AgFax Cotton - Louisiana
by AgFax Media LLC, AgFax.com
OVERVIEW
Plant bugs are more obvious this week and treatments are cranking up in older cotton on at least an occasional basis. So far, no huge numbers are being reported.
Spider mite applications are going out in spots. Scattered thrips sprays are still being made in late-planted fields but that's mostly about to wind down.
Squaring has picked up in older cotton through the region and blooms are appearing in the lower Midsouth. Plant growth regulator sprays are going out in places.
CROP REPORTS
Harold Lambert, Independent Consultant, Innis, Louisiana: "Our oldest cotton is probably at 10 nodes. A little plant growth regulator has been going out in some fields. Our youngest cotton is at about 6 nodes. Thrips have been unusually quiet for us, probably because of timely rains. So far, no spider mites, either. I do expect plant bugs to start trying to build before long."
Richard Griffing, Griffing Consulting, LLC, Monterey, Louisiana: "Our cotton ranges from third node to first bloom but it's mostly at half-grown square. We're starting to pick up a fair number of plant bugs today (6/14) in Tensas Parish. Fields are pretty wet right now, but as soon as it's dry enough we'll start treating plant bugs on just about all the cotton. Spider mites, on the other hand, are basically nonexistent."
Hank Jones, C&J Ag Consulting, Pioneer, Louisiana: "We've had enough rain to mostly keep the wells off, although some dryland soybeans could use a little pick-me-up. Lately, we can't get those half-inch dust settlers – it's 3.5 inches or nothing. Our cotton is probably at 7 to 9 leaves and we're just now seeing some matchhead squares.
"It was all planted in May and with that run of cool weather it just sat there and we had to keep thrips off of it. About the time it finally got to 5 leaves we broke into warmer and sunnier conditions – then the cotton moved fast. If anything, we're now off to about as nice a start as you could want.
"Early this week we started finding our first little flush of plant bugs, although they're well below threshold. We had a hard time controlling marestail this year. Where we had marestail in cotton, we're now finding little spots of spider mites. That's common enough to make me believe they're somehow related.
"We've found a light egg lay in Tensas Parish, and it's more a curiosity right now than anything. I was looking for spider mites when I came across the eggs. Most of the cotton is cleaned up and fertilized. With this last rain, it should be off to the races, and we will have to start thinking about Pix in a few days."