Crop Scan Ag Report: Still Dry as Insect Issues Start to Build
July 4, 2022 
Overall, it’s still hot and dry across most of the Cotton Belt as crop management efforts start to intensify and insect pressure begins to build. Here’s what our consultants reported for early July.
Chad Harrell owns and operates Harrell Agronomic Services in Northeastern North Carolina.
Our earlier planted cotton is just approaching the first week of bloom while the late planted cotton will likely start blooming around the middle of the month. Soil moisture is our biggest concern right now.
We have made very few PGR applications due to the dry weather. Plant bug pressure picked up this week with many fields reaching treatment levels, although some areas still remain spotty.
Wes Briggs consults on cotton, corn, peanuts, soybeans, and small grains for growers in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.
South Geogia is hot and dry, but the next 7-10 days are giving us a good chance for rain. Dryland is burning up. Where stands are good, we desperately need a rain. Our crop is late, so we still have time.
Photo: Wes Briggs
Irrigated cotton ranges from first bloom to cotyledon stage. We are addressing weeds, fertilizer, and lay-by nitrogen in older cotton. We are seeing a fair amount of goosegrass escapes from Roundup/Xtendimax/Engenia tank mixes, and we’re addressing these on a field-by-field basis. We’ve had to replant a decent amount of cotton this year due to various reasons – some being seed quality, heavy rains, and extremely hot conditions as of late.
Surprisingly, plant bug movement has been low, but we are seeing a few pockets of adult movement. Aphids are also spotty, with a few fields of mites showing up on turn-rows. Fruit retention is almost 100% on older cotton going into first bloom, with most varieties squaring on the fifth node. Overall, our cotton crop is later than normal, but the potential looks great today. We also have the potential to set this crop in five weeks bloom if current temperatures continue.
We have more varieties of cotton planted this year than I can remember. Pix, heat stress, water, disease, and insects will all be major concerns for the next 60 days.
Tucker Miller is a Mississippi-based independent private consultant for cotton, soybeans, corn, peanuts, rice, and vegetables.
Our cotton is all blooming now except for some later replanted fields. We have been frantically trying to finish our layby herbicides so we can start irrigation.
We have been extremely dry in our area , with only a few isolated showers. Our oldest cotton has received two irrigations with pivots, and we are starting our second furrow irrigation now.
Insects have been fairly normal, with the exception of spider mites. We have had to spray more mites this year due to the hot, dry weather. Lygus bugs have actually been lower than normal with the exception of our edges next to corn.
We don’t have much Bollgard II cotton this year, but we will be monitoring it closely for the July moth flight expected around July 10–15. Our cotton is fruited up very good but will need a good general rain to maximize yield potential.
Mark Nemec is an independent agricultural consultant for cotton, wheat, grain sorghum and corn in the Blacklands and Brazos River Bottom area of Central Texas.
It’s been extremely hot and dry in Central Texas the last several weeks. This has led to a very fast maturing crop. Almost all fields are blooming now, with a lot of dryland acres reaching cut out already.
Those that can irrigate are going non-stop just trying to keep up. Some showers developed with a cool front on June 28, and another chance for rain later in the week is giving us hope for somewhat of a crop.
With the rain showers we received, it looks like it is stirring up an egg lay that needs to be monitored. A few stink bugs are around, but below major levels so far. No rain means no new weeds to worry about – for now.
Kerry Siders is Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent-IPM for Hockley, Cochran, and Lamb Counties.
Well, it is still generally very dry. What rains have developed have been far and too few in between to help. So, as we move into July, the High Plains of Texas will continue to lose more dryland acres that have survived up to the point of this writing, and most likely we stand to lose additional acres of irrigated cotton if this weather pattern does not change dramatically and soon.
Weed control has been a challenge from a cost and availability standpoint. This has caused many to put a pencil to the cost of using a cultivator instead. Most producers retired cultivators some time back. So, we have a new generation of producers learning the benefits of this implement. In fact, in some situations it is totally necessary to use a cultivator when there is volunteer cotton of the same technology as the planted cotton. This volunteer cotton will not contribute to yield but will rob precious moisture and nutrients from the planted rows.
The better cotton has been squaring for a few weeks, so fleahoppers have been the primary focus for field scouts. Currently I am not picking up much in-field, but rather in weedy field margins which contain preferred hosts like silverleaf nightshade. Be very careful if you are inclined to clean up these weedy areas while adjacent cotton is squaring, as you can force these fleahoppers to move in masse to the cotton.
I have picked up on some cotton bollworm egg laying activity in area cotton. I feel confident that the B3 technology will deal with this situation, but do not use technology as an excuse not to scout cotton.
Mapping cotton right now is an important tool that should be used for the plant to tell you all sorts of information which can be used to maximize its production – knowing internode length, present and absent first position squares, ability to project first bloom, then knowing effective bloom period, etc. These pieces of the puzzle will help in determining use of PGRs, and in maximizing and timing of fertilizer and irrigation.
Priorities over the next few weeks are weed/volunteer control, fertilizer applications to match realistic yield goals and budget, manage cotton plant growth as appropriate, and scout insects that rob us of fruit/yield.
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