Recent Updates

Tarnished Plant Bug Migration into Cotton

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TPB Adult
TPB Adult

I’ve received several calls on adult tarnished plant bug migration into ThryvOn cotton. Silking corn, blooming soybeans and flowering pigweed all contribute to large increases in plant bug numbers that make their way to cotton. ThryvOn’s bt gene can help reduce the amount of injury plant bugs inflict to squaring cotton but adults, especially large numbers of adults, can knock squares off of ThryvOn just like non-ThryvOn. I’ve seen ThryvOn cotton go from 90 plus percent square retention to sub 50 percent in 5 days due a large, consistent migration of adult plant bugs. The biggest benefit we see from ThryvOn is the reduction of plant bug immatures in bloom. That being said, you will typically see increased square retention in ThryvOn vs non-ThryvOn throughout the fruiting period. Scout your cotton and don’t ignore migrating plant bugs in ThryvOn or non-ThryvOn.

Insecticide performance thus far is pretty standard for pre-bloom cotton. 2.0 oz/a of Centric is performing well on plant bug populations 2 to 3x above threshold on the station and in the field. Although the same class of chemistry, imidacloprid’s performance is fair at best and recolonization often happens quickly after an imidacloprid application. I try to not recommend consecutive applications of neonics due to efficacy falling off after the first shot. However, consecutive shots of neonics may be warranted for several reasons (cost, presence of mites, personal choice etc.) and on the second application I tend to increase rates of Centric to 2.5 oz/a especially if it was used previously. After the second application we’ve pretty much exhausted that chemistry. Other options are acephate, which carries a high risk of flaring mites and aphids especially in our current dry period, Vydate which is effective in killing plant bugs but has limited residual, roughly 36 hours. Bidrin  isn’t labelled for plant bugs between first square and bloom. Transform, which is very effective, but is expensive and many want to save those shots for bloom unless aphids are present and Diamond. Diamond’s activity is best utilized in the 3rd week of squaring to first bloom window, several studies at MSU and UT have shown the best ROI of 6.0 fl oz/a Diamond during that time period.

Final note, I’ve received a few questions on squaring cotton having poor square retention but very few or no plant bugs are found scouting. Adult plant bugs, especially at this time of year, will move in and out of cotton quickly. The abundance of alternative hosts facilitates movement in and out of cotton without colonization. The take home is since most are scouting once a week, it is prudent to be more aggressive with applications and not risk square retention falling below 80% if you’re close. Monitoring square retention is one of, if not, the best way to determine if early-season treatments are working. Migrating adults can give the impression of an insecticide failure, but maintaining good square retention is an good indication that treatments are working.


Control of Volunteer XtendFlex Soybean in XtendFlex Cotton.

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Picture 1. XtendFlex soybean infesting Xtendflex cotton.

A recent new “weed” issue in XtendFlex cotton is volunteer XtendFlex soybean (Picture 1). Recent research has shown that Envoke at 0.125 to 0.15 ozs/acre provides very good control as soon as 7 days after application (Picture 2). Continue reading


Late-June Palmer Amaranth Management

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Picture 1. Palmer amaranth escapes after two dicamba applications.

Poor performance of dicamba on Palmer amaranth was again the theme of the last ten days.  There have been numerous reports typically with attached pictures of large patches of Palmer amaranth recovering from dicamba application/s (Picture 1). Continue reading


Tennessee Market Highlights -06/23/2023

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Corn and cotton were down; soybeans were mixed; and wheat was up for the week.

Weather provided wild swings in commodity markets this week. December corn had daily movements of unchanged, +31 ¼, -8, and -32 ¾ cents; November soybeans moved +½, +34 ¼, – 37 ½, and -29 ½ cents; July wheat moved +7 ¾, +38 ¾, +4 ½, and -5 ¾ cents; and December cotton moved +0.60, -0.18, -0.37, and -1.48 cents. Precipitation forecasts continue to be the dominant factor in markets with changes met with large price swings. The volatility in markets can be unnerving for even the most seasoned commodity marketer. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.


2023 UT Soybean Scout Schools

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UT’s Soybean Scout Schools will be held in July (see details below). These field-side programs cover the basics of soybean growth, scouting, pest identification, and general management. Pesticide recertification and CCA CEU points will be available. Scout Schools are offered free of charge with sponsorship from the Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board. Registration is not required. Participants will receive a scouting notebook and a sweep net while supplies last.

 West TN – Madison County, July 17th, 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM. This school will be at the West TN Research and Education Center, 605 Airways Blvd. Jackson TN, 38301. Signs will be up at the station to direct you to the field.

Middle TN – Coffee County, July 18th, 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM. This school will be at Graham Farms,8141 Woodbury Hwy., Manchester, TN. Please contact Amy Willis Prince of the UT Coffee County Extension Office at 931-723-5141 or awillis2@utk.edu if you plan to attend.

East TN –  Monroe County, July 19th, 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM. This school will be held in Madisonville, TN (the exact location is being finalized).  Lunch will be provided. A head count is required for the meal, please contact Jonathan Rhea of the UT Monroe County Extension Office at 423-442-2433 or jrhea@utk.edu if you plan to attend.


UT Weed Tour will be held this Wednesday June 21, 2023

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JACKSON, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture will host the annual Weed Tour this Wednesday, June 21 at the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center. The guided tour will feature about 40 weed management research tests in cotton, corn and soybean. This tour will qualify for Commercial applicator 3 points in categories C01, C04, C10 and C12 as well as CCA 3 points for Crop Management.

Weed Tour runs from 9 – 12:00 a.m., with registration opening at 8:30 a.m. A light breakfast will be served. Continue reading