GENERAL SITUATION: Rain early this week slowed cotton harvesting and defoliation in few spots this week. Some area fields received up to 2 inches. Otherwise, the area remains dry. Hot weather is predicted through this weekend and should aid in continued crop harvest. Open cotton was increased Valley wide this week. Some boll rot was again detected in some fields with plant sizes over 4 feet tall which also has had excessive rainfall recently. Boll weevils remained a serious problem for late maturing fields.

Boll Weevils The Big Menace

Boll weevils increased in fields which were still producing squares and small bolls. Trap readings on weevils from around the LRGV were high in many locations (See trap numbers in attached sheets). Punctured square and small boll counts ranged from 10 to 90 per 100 plants this week. All fields in which growers still are trying to finish small bolls likely will need to be protected from boll weevils.

Defoliation Trial Completion

Cotton defoliation is ongoing and we have completed the cotton defoliation trial at Weslaco. Charles Stichler, Extension Agronomist, conducted the final evaluation on Thursday, July 25.

The attached tables shows defoliant evaluations at 7 and 14 days after initial treatment of the trial. There are differences among treatments and we encourage all readers to carefully review each of the tables to compare the differences. There were no readings for regrowth at the 7 days after treatment.

Weevil and Stalk Killing Time

Boll weevils will be in high numbers for the rest of the season and that should be more than enough encouragement to add insecticides to defoliants and herbicides directed to killing weevils at the end of the season. Large numbers of weevils now will mean more weevils that could go into overwintered conditions and some of those will be around next spring. At least, their offspring will be. So, the more weevils that can be knocked off now, the less potential for offspring next spring.

Stalk destruction should be high on everyone's list of TO DO's. Please don't wait until the last minute before midnight on September 1. That is too late for good weevil control and likely means that stalks will have gone through some rainfall which will keep the stalks alive and healthy. And, the rains will cool off the soil surface temperature and more weevil immatures will survive when the stalks are shredded and left on the ground.