Josh McGinty, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agronomist, Corpus Christi:
“Our cotton is trying to finish up, if the weather would ever cooperate. Other than a few areas in southern Nueces County, there has been little defoliant applied in the Coastal Bend. “Normally, by this time of the year, half the leaves would have fallen off plants before defoliating. But with all of the moisture, we still have many leaves on the plants. This week we’re putting out different defoliants to determine which products may work best for this type of situation.
“There’s a lot of tall cotton because we couldn’t apply enough Pix to manage growth. Yields will be all over the board. We expect 2- to 2.5-bale cotton, which is not nearly on track with last year’s crop.”
Jaime Lopez, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent, Frio County:
“Cotton is at the mid-season level and bolls are putting on fiber. It’s looking very good. PGRs are going out to manage growthy plants caused by too much rain. Weeds took off with the rain, and growers are still making herbicide applications on later-planted fields.
“We’ve had stink bug issues that required insecticide treatments. Other than that, insect pressure has been light.
“Peanuts are looking good, but there are preventive fungicides going out to prevent potential leaf spot issues. Corn harvest is ongoing and yields look good.”
Wayne Keeling, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Weed Specialist, Lubbock:
“Overall, growers have done a good job in controlling weeds in a wet year that made it more difficult to get herbicide applications made. But with that, it’s no time to give up on weed management. We need to make sure there are no pigweed escapes or other weeds that can add seed to the soil for next year’s crop.
“The auxin herbicide tools have been helpful in weed control. I want to stress there’s no indication there’s any pigweed resistance to the dicamba technology. But we need to check fields and make sure there is nothing cropping up that may be resistant. We need to delay any potential resistance problem as long as possible.
“Again, growers are to be commended for their weed management programs this year. Along with the weather, they also faced tight supplies of herbicides. They managed around that issue and got the job done.”
Scott Meeks, Yield Pro Crop Consulting, Farwell, Texas:
“In the northwest Panhandle, we’re still about two weeks behind normal and trying to fight back from the cool spring. A lot of fields are 6 to 7 NAWF and there’s just now a heavy bloom. It looks like we’ll make headway in the next few weeks with warmer temperatures. We need highs in the mid-90s and lows in the mid-60s the next 50 days to get the heat units we need.
“We’re aggressive with PGRs and irrigation management. Cutout is close by, but we haven’t shucked any fruit yet. Insects are light after several early sprays for fleahoppers and lygus. I’ll be scouting a few non-Bt cotton acres for bollworms the next few weeks.
“Sorghum replanted behind failed cotton that looks fantastic. Corn also looks very good under light full irrigation.”
Danielle Sekula, Texas A&M AgriLife IPM Agent, Lower Rio Grande Valley:
“With harvest right around the corner, growers are thinking about boll openers and defoliants. There are already a lot of open bolls in the LRGV. Most fields are 20% to 40% open. Some early planted cotton is at 70% open boll.
“Insects have been quiet. However, we’re still seeing whitefly activity along the river. Treatments have gone out in some areas. If we continue to receive high heat units, there’s a chance for whitefly populations to increase. We need to monitor for them up until defoliation.
“We’re seeing some light Chilli thrips populations in cotton along the river from Pharr to the Los Indios areas. They can be found on the undersides of leaves that are the new growth on the tops of cotton plants. These thrips can cause a bronzing on the tops of the leaves and on the undersides along the midvein where you will find them feeding.”
ALSO OF NOTE
EPA to Schedule Waters of the U.S. Rewrite Hearings – DTN
Texas Plains Pest Management: Few Immediate Threats but Keep Scouting
Thompson on Cotton: Back to 2018 Levels, Can We Go Higher?
Texas Blacklands Cotton: Some Stink Bug Damage, Low Numbers of Bollworms, Aphids
Texas West Plains IPM: Mostly Quiet but Keep Your Eyes Open
Cleveland on Cotton: Uncertainty Weakens Prices, Demand Remains Bullish
Drought Monitor Weekly: Plains, Midwest Remain Dry
Texas LRGV: Cotton Insects Mostly Quiet, Keep Eyes Open for Sugarcane Aphids, Rice Stink Bugs in Sorghum
Shurley on Cotton: Maybe Not Red, but Possible Caution Flags Ahead