The initial development of the Ord River area was based on cotton production. However, succesful cotton production required heavy applications of insecticides.
After a few years, the insect Heliothis developed resistance to insecticides, devestating cotton crops and making conventional methods of insect control useless.
Department of Agriculture entomologists found that if broad spectrum insecticides were not used, Heliothis could be biologically controlled by a local insect.
As farmers in the Ord River VCalley have gained increased confidence in growing crops with integrated insect control, so the area sown to other crops has increased
