slosser et al. (1978) studied this question.