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P.O. Box 318 |
Hillsboro,
TX 76645
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May
9, 2002 Vol. VIII No. 2 Hill-McLennan Counties Web Site: entowww.tamu.edu E-mail: m-jungman@tamu.edu |
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GENERAL SITUATION Majority of the corn and grain sorghum continues to make good progress. Some of the corn and grain sorghum has slowed down in growth and is showing signs of moisture stress. The area is in need of a rainfall. Corn will range in size from 2-4 feet and grain sorghum will range from 4-24 inches. Cotton growth stage will range from 1 true leaf to 4 true leaves. WHEAT We have seen one field of wheat with severe Hessian fly damage. Approximately 30% of the plants are infested and have lodged to the ground. CORN and GRAIN SORGHUM Chinch bugs have been seen in high numbers in some area fields. Damage includes stunting of the plants, reddening at the base of the plant and root pruning. Greenbugs will range from light to moderate in numbers and are on the increase.
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Corn leaf aphids will range in numbers from light to heavy. Some fields with heavy numbers of corn leaf aphids are showing signs of leaves turning yellow and red. Corn leaf aphids do not inject a toxin into the plant and are a good source of food for beneficial insects. Applying an insecticide for this pest could cause additional problems later in the season with the reduction of beneficial insects. Rainfall and washing of the whorl will usually drastically reduce numbers. Yellow sugarcane aphids are being seen in some fields in light numbers. COTTON Cotton, in general, is growing-off well. The warmer temperatures have accelerated plant growth. Once again, we are starting to see terminal loss in some fields. It appears to be some type of damage from an insect with chewing mouth parts. I have not been able to correlate the insect to the damage. Terminal loss in this case is not being caused by thrips (rasping, sucking mouth parts) or fleahoppers (piercing, sucking mouth parts). Feeding can be detected by dissecting the terminal and using a magnifying glass to detect areas of damage within the terminal. I am still not sure what insect is causing this damage. |
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Producers with Roundup-Ready cotton should monitor their fields closely for plant growth stage and time the Roundup application prior to the 5th true leaf reaching the size of a quarter. Farmers should anticipate adverse weather (wind or rainfall) and apply this application early enough to insure plants have not exceeded the recommended size. Warmer
temperatures have accelerated plant growth. Cotton is growing-off quicker
than expected. Thrips numbers and damage will range from light to heavy. Cotton planted with Orthene® seed treatment is starting to or has broken down in its control of thrips. We are also seeing where Adage® seed treatment is losing its effectiveness in a number of area fields. Temik® at a rate of 4-5 pounds per acre is still having good control on thrips. Cotton aphids are in light numbers in most area fields. We are seeing some fields with light to moderate numbers. Grasshoppers have been seen in area pastures over the past several weeks. Producers should monitor cotton next to grassy areas for grasshopper damage. Beet armyworms are being seen in light numbers Overwintered boll weevil trap counts are very light. OVERWINTERING
BOLL WEEVIL
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