TYSON RAPER
TENNESSEE
This year, I fully expect that most in my area will have cotton blooming prior to the Fourth of July. We had several good planting windows, and as I write this on June 9, our crop is quickly moving out of the “is it going to die?” phase and into the “off to the races” phase.
I’m beginning to find pinhead squares in early planted cotton, and in some areas, noticeable black flags. While the presence of black flags alone does not justify an application for plant bugs, and I have no data suggesting higher incidences of black flags early corresponds to greater plant bug pressure during squaring and flowering, it does serve as a solid reminder that we have generally experienced an early spring. Water temperatures in West Tennessee lakes drove redears to beds earlier than I’ve seen before, speckled perch to an early spawn, and the turkey woods were thick with undergrowth by the time the season opened. With such an early spring, I would fully expect plant bugs to be moving off host plants and looking for other food sources earlier than normal.
The introduction of plinazolin does give us quite a bit of flexibility but it is important to consider how our entomologists are recommending we place the product. Since it is not translocated through the plant, an application prior to or during the first week of bloom will likely not be as effective as an application during the second week of bloom. Be vigilant prior to that second week of bloom, try to use other recommended products if thresholds are reached, and try to save plinazolin until the plant gets bigger and more reproductive tissues can be coated with the spray. ∆
TYSON RAPER
TENNESSEE