Louisiana Cotton Crop Progresses But Won't Be A Bumper Crop

LSU AgCenter/Extension Service Cotton Specialist Dr. Dan Fromme reports this has been a challenging season for Louisiana cotton producers so far.

“Visiting with cotton specialists across the country I”m pretty well getting the same story on this years crop with the variability being just unbelievable pretty much across the cotton belt,” said Fromme. “Here in Louisiana we got off to a good start in April and early May then we got a lot of rain and that’s pretty well been the story through the other cotton states as well.”

“As you well know, we had cotton planted in the first two weeks of June,” Fromme continued. “Can we say this is going to be a bumper crop? We don’t think so. In looking across the country that’s pretty well the same opinion as well. Harvest season will be spread out over a good period of time the way it looks now.”

Crop consultants are starting to see some target spot disease in some fields. Fromme says that happens in years when there is a prolong period of cloudy, wet conditions which won’t allow the lower leaf canopies to dry out.

“But a couple of weeks ago we started to see some good clean sunny days. So right now its not going to be of any determent as far as we’re concerned at this time.”

The crop, says Fromme, is not going to be a ten and it won’t be a one “but it’s probably going to be somewhere in that fair to good range which could mean a six or even seven. It’s been very disappointing.”

However, bollworm pressure h as been light and has pretty much been the same across the entire Cotton Belt through July. “We’ve pretty well had our fair share of plant bugs in Louisiana this year and they’ve been really heavy in some areas of the state as well. “

“As we continue to try and manage this years crop it’s been a challenge from the differences in ages. We just hope that we will have some good weather at harvest,” Fromme concluded.