Specialists Speaking – BEN MCNIGHT TEXAS
As I write this in mid-April, rainfall in varying amounts has fallen across the state, but we still have a long way to go with additional rainfall before statewide drought conditions begin to improve. Additional precipitation would greatly benefit cotton acres that have already been planted in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Coastal Bend, and Upper Gulf Coast and help to replenish soil moisture as growers begin and continue planting cotton in the Blackland Prairie.
While rainfall is certainly welcomed, it can also lead to flushes of weeds that can often and quickly become a major early season source of competition for young cotton. As daytime high temperatures begin to creep up over the growing season, highly competitive annual weed species including Palmer amaranth, tall waterhemp, and common sunflower capitalize on environmental conditions with accelerated growth, quickly becoming a competitor with cotton for soil moisture, nutrients, and sunlight.
Being proactive with an aggressive early season weed control program can greatly reduce weed competition with developing cotton plants, as well as the pressure we put on post-emergence products to control emerged weeds later in the season. Certain pre-emergence products and tank mixes still have good activity on some of our more troublesome weed species in Texas, and overlapping soil active herbicides following emergence can prevent further flushes throughout the early and mid-season.
I encourage applicators to always become familiar with the product label before making the application. Many soil-applied herbicides require certain amounts of rainfall or irrigation for effective product activation. Reading through the label and ensuring all the application requirements can be met ahead of the application will go a long way toward ensuring you are getting the most out of your herbicide applications and season-long herbicide program.
Specialists Speaking – BEN MCNIGHT TEXAS