July 1, 2009 - It has been more than
3 weeks since we have gotten
a general rainfall across
the entire region. That has
created some very dry
conditions in the local row
crops. Perhaps a few areas
got spotty showers since
then, but even those areas
are dry now.
In
addition,
there is
very little
chance of
rain for the
first part
of July, so
we are
definitely
going
through our
annual dry
spell right
now. Perhaps
a 30% chance
tonight
followed by
another
slight
chance this
coming
Sunday may
benefit an
isolated
area or
two.
Based on
these
conditions,
I would get
any weedy
cotton
fields
cleaned up
because the
competition
from weeds
is much
greater in
dry
conditions. Also,
I would
probably
delay Pix
applications
until the
conditions
change. Over
the last
several days
of looking
at a lot of
cotton, I
have only
seen one or
two fields
that had
enough
growth to
apply Pix
and if they
did not even
really need
any.
Insect
Update
The
first of
July is
a good
time to
walk
your
fields
to look
at the
insect
situation. I
have
only
seen two
fields
drop
below
80%
square
retention
so far,
and you
could
see
quite a
few
squares
on the
ground. I
am
expecting
plantbugs
to
slowly
build
over the
next
several
weeks
and
stinkbugs
will
also be
a
concern
once we
have
bolls on
the
plants.
Don’t
over
react to
these
insects
right
now
because
some
square
loss is
easily
compensated
for and
could
even be
beneficial
in dry
conditions. The
highest
risk for
insect
damage
is from
the
second
through
the 5th
weeks of
bloom. Only
the
fields
being
stripped
of
squares
would be
considered
urgent.
I am
seeing
more
plantbugs
early
this
year
compared
to the
last two
years
which
have
been
light. Therefore,
my
recommendation
is to
look at
the
fields
for now
to be
sure
there
are no
surprises.
The best
place to
spot
check is
better
land
with
good
cotton
growth.
