Category Archives: Insects

04 Jul 2016

Managing cotton plant growth in 2016

04 Jul 2016
Author:  Comments Off on Managing cotton plant growth in 2016

blooms2016

Many fields in West TN reached first flower well-before the 4th.  I wouldn’t be surprised if over half of our acres will be blooming by the end of the week.  With rain and warm temperatures in the forecast, expect very rapid plant growth in areas which have adequate moisture as we move into flowering.  For those who have not applied an early shot of a plant growth regulator (PGR), you should consider doing so very soon.  Several points should be considered when attempting to regulate growth in 2016. Continue reading →

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

26 Jun 2016

Shifting Gears for Plant Bugs

26 Jun 2016
Author:  Comments Off on Shifting Gears for Plant Bugs

We need to make some adjustment in managing plant bugs as we near bloom. Much of the cotton is at or beyond the third week of squaring, and thus, the suggested sweep net threshold can be relaxed to 15 bugs/100 sweeps. However, you should be more aggressive in situations where overall square retention is at or below 80%. Continue reading →

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

26 Jun 2016

Sugarcane Aphid Update

26 Jun 2016
Author:  Comments Off on Sugarcane Aphid Update

Grain sorghum acres are way down this year, but those who are growing sorghum should start scouting for sugarcane aphids now. Based on my counterparts reports in more southern states, I suspect there are already low numbers of aphids in some fields. This pest thrives in hot weather, so populations can spread and build quickly. Serious infestations that go untreated can cause catastrophic yield loss. Continue reading →

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

13 Jun 2016

Threecornered Alfalfa Hopper on Soybean.

13 Jun 2016
Author:  Comments Off on Threecornered Alfalfa Hopper on Soybean.
TCAH adult
TCAH adult

Recent research in the Mid-South has convinced me that threecornered alfalfa hopper (TCAH) is almost exclusively a pest of only small soybeans. We’ve had a relatively mild winter. Tennessee is on the northern edge of threecornered alfalfa hopper home range, and warm winters generally means higher populations. That appears to be the case in 2016. Late planted soybean such as Continue reading →

Print Friendly, PDF & Email