AgFax Cotton - Louisiana
By AgFax Media LLC, AgFax.com
OVERVIEW
Bollworm activity continues in parts of the region. The pressure has declined to some degree in areas where it first cranked up, but eggs, worms and escapes are becoming more apparent in other places.
Treatments are being made to varying degrees for plant bugs. Aphids and spider mites are building in places.
After hotter and drier conditions last week, rainfall entered the weather scene again in parts of our coverage area.
LOUISIANA CROP REPORTS
Ashley Peters, Peters Crop Consulting, Crowville, Louisiana
"Rainfall has been scattered and highly variable. Over the weekend it rained 1 to 3 inches and then rain fell again today (7/24) in places. Rain was needed on later planted beans, but this will delay people starting into corn harvest.
"In cotton, we're trying to clean up plant bugs and we oversprayed everything 2 weeks ago for worms. We're now coming back with a cleanup application for plant bugs. Some cotton is at 5 NAWF or maybe less, so we're trying to take care of insects where we've got them and put out a little more Pix in spots. In terms of bollworms, I've heard plenty of reports about misses and escapes from that activity 2 weeks ago. That seems to have subsided a bit.
"Some corn has been cut at high moisture and is going through the dryer. If guys missed showers today and nothing else falls right away, they might get into corn harvest more widely this week. In beans, we're doing a good bit of spraying. In older beans, we're treating for stink bugs and in the later fields we're treating for worms. In certain fields in the middle of those 2 points we're treating both worms and stink bugs. Worms are predominately bollworms with a few loopers here and there."
Steve Schutz, Ind. Consultant, Coushatta, Louisiana
"Most cotton is not quite at peak bloom. From Shreveport north to the Arkansas line, growers are irrigating. Cotton looks pretty decent...well, except for the bollworm situation. It's not as bad here as in northeast Louisiana, but they are with us.
"I'm shifting to Besiege. Right now (7/24) they're down to 4% or less where we had problem fields. Overall, some fields have had negligible amounts, if any.
"I found a couple of locations with target spot. Plant bugs have been a non-issue – not that we haven't had to spray, but no crisis has developed where we'd treat every 4 to 5 days. At the least, I haven't had to come back between worm sprays but did add Orthene in those cases. Overall, about half of my cotton hasn't been sprayed for anything so far, although we have a lot of younger cotton where the worms haven't found blooms yet.
"Pivots are running from Shreveport north to the Arkansas line. From Shreveport south, we're getting too much rain. Places around Natchitoches picked up 3 inches last night (7/23) and in some locations that 3 inches fell too fast.
"In soybeans, we've treated some for redbanded stink bugs and bollworms. I don't have heavy redbanded numbers like we dealt with last year, and I doubt if I've had to spray 1,000 acres twice for them this year. In isolated spots, we've treated 3 times. A few spots of charcoal rot appeared in beans, although I've noticed larger areas in some neighboring fields. Some corn harvest and even soybean harvest should start by the end of the week."