GENERAL SITUATION: Weather conditions have not improved since last week. Field crops still were suffering from the severe lack of water, heat and very strong and dry winds. Some fields of cotton in the extreme eastern part of the Valley appeared to be making some progress, but that will not last much longer without some significant inputs of water. Most other fields of crops showed continued declines in potential yields. Irrigated fields were doing ok, but a good dose of rain water would help to leach out the salts in fields drying after irrigation.

Cotton fleahoppers still were found in some fields, but lower in numbers where insecticide treatments were made last week. Many producers, particularly in dryland areas, were making decisions to either treat or not treat economic levels of fleahoppers based on the potential for rain to keep the crop live. That is still a tough decision to call. If it does rain in the next two weeks, some fields appeared to have a chance to produce a reasonable crop. If it does rain and control of economic levels of fleahoppers are not made, then the fruit lost to the fleas now will have to be replaced. Not only will that lose time, but the quality of the fruit lost will not be replaced, therefore yield quality could be reduced.

If it does not rain and treatments were made anyway, then that investment is lost for the year. No guarantee on rain can be made, thus, all we have to go on to make the decision are the odds of increased rainfall at this time of the year. While those odds of increased rain in May are just averages, that is the best weather forecast that is available. As we said, a tough decision to make.

Aphid infestations increased in some fields, but were not at high levels in most. The current weather conditions tend to favor aphids, whiteflies and spidermites, so all of these pests need to be monitored closely over the next several weeks.

Beneficial insects and spiders also were observed to be on a slight increase along with the aphids. Both convergent and scynmus lady beetle larvae were reported from numerous fields around the LRGV this week.

Boll weevil trap counts were again lower this week (See attached trap line graphs) probably indicating weevil migration to fields rather than traps. Many fields of cotton were squaring and no doubt the fruiting has drawn the weevils attention much more than the pheromone traps. This will be the last week of weevil trapping until later in the season when weevils again begin to respond to the traps.

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