Specialists Speaking- Ben McKnight
Ben McKnight
TEXAS
By the time you are reading this, harvesting across the Coastal Bend and Upper Gulf Coast should be in full swing. As I write this in early August, Lower Rio Grande Valley producers are getting the crop out of the field, and some early planted fields in the Coastal Bend have been harvested. Initial reports from the Corpus Christi classing office should be available in the coming weeks to give us an idea of how fiber quality is looking so far this year. Many fields in the Coastal Bend and some in the Upper Gulf Coast region are a few weeks behind given the early season conditions that delayed planting in many cases.
With very warm temperatures recently, the cotton crop in the Upper Gulf Coast and the dryland crop in the Brazos Bottom have been progressing at a very fast pace, and bolls are cracking fast. Cotton in the Blackland Prairie is also finishing out rather quickly as well, and some fields in the region that capitalized on timely rainfall throughout early and mid-season appear to have an above-average yield potential this year.
As the remainder of the 2026 crop finishes out, growers may want to start considering chemical harvest-aid products and programs for defoliation. Regardless of which products, rates, and tank-mixes are selected, there are a few general things we can do to enhance the effectiveness of our defoliation applications. A minimum spray volume of 10 gallons per acre should be the baseline spray volume from a ground rig and increasing to 12 or even 15 gallons per acre can further increase coverage, often resulting in enhanced product activity. Additionally, selecting spray nozzles that will deliver uniform coverage and penetration of spray droplets through the crop canopy to lower parts of the plant will often enhance product activity.
Ben McKnight
TEXAS
