It is hard to describe the behavior of the dreaded stink bug, which has wreaked havoc on cotton fields in the Southeast – and especially Georgia – for nearly two decades. The bad news is that this pest is here to stay. The good news is that farmers have tools and technology that are helping control the state’s No. 1 cotton insect pest.
In addition to new strategies, researchers now seem to understand the pest’s behavior as compared to pre-Bt cotton days before 1996. Extension entomologist Phil Roberts, based in Tifton, Ga., says it’s also easier to explain other scientific facts about this pest.
“I have had a lot of farmers ask why we can’t eradicate the stink bug – especially after we eradicated the boll weevil,” he says. “The only way you can eradicate any pest is if there is a weak link in its biology.”
The Bootheel of Southeast Missouri is home to about 98 percent of the state’s cotton acreage. Cotton, as a high-value commercial crop, has seen a significant increase in pesticide use over the past five years. With this increased use, more attention is being paid to those insecticides that are not only most appropriate for pest control in individual fields but also affect the pest, crop and surrounding environment. Insecticide choices must be concerned with efficacy, selectivity and secondary pests. In addition, frequently used insecticides must be continually monitored for pest susceptibility (i.e. evolving resistance).In the case of pesticide sprays, the monitoring of pest incidence and intensity is nothing new. What are new are the technology tools that make pest observations more than just numbers.
Nematodes – those microscopic pests that attack a plant's roots and adversely affect cotton yields – can cause enough headaches for a farmer to last a lifetime. Whether it's reniform or root-knot, this pest can often go undetected...
Larry Walton Field Scientist, Dow AgroSciences Tupelo, Miss.
Growers focused on maximizing cotton yield in the Mid-South must be prepared to manage plant bugs. For a successful ending to any season, Larry Walton says growers must plant on time, scout...
Right now our cotton on the Coastal Bend is in the squaring stage of development. At this point, the primary pest that we worry about the most is the cotton fleahopper. This is a traditional pest that you'll find in the eastern and southern part of the state – and certainly more so than in the High Plains.
Every cotton insect pest has its own calling card. But when it comes to unpredictability and consistent threat potential, the plant bug is in a class by itself. Maybe that's why it continues to be a nemesis for...
Insect pressure trends throughout the Cotton Belt are fluid and ever changing. Even with cotton acreage in a general decline in California and Arizona, producers and researchers have maintained a strong focus on controlling insect pests.
Cooperative efforts between USDA/-...
Seed treatments are an important investment for cotton farmers to make each year. Most will say that it’s mindboggling to think about the front-end costs made in a crop before it ever comes out of the ground.
But those same...
MISSOURI
Mike Milam
[email protected]
HOPE FOR MISSOURI'S COTTON CROP
Missouri's cotton harvest finally began in early October. We are still two to three weeks later than normal. Harvest got off to a good start before showers shut us down. One observation is that...
James Clower
Clower Consulting Service, LLC
St. Joseph, La
My dad, Dr. Dan Clower, was the lead cotton entomologist at LSU AgCenter for many years and greatly influenced my life. I started checking cotton with him at a very early age –...
The Deltapine New Product Evaluator (NPE) program kicks off its sixth year this season with producers evaluating seven different variety candidates for the Class of 2014, including three new lines bred for root-knot nematode resistance.
In 2013, a limited number...
Early season insect pressure in the Western Cotton Belt is as diverse as the many diverse cropping environments that occur there. However, producers, researchers and crop consultants in those areas of California, Arizona and New Mexico agree that early and continuous assessments of insect pressure are key to keeping the cotton crop healthy and pest-free.
By Amanda Huber
Southeast Editor
Stink bugs are a common pest problem in cotton fields across the South. Feeding stink bugs increase lint staining, cause boll abscission, help transmit boll rot pathogens and reduce yields and overall lint quality. An insect...
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have released two mobile phone applications, or "apps," to make things easier for anyone who needs to adjust insecticide spray equipment.
The apps were developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists Bradley...
By Brent Murphreee
Maricopa, Ariz.
The Third International Lygus Symposium was held in Scottsdale, Ariz., in October and brought together the most important players in lygus research, with an impressive showing by Western cotton pest researchers.
The objectives of the previous symposiums...
