AgFax: MidSouth Cotton

Laykyn Rainbolt, Contributing Editor

Owen Taylor, Editor

More bolls are opening in the earlier fields in Louisiana, and cotton has reached cutout on a wider basis this week through parts of the region. In certain places, plants are loaded up and ready to call it a season. In other cases, heat and lack of rain pushed dryland cotton past the point of no return. So far, only a small amount of acreage has been terminated in terms of insect management.

Bollworms and plant bugs continue to eat into budgets. Dual-gene cotton has been the main focus in terms of bollworms. The triple-gene technology is mostly holding, based on this week’s reports.

Spider mites remain a factor, and this current round of heat could push populations. Aphids remain active in scattered areas.

Sebe Brown, Louisiana Extension Field Crops Entomologist

“We’re still seeing a lot of bollworm egg lay, and trap catches remain high. We had no trouble finding eggs on our station plots in central Louisiana today (8/4), and a pretty large bollworm flight continues across the state. 

“This last flush of moths is just now coming out of this year’s last corn. With that corn dried down now, moth numbers hopefully will start slacking off over the next 10 days. But don’t let your guard down yet because we’re still seeing plenty of moths in trap catches.

“Diamides are still performing well against bollworms. I haven’t had any complaints as far as that goes. 

“Three-gene cotton is also holding up well, and I have still only heard one complaint about it. We are advising against spraying eggs on three-gene cotton, and most people are following that recommendation. However, guys aren’t even giving dual-gene a chance to fail, and they’re spraying it regardless. All the dual-gene acres have been treated. 

“Some guys are done with plant bugs, but others are still fighting them. It really depends on the landscape around the cotton field and the age of the cotton.

“Spider mites are starting to pick up. Hot, dry weather towards the end of the season is the perfect recipe for increasing spider mites. Some miticides are going out, but I expect more treatments. People will shift to harsher chemistries for plant bugs and stink bugs as we approach the finish line, and that allows mites to build. With the current forecast, spider mite pressure will likely continue increasing

“Rainfall has varied widely. It rained three-tenths of an inch over the weekend (8/1-2) at the Dean Lee REC, but we haven’t had a good rain in the last week or so and certainly need one. But in areas south of here, it rained 4 inches over the weekend.

“In soybeans, plenty of defoliators are starting to move in, especially in south Louisiana. Velvetbean caterpillars, soybean loopers and green cloverworms are all being reported. In places, any of the three are hitting threshold, but soybean loopers are reaching threshold more readily, based on reports.

For loopers, the threshold is 150 worms per 100 sweeps. Soybean loopers are harder to control than the other two, which makes them a conern, and we’re recommending a high rate of a diamide when dealing with threshold counts.

“Redbanded and native stink bug species vary, depending on location. A lot of treatments are going out in places, and spraying will continue until just about when beans are in the truck.

“Stink bug scouting will be really time-intensive because we have such a wide range of beans in terms of growth stages. Stink bugs may concentrate in one field but not in the field across the turnrow due to differences in the ages and growth stages of those two fields. As beans come out of the more advanced fields, stink bugs will increasingly concentrate in any susceptible acres still left.”

 Richard Griffing, Griffing Consulting, LLC, Monterey, Louisiana

“Cotton is cutting out pretty good, and it’s really maturing fast. We have had open bolls on the oldest for a couple of weeks, but the youngest hasn’t opened up quite yet. The cotton has had a fairly easy season so far, and it still looks really promising.

“We’re having to really stay on top of plant bugs and bollworms. Two shots of diamide already has gone out on most of the cotton, and we’re treating for plant bugs every 8 to 9 days. This has been one of the lighter years for plant bugs, but we’re still having to spray them, of course. 

“Spider mites have also been fairly light. I have only treated a couple hundred acres all year. That could all change at any point. I usually have a lot of spider mite issues, but this has not been one of those years.

“We are seeing some target spot. It’s not terrible, but the cotton was wet for up to 18 hours per day from all the showers. A nice front is coming through right now (8/3), and no rain is in the forecast for the next 10 days, plus low humidity. I hope the target spot will float out with the front. 

“I have seen very little bacterial blight on the bolls. Again, I’m hoping this weather will come in and clear up a lot of diseases we’re beginning to see. There’s plenty of sunshine and favorable temperatures in the forecast, so I think all the crops will start maturing faster. 

“We’re beginning to desiccate a lot of soybeans. Within the next 7 days, we’ll have 70% done, and in the next 14 days 80% will be desiccated.

“Redbanded stink bugs are horrible, and we’re having to spray them every 10 days. 

“A few of my clients are harvesting beans. No word on yields, but growers seem to be pleased. In another week, we will be heavy into soybean harvest.

“Corn harvest is just starting, and so far, it’s looking really good. One of my farmers harvested about 1,000 acres and used the word ‘exceptional’ to describe it. Like the beans, it’ll be another week before we are really wide open on harvesting corn.”