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Texas
Agricultural
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Boll Weevils Still Moving Boll weevil continued as the pest of the week in most areas of the LRGV this week. High trap captures were again noted in numerous locations and can be viewed in the enclosed graphs of the area-wide trap line. A few spots showed a slight lowering of weevils in traps, but others either remained the same or increased over last weeks counts. Growers with early planted fields which may be nearing squaring are encouraged to consider overwintered boll weevil applications at the pin-head to match-head square stage if the fields have a history of early weevil problems or traps near the field have an average of two or more weevils per trap for several weeks prior to squaring. In any situation, fields should be monitored carefully for early signs of weevil feeding such as the terminal leaves being eaten or terminal buds cut off leaving a blackened leaf or bud hanging in the top of the plant. Such signs may be the first indication that weevils are around, even though the actual adult causing the damage may not be found. Boll weevils could pose a very serious threat to cotton across the Valley this year. Watch your fields carefully. Rains May Lead to More Fleahoppers The rain that occurred about six weeks ago may have been enough to allow cotton fleahopper increases this year. Some of the usual fleahopper wild hosts like primrose, wooly croton and others can be observed along road sides and in some cases, field margins. As the cotton begins to mature toward the first square stage, watch for adults and tiny fresh-hatched fleahopper nymphs in the terminals of the plants. Fleahoppers can cause significant damage to the earliest of fruit set and those loses often are not easily or cheaply replaced. We have started our Heat Unit accumulation table this week. Heat Units are a measure of the useful amount of heat energy a plant accumulates each day, month and for the season. In the case of cotton, heat units are calculated by taking the average daily temperature and subtracting 60 degrees from it. Sixty degrees Fahrenheit is considered to be the lowest temperature at which cotton will continue to physiologically mature. Temperatures lower than 60 F will not reduce heat unit accumulations in the plant (unless the temperatures actually kill the plant), but will not add to the plants' physiological maturity. Each day's heat units are accumulated by the plant until complete physiological maturity is achieved. The heat units needed to physiologically mature a two bale per acre cotton crop in the LRGV are approximately 2600-2800 heat |
Educational
programs conducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service serve people
of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion,
disability or national origin.
The Texas A&M
University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners
Courts of Texas Cooperating.
