Defoliation update for 24 Sept 2026
Fall has arrived. Now that things have cooled off considerably, our defoliation concoction should be adjusted. In the YouTube video linked in this blog, I provide an update on what is working and what I’ll be using moving forward.
Practically every September some growers are dismayed at the vine infestations present at corn harvest. Often, these weed infestations emerged after PRE applied or early POST applied herbicides had played out. They grew very little until August and as the corn dried down and light became more available those established weeds started rapidly growing. Continue reading
Palmer amaranth is very apparent in newly cut corn fields. Just this past year some of our worst glyphosate-resistant Palmer infested soybean and cotton fields were in corn the previous year. In most cases the Palmer amaranth that produced the seed emerged late as the corn was drying down. Often the worst Palmer patches come up in July in partially drowned out areas in a given corn field. Palmer that emerges in July in these areas is often 3 to 4’ tall by harvest time and will easily produce thousands of Palmer seed that will be a problem next year. Continue reading
The 2026 Cotton Tour is today! Content this year will cover information on cultivar water use efficiency, seedling diseases, defoliation recommendations for 2026, new findings from the weed control team, and updates on insect control, just to mention a few. We will have Cajun Cookers close the event with lunch. Come join us at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center (605 Airways Blvd Jackson, TN 38301) Sept. 9th (later today) from 8AM-12PM.
The ‘turn’ this year wasn’t much of a turn at all- it was more like a crash. In this blog, I give a few last minute thoughts on the crop, provide the preferred concoction that I would use on our earliest planted acres that will receive harvest aids, and highlight content we will cover in depth at the upcoming Cotton Tour Sept. 9 (next Wednesday). Continue reading
Wondering what’s been making your soybeans sickly? Come to The University of Tennessee Soybean Disease & Insect Field Day, held Thursday, Sept. 10th, at the Milan AgResearch and Education Center. Continue reading
The tentative agenda for the 2026 Cotton Tour has been set! Content this year will cover information on cultivar water use efficiency, seedling diseases, defoliation recommendations for 2026, new findings from the weed control team, and updates on insect control, just to mention a few. We will have Cajun Cookers close the event with lunch. Come join us at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center (605 Airways Blvd Jackson, TN 38301) Sept. 9th from 8AM-12PM.
These are last weeks bollworm/budworm trap catches. Trap catch numbers are continuing to decrease and we have suspended monitoring for 2026.
| Location | CEW | TBW |
| Hardeman (Bolivar) | 3 | 0 |
| Fayette (Whiteville) | 0 | 1 |
| Fayette (Somerville) | 0 | 1 |
| Shelby (Millington) | 16 | 1 |
| Tipton (Covington) | 0 | 0 |
| Tipton (North) | 3 | 0 |
| Lauderdale (Golddust) | 6 | 0 |
| Haywood(West) | 11 | 0 |
| Haywood (Brownsville) | 2 | 0 |
| Madison (WTREC) | 35 | 0 |
| Madison (North) | 1 | 0 |
| Crockett (Alamo) | 0 | 0 |
| Crockett (Friendship) | 0 | 0 |
| Dyer (King Rd) | 3 | 0 |
| Dyer (Dyersburg) | 8 | 0 |
| Lake (Ridgely) | 17 | 3 |
| Gibson (Trenton) | 0 | 0 |
| Gibson (Milan Rec) | 0 | 0 |
| Carroll (Coleman Farm) | 1 | 0 |