In this issue:
General Situation
Cotton Pests
Cotton Fleahoppers
Lygus Bugs
Peanut Pests
Grasshopper Test Data
Upcoming Meetings
IPM Items of Interest

General Situation:
Beyond the usual hot and dry weather we had major hail damage last week, and constant blowing winds. The area around Gomez, west of Brownfield, up to 10,000 acres may have been hailed out. Irrigated cotton is looking O.K in the rest of our area. Very few dryland fields have emerged, most await sufficient moisture to germinate. In a quick survey of dryland fields only 27% had emerged as of today. Nearly 100% of area peanut fields are in bloom.

Cotton Pests:
Where cotton is not up to the 5th true leaf thrips have dropped off, although still present. Older cotton has begun to square, with some area fields being in the 8-9th true leaf stage.

The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating

Lygus Bugs:
The western tarnished plant bug (Lygus hesperus Knight) is one of several Lygus species that feeds on cotton terminals, squares and small bolls. Adults are 1/4 inch long, have a conspicuous triangle in the center of the back, are winged, and vary in color from pale green to yellowish brown with reddish brown to black markings. Immature lygus bugs are called nymphs. They are uniformly pale green with re-tipped antennae; late instars have four conspicuous black spots on th thorax and one large black spot near the base of the abdomen. The nymph's wings are not developed, but nymphs can move rapidly and are difficult to detect in cotton foliage. Small nymphs may be confused with aphids, cotton fleahoppers and leaf hopper nymphs. Plant bugs prefer legumes to cotton and usually are found in large numbers in areas of alfalfa or potato production or areas providing wild hosts such as clovers, vetches, mustard and dock. Lygus bugs are attracted to succulent growth; their feeding results in shedding of squares and small bolls, stunted growth and boll deformation.

Management and decision making.
The need for lygus bug control is determined by their abundance in relation to the fruiting condition of the cotton plants. Fields should be inspected for lygus bugs at 4 to 5-day intervals using a drop cloth. During the first week of squaring, the economic threshold is one lygus bug adult or nymph per 3 feet of row combined with less than 90 percent square set. In the second week of squaring, the economic threshold is one lygus bug adult or nymph per 3 feet of row combined with less than 85 percent square set. In the third week of squaring, the economic the economic threshold is one lygus bug adult or nymph per 3 feet of row combined with less than 75 percent square set. After the third week of squaring, the economic threshold is two lygus bug adults or nymphs per 3 feet of row with less than acceptable fruit retention.

Peanut Pests:

Be on the alert for Lesser Corn Stalk Borers. These pests are abundant in sorghum fields to our North and we are unsure of how widespread they may be at present. These worms are a moth larva which feeds primarily below the soil surface on plant roots. When present one will find both the larvae themselves and thier silken tubes. Lesser Corn Stalk Borers (LCB) are usually more of a problem in hot dry weather or fields which are irrigated using drag hoses or have limited water. Peanut Consultant, Clyde Crumley, in Gaines County, reports he has seen evidence of LCBs but no economic infestations at this time. More information on scouting for and controlling LCB can be obtained at our office or on the internet at:
http://lubbock.tamu.edu/peanut/ . Check out the Texas Peanut Production Guide.

Updated counts from grasshopper control test.
The following table provides the products used, rates, pretreatment counts and counts at four and eight days after treatment (DAT). Counts represent number of grasshoppers in fifty row feet on 36" centers. These numbers are the means of four replications. Applications were applied by ground at 5 miles per hour, with 20 gallons finished spray and three nozzles per row. Cotton was in the fourth true leaf stage.

Product	Rate (oz. product/acre)	Pretreatment Count	4 DAT Count	8 DAT	18 DAT
Karate	1.94 oz.	25.3a	3.3c	2.0c	2.3a
Asana	9.6 oz.	18.3a	2.8c	3.3bc	2.8a
Capture	6.4 oz.	20.3a	0.3c	0.5c	0.8a
FMC#0570	4.0 oz.	20.3a	11.8b	6.0bc	3.3a
Lorsban	16 oz.	28.8a	14.3ab	11.8a	2.3a
Untreated Check	NA	27.8a	21.3a	8.8ab	1.8a

Upcoming Meetings:

Pesticide Applicator Training and Testing will be conducted July 2, 2002 at the Tokio Coop Gin. If you (or your friend) are in need of a Texas Department of Agriculture, Private Applicator's License now is the chance. This is the initial training to obtain a license, NOT continuing education units. There is a $10.00 fee for the class study materials.