Rainfall has been frequent across most of the Bootheel, and as I write this, there are plenty of chances for rain in the future. Don’t be tempted to irrigate squaring cotton unless there is a substantial dry spell soon. However, starting the flowering period with adequate soil moisture is essential and should remain at adequate levels to ensure proper fruit ... Read More »
• SPONSORED CONTENT • The cotton season in the Missouri Bootheel and West Tennessee got off to a rough start this year. We started planting at the normal time but got a lot of rain, and soil temperatures were a little cool. Although it has been a fight and we had to replant some acres, persistence paid off and we ... Read More »
The season’s early onset of drought-like conditions has several insects on the move early. Plant bugs and stink bugs are moving from their wild host plants into cotton earlier than farmers usually expect. Alabama Cooperative Extension System entomologist Ron Smith says the plant bug situation is not one producers are unfamiliar with, but earlier action will be required to keep ... Read More »
• By Angus Catchot • I have had quite a few calls this year about threecornered alfalfa hoppers in cotton. There have been a few treatments on limited acres to date. In the past damage has usually been confined to field borders, but again this year it seems to be more widespread across whole fields in the areas where they ... Read More »
• By Scott Stewart • Good early-season management of tarnished plant bugs relies on a sweep net, monitoring square retention, and making timely insecticide applications as needed. During the first two weeks of squaring, the recommended treatment threshold is an average of eight or more plant bugs per 100 sweeps. After that, treatment is recommended anytime of infestations average 15 ... Read More »
As if Mid-South producers don’t have enough on their minds with rutted fields, flooding and late planting, now an influx of insect pests has made their lives even more difficult. And it’s not limited to just one crop, either. Cotton “This has been one of the lightest thrips we’ve experienced in a long time,” says Gus Lorenz, extension entomologist for ... Read More »
• By Dominic Reisig • With more cotton starting to square, ALL cotton in North Carolina should be scouted so we maintain acceptable square load to bring us into blooming (see this previous article for how to scout and use thresholds for plant bugs prebloom). Dr. Sally Taylor, Virginia Tech, has been performing bioassays with tarnished plant bugs from Virginia ... Read More »
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