IN THIS ISSUE

· TPMA Website
· Upper Coast IPM Program Sponsors
· Cotton Insect Situation
· Cotton Aphid Test
· Boll Weevil Trap Counts
· County Crop Tours
· Texas Cotton Production Guide
· Did You Know

TPMA Website

The Upper Coast Crop Improvement newsletter and other Extension IPM Program newsletters from across the state can be viewed at the Texas Pest Management Association website at www.tpma.org.

Upper Coast IPM Program Sponsors

Cotton Insect Situation

Growth stages of cotton in the Tri-County area of Wharton, Jackson and Matagorda Counties range from pinhead square to first bloom.

Aphids pressure was medium to heavy in 19% of the fields that were monitored during the past week. During the past two weeks, aphid numbers have slowly been on the increase. Fleahoppers increased significantly in numbers during the past week. Thirty percent of the fields monitored were at economic threshold levels which justified insecticide applications to be made. Live boll weevils were found in 7% of the fields and boll weevil punctured squares ranged from 0 to 2% during the past week. During the past week in fields that were monitored, boll worm eggs and boll worms were found in 41% and 26% of fields, respectively. Boll worm egg counts ranged from 0 to 12% and boll worm numbers ranged from 0 to 12% as well. During the past two weeks, boll worm pressure has been heaviest in Jackson County compared to Wharton and Matagorda Counties. Other pests that were found occasionally and in low numbers included beet armyworms, loopers, brown stink bugs, square borers and saltmarsh caterpillars.

Heavy numbers of beneficial insects (lady beetles and parasitic wasps) were observed in fields that were experiencing medium to heavy aphid pressure.

Cotton Aphid Test

An insecticide test on cotton aphids was completed by Dr. Stormy Sparks, Extension Entomologists and John Norman, Jr., Extension IPM agent at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center at Weslaco.

All treatments were made on May 9, 2002, with a C02 backpack sprayer using 3 nozzles per row at 10 gallons solution per acre. Silwet surfactant at the rate of 0.5% by volume was used with each of the insecticides.

Boll Weevil Trap Counts

The boll weevil trap line is located in Wharton County on farm to market highway 1162, county roads 442, 422, 409, and 426 and farm to market highway 441 between El Campo and Hillje.

Table one compares trap counts for the months of March, April and May of 2002 to the three prior years and table two compares the Wharton County trap counts to the trap counts in San Patricio and Nueces Counties for 2002. The San Patricio and Nueces county trap line is in an active boll weevil eradication zone.

Table 1. Number of boll weevils captured per pheromone trap per month, thirty-two mile trap line. Wharton County, Texas. Texas Cooperative Extension operated traps.

Table 2. Boll weevils/pheromone trap per month, Texas Cooperative Extension operated traps.

Currently in an active boll weevil eradication program. Program was initiated by conducting a diapause program in 1996 and 1997. Season long program was implemented in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and currently into 2002. San Pat and Nueces traps run by Dr. Roy Parker, Extension Entomologist at Corpus Christi, Texas.

** only three weeks of data

Also, included this newsletter are weekly boll weevil trap counts for 2002 from the period March 4^th to May 20^th. (See enclosed chart included in this newsletter)

County Crops Tours

Crop Tour dates have been announced for counties located in the Upper Coast region. In order to see if any changes have occurred and for detailed tour information, please contact individual counties.

Texas Cotton Production Guide

Cotton production information has became a lot more accessible, thanks to a new publication from Texas Cooperative Extension. The book, "Texas Cotton Production-Emphasizing Integrated Pest Management," offers all the latest needed to grow cotton in the Lone Star State. The book addresses soils, weeds, insects, fertilizers, weather, plant diseases and irrigation systems. The book covers the whole year’s production cycle, all the way from pre-plant to post harvest.

Topics covered in the book include variety selection, planting and replanting decisions, irrigation systems, diseases and natural enemies in cotton, soil fertility, harvest aids and timing, tillage systems and disease, insect and weed control.

Dr. Chris Sansone, Extension Entomologist in San Angelo and lead author of the production guide was assisted in this joint effort by Dr. Tom Isakeit, Extension Plant Pathologist in College Station; Dr. Robert Lemon, Extension Agronomist in College Station; and Dr. Billy Warrick, Extension Agronomist in San Angelo.

Cost of the book is $15 each for orders less than 50 volumes. Orders over 50 are $10 per book. Shipping and handling are included in the cost. This book can be obtained through Texas Cooperative Extension, Distribution and Supply, P.O. Box 1209, Bryan, Texas 77806. Those placing credit card orders may call toll free (888) 900-2577. When ordering, specify publication B-6116.

Did You Know

A Border Crossing: At the end of the 19^th Century, farmers relied on the local drugstore to dispense both patent medicines for their families and the assorted poisons and other chemicals they needed for their crops. For this reason, it isn’t too surprising that the first written report of boll weevils in Texas came from Charles DeRyee, a Corpus Christi druggist with DeRyee & Bingham, who sent the following letter to USDA headquarters in Washington, DC, on October 3, 1894:

Dear Sirs:

The "Top" crop of cotton of this section has been very much damaged and in some cases almost entirely destroyed by a peculiar weevil or bug, which by some means destroys the squares and small bolls. Our farmers can combat the cotton worm but are at a loss to know what to do to overcome this pest. They probably deposit their eggs in the square and their larvae enter the boll as soon as sufficiently formed and are out of reach of the poison.

Will you kindly, for the benefit of our farmers, let me know what this pest is and send me any literature that may be available which will enlighten and benefit our farming people.

I will send you by mail today a lot of these bugs put up in a small vial.

Many thanks,

C.H. DeRyee,

Corpus Christi, Texas

Benefiting from five years of frustrating background work by his predecessors in the USDA, Eugene A. Schwarz quickly identified DeRyee’s samples as the boll weevil, A. grandis. Based on this information, L.O. Howard, the acting Secretary of Agriculture, wrote back to Mr. DeRyee on October 26, 1894. Howard informed him that this new insect was "a most undesirable addition to the enemies of the cotton plant, and there is imminent danger that it may spread into other portions of the Cotton Belt."