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Here is this week's AgFax: Southeast Cotton. Our thanks to the Southeast field staff of FMC Corporation for once again sponsoring our reports. To be removed from our list, please hit "reply" and type "remove" in the subject line.

OVERVIEW

Rain still falling – in places

Scattered showers continue. Dry areas remain, but much of the region has received rain in the last couple of weeks – quite a reversal from mid July 2007.

Bugs still building

Stink bugs and plant bugs are the focus in many areas. Aphids are crashing in more places. Tobacco budworms are being treated in some non-Bt cotton.

CROP REPORTS

William Birdsong, Extension Agronomist-Row Crops, Headland, Ala.

"Older cotton is blooming and fruiting well. We’ve had spotted showers in the last week. Areas that missed this last rain probably received at least some in the last 2 weeks. Some places obviously need rain in the next 4 to 5 day. The crop is mostly in good condition where it’s been fertilized and treated well. Prospects are much better than we’ve had in 3 years, that’s for sure. Most farmers are finishing layby applications. Also, plant growth regulators have been going out. Some farmers are considering stink bug applications, but we’re really about a week from when they historically move into cotton with much pressure."

Phillip Roberts, Extension Entomologist, Tifton, Ga.

"As a whole, dryland crop conditions have improved, but some areas remain dry. Areas with adequate moisture from rainfall or irrigation are progressing well. Reports have significantly increased about corn earworm moths (CEW) and small larvae infesting blooms. Regardless of Bt cotton technology, all fields should be scouted for worms. Most Bt cotton planted in Georgia is single-gene Bollgard, and we’re familiar with its performance. We have less on-farm experience with two-gene Bt cotton technologies, Bollgard II and WideStrike.

"Aphids have crashed in many areas in southwest Georgia are still present in some areas. Stink bugs continue to be reported, with some fields exceeding the 20% internal boll injury threshold."

His full report.

Jeremy Greene, Clemson University Cotton Entomologist, Blackville, S.C.

"Bollworm moth captures are increasing, which puts them on schedule with numbers we observed in 2007. We continue to see and hear about plant bugs and stink bugs in cotton. Most of the crop is blooming and setting bolls, so we should be particularly vigilant in scouting for bugs. Some fields have reached threshold for plant bugs – particularly those surrounded by corn – and have already been treated. Stink bugs typically take over after the first 2 weeks of bloom. We have had early populations in many areas this season.

"The third, fourth and fifth weeks of bloom are important weeks to monitor and control stink bugs. Be more aggressive. Set thresholds at 10% to 20% boll injury. Scout closely and be prepared to spray during these key weeks. Use pyrethroids for bugs right now. If brown stink bugs are the predominant problem, consider tank-mixing something like 4 oz of Bidrin or 0.5 pint of methyl parathion – but make sure that you really need to treat before the bollworm flight gets heavy."

His full report.

Ron Smith, Alabama Extension Entomologist

"I saw a pretty good worm infestation in southeast Alabama on Tuesday. All that had hatched were tobacco budworms (TBW). But we’re now seeing corn earworm (CEW) moths, so I suspect we’re transitioning from mostly TBW to a mix. In evaluations in the Wiregrass, pyrethroids were no better than the untreated check, so they’re highly resistant. Aphids are still building in places. Plant bug populations where I’ve been in the last week have shifted from adults to later instars. They appeared to be feeding some on thumbnail-size bolls, smaller than bolls we would scout for stinkbugs. Essentially, they started hitting them shortly after blooms dropped. Stink bug numbers are still up and down, from hardly any in places to high numbers in some fields.

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"At the Gulf Coast research farm, we’ve had a significant TBW flight, and in conventional cotton we found 20% to 30% square damage where it wasn’t sprayed. Richard Davis (private consultant in Montgomery) has been finding 5%-plus worms and 10% to 20% eggs. Most have been budworms, but he’s also seeing some of this changeover to CEW. He’s finding some damage to small bolls. At first, we thought it was from stink bugs, but now we’re thinking it’s a combination of stink bugs and plant bugs. There’s enough damage to justify spraying. Some aphid sprays have been made in central Alabama, according to Richard.

"I think nearly everybody has had rain in the last week or so. In the places I’ve been, crops look good, and growers have been trying to Pix cotton pretty hard, especially DPL 555."

Jack Bacheler, North Carolina Extension Cotton Entomologist

"Brown stink bugs are still hanging around at high enough levels to be a moderate concern in the coming weeks. Scattered reports of green stink bugs are beginning to come in. We’re approach the third week of bloom in some cotton, and between now and the sixth week of blooming is when stink bug damage can cause the most yield reduction. In our stink bug threshold tests in Bertie and Wayne Counties this week, very few bolls were quarter-sized yet. Extensive evaluations of smaller bolls revealed average internal damage by bugs of less than 1% in Bertie and just over 12% in Wayne. Lower damage in Bertie probably coincides with dry conditions. With a suggested threshold of 50% internal boll damage during the first week of bloom, even the field in Wayne County was safe from economic damage for now.

