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Texas
Agricultural Extension Service The Texas A&M University System |
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West
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IPM Update |
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| Kerry Siders, EA-IPM |
(806)
894-2406 (phone)
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(806) 638-5635(mobile)
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(806) 897-3104 (FAX)
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| E-Mail: k-siders@tamu.edu | http://lubbock.tamu.edu/ipm | ||||
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| Vol. 6, No. 5 |
1212
Houston Street, Suite 2, Levelland, TX 79336
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June
14, 2001
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Crop Situation No pest problems have been noted in grain sorghum, peanuts, and sunflowers. An occasional field has sustained some grasshopper feeding damage along field margins next to pastures. I have had several calls from the Levelland vicinity concerning false chinch bugs. These have been observed in pastures, wheat fields, and bar-ditches. No damage to crops have been seen as of yet. We continue to find beet armyworms in cotton. The populations have been worms ranging from 1/8" -5/8" and up to 15,000 per acre. Survival seems to have increased somewhat as cotton plants grow in size. Feeding has been mainly on older leaves and not terminal growth. No fields have been seen which required treatment as of the writing of this newsletter. Beneficial insects have been building on these larvae in many cases. Thrips have continued to be a concern in some fields which have struggled to recover from weather damage. Many fields have reached 4 true leaf stage and are out-pacing thrips damage. These fields may be considered safe from further thrip damage. The window for Roundup over-the-top application to Roundup Ready Cotton is quickly closing. Many cotton fields are at or within 10 days of squaring. Control of Overwintered Boll Weevils Overwintered boll weevil control is designed to destroy adult boll weevils before eggs are deposited in squares. The simplest and most time-efficient method for determining the need to treat for overwintered boll weevils is the trap-index method (Table 1). |
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1
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Boll weevil pheromone traps should be placed along field margins approximately three weeks before squaring begins. At least 4-5 traps should be used for fields up to 100 acres in size. Inspect traps weekly and determine the average number of weevils captured per trap for each field. The life span of newly emerged weevils is relatively short (less than two weeks) when squaring cotton is not available for food. Therefore, weevils captured shortly before and during early squaring provide the best measure of potential infestation. Determine the average number of weevils captured per trap for the week that the first small squares (pinhead- to matchhead-size) appear. This is the trap index. The number of weevils captured prior to and during early squaring provides a measure of the size of the overwintered population and indicates the need for one or more insecticide applications. When the number of boll weevils captured during the early-squaring period averages 4 or more per trap per week, a second insecticide application should automatically be scheduled 4-5 days after the first. The cost of early applications can be reduced significantly through the use of banded ground applications. However, good coverage is still critical for effective control.
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West Plains IPM Update is a publication of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service IPM Program in Hockley and Cochran Counties.
 Posted at this web site by: texagnet Internet Services. |
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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. |
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The Texas A&M University
System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Commissioners Courts
of Texas Cooperating
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