Ag Fax Cotton: Cotton Defoliation Looming for Louisiana Cotton Crop

By AgFax Media LLC, AgFax.com

OVERVIEW

More bolls are opening, and a limited amount of defoliation might crank up this week in Louisiana (if it hasn't already).

Plant bugs and bollworms remain a concern in places. 

Corn harvest continues across the southern portions of our coverage area, although rain has kept combines parked at times.

Loopers have built in soybeans in certain areas. Bollworms and stink bugs also remain in the game.

LOUISIANA CROP REPORTS

Steve Schutz, Ind. Consultant, Coushatta, Louisiana:

"A bit of cotton is opening, and the crop looks good. A few bollworms are around, but plant bugs are the main thing that has triggered any treatments.

"Corn harvest is underway, and yields are about average, which we expected. Nobody is despondent and no one is posting screenshots of yield monitors on Facebook. Growers who are cutting corn are working around pop-up showers. That's the big problem.

"Some soybeans may be defoliated next week. Crop maturity isn't uniform. We've sprayed redbanded stink bugs in places, but they haven't hit the soybeans as hard as we've seen in the past. For the first time, kudzu bugs prompted a treatment in a field in north Caddo Parish. Aerial blight hasn't blown up yet, and soybean disease pressure is light."

Ashley Peters, Peters Crop Consulting, Crowville, Louisiana:

"Cotton is progressing quickly, with most fields between 1 to 5 nodes above white flower. The warm days and nights are pushing the crop. I'm pleased with cotton in certain spots but not in others. Several weeks ago, plants shed a lot of small boll shed. With such a wide range of maturity, it's hard to tell how good yields will be. 

"We made some final Pix applications and cleaned up plant bugs and stink bugs in places. Only a few treatments went out for spider mites, all in Tensas Parish. Bollworms have been quiet after Prevathon applications in the third and fourth weeks of July.

"We may begin defoliation at the end of this week.

"We're about half done with cutting corn. Ridge-ground yields are respectable, heavier ground not so much. In soybeans, we're 2 or 3 weeks away from making widespread harvest aid applications. We're finding stink bugs in many beans at R-5.5."