"Although plant bugs were not an economic concern at either site, in Wayne County the overall dirty bloom count was approximaely 30%. However, this field had only 6 plant bugs per 100 sweeps and a square retention rate of 96%-plus. It will be interesting to see what sort of boll damage is present next week when the internal boll damage threshold drops to 30%.

"On our conventional, non-Bt cotton, tobacco budworms (TBW) seem to be present at particularly early, high levels. Also, judging from corn, the corn earworm moth flight could be somewhat on the early and hefty side. Where we’ve visited this past week, mite levels are down where it’s rained. Also, aphids are on the low side over most of the state."

Jack's full report was not available when we closed this issue Friday night. Please check our home page later in the weekend for the North Carolina Pest News.

Leonard Kuykendall, Regional Extension Agent, East-Central Alabama

"I don’t know of any insecticide applications being made right now on cotton. Some plant bugs are out there. Plant growth regulators are being applied. Our part of the state got rain in most places last week, from 1 to 5 inches. Most growers benefited at least some."

David Butcher, NC Ag Service, Inc., Pantego, N.C.

"From the last week of May and through June, a lot of our cotton didn’t get any rain. But we did receive rain last Friday, from 2 to 4 inches across a wide area. But it was so dry that we still have hardly any subsoil moisture. One place got another inch on Tuesday, and we had no trouble getting into the field on Wednesday. Some 8-foot ditches are dry all the way to the bottom. A little Pix is going out. We’re spraying quite a bit for lygus and stink bugs in Bollgard II. Populations are at kind of a medium level. We’re in the first to second week of bloom. Some plants are real short, but we’re hoping now that they can make some big bolls if we get moisture from here on out."

Trey Bullock, Bullock’s Ag Consulting, Hattiesburg, Miss.

"We badly need rain. We had about a week of rain a few weeks ago. After that, the forecast started calling for 50% to 60% chances, but it never materialized. We put on some Pix that I wish was still in the jug. Some cotton has been blooming for 2 to 3 weeks, but most won’t be blooming for 5 to 6 more days, so moisture will be needed even more. We’ve made plant bug treatments here and there. Aphids were building a week ago, but we’re picking up a lot of fungus now."

Mark Mitchell, Mitchell Ag Consulting, Inc., Bainbridge, Ga.

"Our oldest cotton is in the fifth week of bloom. Up until the last week, Bt cotton has been fairly quiet. But stink bugs are increasing now, plus clouded and tarnished plant bugs. Fungus is taking out aphids. We’re seeing a significant increase in fall armyworms, and several fields had to be sprayed. A few escaped corn earworms are around in Bt cotton. We have one irrigated field of non-Bt cotton and are spraying it the second time in 2 weeks for tobacco budworms.

"We’re getting spotty, widely scattered showers. Amounts vary. Earlier this morning, I poured out 7 tenths at one location and over 2 inches at another. In isolated areas today (Thursday) it is still too wet to get into the field. But with our sandy soils, it doesn’t take long to get dry again, and I saw some cotton wilting today in Miller County."

Edward Kane, Ind. Crop Consultant, Robertsdale, Ala.

"We’re about to wrap up sidedressed nitrogen and are laying by a lot of cotton, plus putting out Pix or Stance. Aphids are still hanging in there. We haven’t seen any sign of fungus or heard anything about it being close. But we’ve got decent moisture and have yet to feel the need to spray them. We got our lump sum of rain over the weekend. Between last Thursday and Sunday, some areas got 3 to 4 inches. Things are drying out now (Thursday)."

Johnny Parker, Agronomist, Commonwealth Gin, Windsor, Va.

"Insect pressure continues to remain relatively low, and our cotton has very high retention. Plant bugs and stink bugs will probably increase slowly. There’s potential for a big corn earworm moth flight. But when it will occur is still a question. Cotton is growing almost perfectly. The dry June probably kept cotton a little on the small side, but the extreme heat allowed it to rapidly develop squares, so it’s heavily loaded. Now that we’re getting good rainfall, cotton is growing, but the abundance of squares, blooms and small bolls has kept it from going wild. But some fields need Pix in a hurry because they have managed to get over 36 inches tall."

ALSO AT AGFAX.COM

Closing Cotton: Modest gains following quiet session 7/18

Jurgens Bauer's Cotton Comments: Typically slow season for cotton 7/18

Alabama: Rain still needed in Tennessee Valley, but crops in much better shape than last year 7/18

Georgia Cotton Pest Management Newsletter, 7-18, Corn earworms moth activity and small larvae in blooms; aphids crashing widely; stink bugs over threshold in some cases.

Georgia: Worth County E-News, 7-17, Weed control in soybeans, cotton situation and corn status.

Mississippi Crop Situation, 7-18, Bollworm in soybeans; late planted corn lagging behind; monitor milk-line development for irrigation (photo); aphids in northeast cotton; downy mildew is the most common foliar disease of soybean.

Tennessee IPM Newsletter, 7-18, Application of supplemental N to prolong bloom period; Brigadier labeled for use in soybean; entering a critical four week period for insect control.

USDA Weekly Cotton Report

DOANE: Cotton Commentary

DTN: Opening | Closing

USDA Cotton: Daily | Weekly

NYBOT Cotton: Futures | Options

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