An approach to modelling and evaluating alternative management strategies for insecticide resistance in the Australian cotton industry

The issue of insecticide resistance to Helicoverpa insects is of increasing concern to the Australian cotton industry. In this paper we begin to consider this issue using bioeconomic modelling and analysis. We develop management strategies at the farm level within an integrated resistance management framework. Because of our emphasis on resistance, we first discuss an index of resistance risk that can be applied to chemical and other strategies. After this initial filter is used, the resulting strategies can be evaluated in a bio-economic framework. The Helicoverpa Armigera and Punctigera Simulation (HEAPS) model can be used to evaluate the entomological impacts of alternative strategies for insect control. The method of analysis proposed involves dynamic optimisation techniques based on predicted stock and flow outcomes from the simulation and other models.