Burndown time has come and gone for many in Tennessee. However, for those utilizing cover crops in their production system, many acres have yet to be terminated. Here are a few thoughts and strategies for effectively terminating cover crops as we prepare for Plant 25.
Ryegrass and poa control can become more problematic when horseweed must also be controlled. Simply dropping dicamba in the tank with glyphosate and/or clethodim to control the horseweed will compromise the grass control of those two herbicides. So, is there a herbicide that can be added to glyphosate or glyphosate + clethodim that will provide horseweed control while not sacrificing ryegrass control? There is really only one option that is in good supply that would fit the bill. Continue reading
Ryegrass has become a major issue in many Tennessee fields. For managing GR ryegrass, it is best to do it as early as practical and utilize a clethodim + glyphosate tankmix. This tankmix needs to be applied at least 30 days ahead of corn planting to use a clethodim rate that has any chance of controlling well established ryegrass. Continue reading
Nitrogen management in most row crops can be a significant proportion of the overall production cost and can impact the bottom line. Keeping tabs on factors that can reduce the efficiency of N applications and deploying appropriate management strategies is one of the several ways to ensure a profitable production in this season. Nitrogen loss is one of the several factors that can reduce N application efficiency. The most common loss from broadcast or dribbled, unincorporated urea-containing fertilizers is ammonia volatilization losses, especially in no-till production systems. Ammonia volatilization occurs when ammonium ion from the breakdown of urea or fertilizer is subsequently converted to ammonia gas, which escapes to the atmosphere. The striking thing about ammonia volatilization losses is that nearly 90% of the total losses occurs within 3-5 days after fertilizer application. The potential and extent of ammonia loss is dictated by three key factors including soil properties, fertilizer management practices, and environmental conditions. This article focuses on how soil pH, clay content, soil organic matter, and soil moisture levels can influence ammonia loss from urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) applied onto the surface without incorporation.
Thank you for registering for the Sprayer Clinic that was scheduled for Wednesday, February 19th. Unfortunately, due to the forecasted winter weather on Wednesday, and for the safety of all attendees, the decision has been made to cancel the Sprayer Clinic.
The 2025 Cotton Focus meeting will be TUESDAY, Feb 11th from 8AM-1PM at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center. We have several special guests joining us, including Dr. Travis Faske with the University of Arkansas, Dr. Bradley Wilson with the University of Missouri, and Mr. Will Rutland from Mississippi State University. Topics covered will include cotton nematode management, seeding rates and seed quality, the use of biologicals, optimizing N rate, along with updates from Dr. Larry Steckel on weed control, Dr. Sebe Brown on insect control, Dr. Nutifafa Adotey on fertility, and Dr. Aaron Smith on navigating the 2025 markets. Last but not least, we are lucky to have Dr. Savana Denton joining us to provide an update from the National Cotton Council.
Our theme this year is profitability and attendees will hear unique perspectives from each of our speakers on strategies to make sure we find ourselves in the black at the end of this production year.
Lunch this year will be sponsored by GreenPoint. Special thanks to Mr. Brad Meyer and Mr. Justin Skinner for their willingness to cook ribeye sandwiches for the meeting. Pesticide applicator and CCA points will be offered. The agenda for the meeting can be found at the following link: https://news.utcrops.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-Cotton-Focus.pdf
Look forward to seeing each of you there!
I usually release variety trial results with little to no narrative, just a few sentences indicating results are now available. But this year, there are several points of emphasis that warrant more. In this post, I try to explain what happened in 2024 as a way to guide interpretation of the variety trial results. It is a long post, but I believe this is a must read for those who intend to use the 2024 TN Variety Trial Results in their variety selection decisions for 2025. Continue reading
The 2024 Tennessee Cotton Variety Trial Results (PB 1742) are now available online. Included within these results are eight large strip trials (CSTs) and six small plot trials (OVTs) testing 48 experimental and commercial varieties.
Special thanks to all of the agents and producers who helped generate this data. Additionally, thanks to the USDA Classing Office in Memphis for assisting with this effort. If you have any questions on location response or variety placement, please do not hesitate to reach out directly to your county agent.