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Whatever the weevil numbers look like next week, they have been high enough this last several weeks to leave no one surprised about their potential threat to this season’s cotton crop. Growers should be prepared to take action when the time and numbers of weevils indicate the need for treatment. The overwintered weevil treatments should be considered if both field history and this year’s trap numbers indicate the need for control. Certainly, not every field in the LRGV will require an overwintered weevil spray, but growers are aware of their own fields’ history and should be able to judge if they are needed. Timing is important in overwintered weevil sprays. Many fields which were planted during the month of February were or will be squaring shortly. Check those fields now. Look for the oldest and largest plants in the field to ascertain whether squares are in the field. If the whole field is squaring before the first overwintered weevil application is made, the damage may already have been done. Cotton aphid infestations were found, but were light. Aphids could increase and need to be monitored at least weekly to determine how beneficial insects are doing or if any insecticide is necessary to control an infestation. Many fields may not require any aphid control this year as has been the situation the last several years. But, there is no substitute for scouting to determine insect control needs. Bollworm activity again was very light this week. No worms were reported, but a few plants were observed with worm feeding in the terminals.
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Fields
of February-planted cotton were squaring. Boll weevil trap counts
dropped considerably
this week. (See attached trap records
and map of trap locations) Weevil trap records from many years
in the LRGV show that boll weevil numbers tend to go down by the
end of March or early April each season, so the drop does not come
as complete surprise. Weevils trapped next week could be lower
or possibly slightly higher than this week’s. This week’s
cooler temperatures could be the key if the number of weevils caught
next week are up. Lower numbers of weevils in traps next week could
be attributed to the increased cotton available across the LRGV.
We shall wait and see.
Most
of the frost damage to grain sorghum appears to have been confined
to the upper 1/4 of the leaf area on affected plants.
Most fields with frost damage had only partial spotty damage. However,
some fields had field-wide damage. Yield loss has probably already
occurred in all frost
damaged fields.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.
