GENERAL SITUATION: Heavy rain on Friday afternoon, June 15, put much needed moisture in the ground for some of the farms around the LRGV. Rain amounts ranged from 0.3 to 8 inches depending on location. The heaviest rains were in scattered locations. The mid-Valley area received from 3 to 4 inches, the west and central parts of Cameron county from 1 to 2 inches and Willacy county from 0.3 in the northeastern part of the county to 8 inches just east of Lyford. Unfortunately, most of the dryland fields received little benefit from the rain since those fields had already been terminated by drought. Some irrigated fields had just been irrigated when the heavy rain fell and thus were flooded. However, many irrigated fields and a few dryland fields did benefit and should have improved yield potential. The rain stopped grain sorghum and corn harvesting, temporarily. Insect activity was changing.

First Cotton Bale of 2001

Bloom and small boll shedding continued this week. Increased speed of fruit shed was noted in many fields this week due to the rain. Large numbers of fields, especially irrigated fields, had large bolls near the tops of the plants. More open bolls were seen this week. The first bale of cotton was registered at Harlingen last Friday, June 15. It was picked from fields planted to Texas 208, an early maturing variety from South Texas Planting Seed Association in Mercedes.

Weevils Caught in Traps Up

Boll weevils increased again this week in pheromone traps around the LRGV (See trap data included with this Pest Cast). Several traps had in excess of 5 weevils per day per trap. Look for the numbers in traps to continue to increase.

Watch for Increasing Weevils

Boll weevil field infestations continued to hold steady. Some increases in the number of fields being sprayed were recorded this week. However, with the recent rain, a major change in weevil populations could be seen in some quarters. Fields which already had been infested could see large numbers of weevils begin to feed and cause damage in the next few days to a week. Following a heavy rain event such as the LRGV experienced last Friday, weevil populations often will become very large within a week or so of the event. Watch for increasing weevil infestations.

Silverleaf Whiteflies Increasing

Silverleaf whiteflies (SLWF) were reported to be increasing in some fields around the LRGV this week.