Tarnished plant bug numbers appear to be low thus far in 2025 and clouded plant bugs are non-existent. Crop age and what’s neighboring your cotton play a large part of how intense plant bug pressure is over time. That being said, keeping an eye on square retention is the best gauge to determine how well your insecticides are performing. Most I’ve talked to have applied Diamond at least once since first bloom. Diamond shines when you catch early plant bug hatches often after large adult migrations during late squaring and we see a good ROI with Diamond around that 1st week of bloom timing.
Going into bloom, I don’t think neonics have a fit in any scenario. Every time we test a neonic sprayed after bloom its often one of, if not, the worst treatments in the test. Once you see a flower migrate to the Transform, Acephate, Bidrin treatments. Pyrethroids can be added in with OP’s to help increase control and acephate + pyrethroid can catch a few bollworms in the top of the canopy if you’re close to cut out (although our 3 gene cottons are doing a great job of controlling bollworms). Diamond should rotated around in the bloom mix also. Overlapping Diamond residual, usually spaced out every other shot, can help reinforce control of nymphs. I don’t like Diamond fb Diamond in succession.
Diamond’s effects may take 7 to even 10 days to notice and sequential shots may not take full advantage of the residual it provides, but that’s situation dependent.
Thryvon bloom performance is on par with what we’re accustomed to seeing. Square retention is often better in Thryvon and plant bug numbers, especially nymphs, are lower. Insecticides seem to perform better in Thryvon for a couple of reasons. Less insects are typically easier to control, plant bug population growth is slower and we think the nymphs don’t settle in bracts/blooms like they do in non-Thryvon. Nymphs are constantly moving in Thryvon and the more they move, the higher likelihood they’ll encounter an insecticide. Final note, my Phd student has data that shows Thryvon efficacy on clouded plant bugs are very similar to tarnished. We see increased square retention and slower population growth from clouds like we do tarnished.
Several in the Midsouth are dealing with cotton injured by exposure to 2,4-D. Dr. Gaylon Morgan (Agronomist with Cotton Incorporated), Dr. Bradley Wilson (Cotton Specialist for the University of Missouri), Dr. Zachary Treadway (Cotton Specialist for the University of Arkansas), and I have walked a considerable number of acres in the Midsouth over the past week. In this blog, we tackle many of the questions we’ve been asked concerning yield potential and management after injury. We also provide some resources for those interested in reading more about what to expect. 