West Plains
IPM Update


news about integrated pest management in hockley and cochran counties
Kerry Siders, EA-IPM
(806) 894-2406 (phone)
(806) 638-5635(mobile)
(806) 897-3104 (FAX)
E-Mail: k-siders@tamu.edu   http://lubbock.tamu.edu/ipm  
Vol. 7, No. 5
1212 Houston Street, Suite 2, Levelland, TX 79336
June 13, 2002

IN THIS ISSUE:

* Crop and Insect Situation
* Heat Units
* IPM Decision-Making
*Questions to Ask Before Pest Management

CROP & INSECT SITUATION
I will not dwell on the fact that in parts of Hockley and Cochran Counties many acres of cotton are mortally damaged, severely damaged and pretty banged - up. If you are one of the few who have received just some rain or have not received anything at all, count your blessings. The worst part has been the very high winds accompanying these storms. It will take awhile for things to calm down and straighten back up. If you have questions concerning keeping what you have, plant -back crops, herbicide constraints, or other situations give me a call and I will help or get some one who can. Enough said.

The pests other than weeds have been relatively quiet. Thrips in cotton have generally been light or none existent in most acres. Be very careful to watch those fields which are struggling to recover. The addition of thrips damage to already injured cotton can be the last nail in the coffin. We continue to find light populations of grasshopper over the whole area. No larvae pests were noted this week. Beneficial's are present with nothing to sustain them right now.

Flea hoppers and plant bugs can be seen on weeds in the field and field margins. Very few cotton fields scattered across both counties will begin squaring in next few days. Be sure to wrap up your Glyphosate applications before the 5th true leaf develops.

Peanuts are doing relatively well even in areas hard hit by storms. The scouts have picked up Rhizoctonia (Sore shin) on roots. This appears as sunken dark lessions on roots. We have been checking for nodule development. In general nodulation is now being seen on some fields. These nodules will appear as knots on the roots. When first developed, they will appear white inside. As they further develop they should be pink inside; this is a good sign that these nodules are fixing nitrogen. A good number of these can form in each plant as they are legumes and can fix their own nitrogen. If these nodules are not present after six or so weeks since emergence then something has probably gone wrong during the inoculation process. This then lets you know that you will be spending money on meeting its nitrogen requirements. Let me know if you need help in determining this or get with your fieldman.

I think the most important things besides keeping fields from blowing is are trying to aerate around cotton plant with rotary hoe, saving what you can, checking for thrips and applying Roundup to get weed numbers down before squaring begins.

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Educational programs conducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, handicap or national origin. The information given herein is for educational purposes only. References to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Cooperative Extension Service is implied.
The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating

 

HEAT UNITS (DD 60's)

May 1st to Present ...................................493
May 11th to Present .................................398
May 21st to Present .................................339
June 1st to Present ..................................203

Calcium
In runner and Virginia type peanuts calcium is by far the most critical nutrient for achieving high yields and grades. Low levels of calcium cause several serious production problems, including unfilled pods (pops), darkened plumules in the seed and poor gemination.

Calcium must be available for both vegetative and pod development. Calcuium moves upward in the plant in the xylem tissues. It does not move downward in the phloem. Therefore, calcium is not transported from leaves to pegs and to the developing pods. Pegs and pods absorb calcium directly from the soil solution, therefore calcium must be readily available in the pegging zone. Foliar applied calcium treatments do not correct calcium deficiencies.

On soils with pH 6.0 or greater, calcium fertilizations is accomplished with agricultural gypsum (CaSO4) or calcium in liquid form. Experience in Texas indicates that a soil test level of 600 ppm calcium is adequate for peanut production. If soil calcium levels are less than 600 ppm, or if irrigation water is saline, gypsum is prohibitively expensive due to transportation costs, but all West Texas soils test high in calcium. The effect on peanut yield and quality of liquid calcium products applied midseason through the pivot is unknown.

IPM Decision-Making
There is a 6 step process to decision-making in IPM
1. Identify the problem or pest
2. Determine the severity of the problem (scouting, traps, past history)
3. Assess the management options (do nothing, cultural, biological,
chemical control)
4. Select and apply one or more options
5. Measure the success of options employed
6. Record the results

Questions to Ask Before Pest Management Decisions Are Made
1. What pests are present, in what numbers and stages of development?
2. What conditions exist that may increase or decrease pest problems?
3. What natural enemies of the pests, such as parasites, predators, and diseases, are present that may play an important role in control?
4. What amount and type of damage is being caused or may soon be caused by pests?
5. What is the stage of development, condition, and value of the crop?
6. What is the potential for economical injury? How much damage is tolerable? Has the action threshold been reached?
7. What pest management options are available, and how do the advantages and disadvantages of each apply to the situation?
8. If alternatives are not available, is a pesticide treatment justified for the situation? If so, what is the material of choice?
9. If a pesticide is not justified, what approaches, if any, should be taken?

Field scouting and action thresholds can be used to provide much of the information needed to answer these questions. Thorough field scouting provided by an unbiased source who understands the crop and cropping system remains a major tenant of IPM.



West Plains IPM Update is a publication of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service IPM Program in Hockley and Cochran Counties.

Editor: Kerry Siders
Production: Patty Castaneda


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