2003 Issues
September 16 (PDF) Last Weekly Issue of Newsletter. Cotton Insects: Open cotton means few insect problems remaining; Pink bollworm damage appearing as fields are prepared for harvest; Boll weevil eradication program keeping the pressure on. Cotton Agronomy: Hailstorms devastate more cotton fields; Countdown following cutout continues; Assessing hail damage; Harvest aid price list now available. Wheat Agronomy: Dryland ground cover; Best forage management practices; Nitrogen management for grain production. Evaluating Hail Damage on Sorghum and Peanuts. Forage and Beef Cattle Turnrow Meeting. Morrison Retires
September 5 (PDF) Cotton Insects: Mop up continues for bollworms, Lygus bugs and aphids; Pink bollworm situation heating up in southwestern High Plains; Boll weevil trap numbers low except in the Permian Basin Zone. Cotton Research Briefs: What can we learn from bollworm/budworm trap catches? Wheat Agronomy: Wheat grown for forage; Wheat grown for grain.
August 29 (PDF) Cotton Insects: Remaining caterpillar and Lygus bug problems in June cotton; Aphids increasing in pyrethroid-treated fields; Bandedwinged whiteflies more evident in some fields; Numerous "friendlies" in many fields; Boll weevil situation heating up in Permian Basin Zone. Cotton Agronomy: Bottom falls out of dryland crop yield; Critical irrigation decisions; The heat unit countdown continues; How to estimate yield; Monsanto seminar scheduled on Roundup and weed resistance. Forage Grain Planting Decisions: Seed quality, planting dates, varieties, etc.
August 22 (PDF) Cotton Insects: "Beneficials" often out numbering pests; Bollworm activity variable across High Plains; Beet armyworms remain a minor player in most cases; Most aphid infestations remain in the terminal; Lygus bugs mainly below treatment levels; Pink bollworm infestations a concern in southwestern counties; Boll weevil trap catches increase in Permian Basin zone. Cotton Agronomy: Moisture stress impact on crop; COTMAN and heat unit calculations; Late season weed control with glyphosate. High Plains Crop Tour Schedule. Sorghum Agronomy: Herbicide damage in sorghum; Irrigation termination. Sunflower Agronomy: Irrigation termination; Custom combine harvest. Alfalfa Agronomy: Alfalfa variety selection and seed cost; Preplant weed control. 51st Annual Agricultural Chemicals Conference.
August 15 (PDF) Cotton Insects: Bollworm activity on the rise; Beet armyworms getting in the mix; Some aphid infestations at threshold levels; Lygus and fleahopper numbers remain high; Boll weevil trap catches up week ending the 10th. Sorghum Insects: Late fields facing midge, headworm and greenbug problems. Corn Insects: Decisions for late spider mite infestations. Sorghum Agronomy: Whether or not to irrigate; Herbicide damage from 2,4-D? Alfalfa Agronomy: Variety selection for new stands; Fall dormancy rating, stand establishment, and seeding rate; Fitting irrigation capacity to seed alfalfa acres. Sunflower Agronomy: Soybean stem borer in sunflower; Rust in sunflower. Small Grains and Wheat Agronomy: Is it too early to plant wheat for forage if I get a rain? Deep phosphorus for improved wheat forage yields. Crop Water Issues.
August 8 (PDF) Cotton Insects: Lygus and fleahopper numbers high in some fields; Bollworm egg lay underway; Some increased beet armyworm activity; Heat and predators keep aphids at bay; Boll weevil trap catches declining. Cotton Agronomy: Irrigation critical for heat stressed crop; Dryland crop melting away in absence of rain. Pesticide Briefs: Tracer receives section 18 for alfalfa caterpillar pests.
August 1 (HTML | PDF) Cotton Situation Update: Crop becoming moisture stressed; Insect activity mostly below thresholds; Boll weevil trap catches declining. Cotton Research Briefs: Why are aphid infestations clumped within a field. Sorghum Agronomy: Irrigation alert. Alfalfa Workshops.
July 25 (HTML | PDF) Cotton Insects: Square retention remains high for now; Fleahopper and Lygus numbers up this week; Heat hammering latest bollworm flurry; Pink bollworms reported in Gaines County; Aphids moving out of the plant terminal; Boll weevil eradication program on track again. Cotton Research Briefs: Importance of beneficial arthropods in insect pest management. Peanuts, Sorghum & Corn Insects: Rootworms in peanuts; Sorghum midge may be a tough problem; Southwestern corn borer moths out and flying. Pesticide News: Starane approved for kochia control in sorghum.
July 16 (HTML | PDF) Cotton Insects: Square retention high in spite of increasing fleahoppers and Lygus; Boll weevil eradication program recovering and on track; Season's first bollworm infestation controlled by "beneficials"; EPA registers Denim insecticide. Cotton Agronomy: The crop is late but recovering nicely; Management tips for late cotton. Cotton Research Briefs.
July 9 (HTML | PDF) Cotton Insects: Fleahoppers increasing in squaring fields; Boll weevil eradication off to a slow start. Cotton Agronomy: Crop recovering after severe weather problems; Nitrogen fertilization considerations; High Plains nitrogen fertility calculator; Late Roundup application issues; Controlling excessive plant growth.
June 27 (HTML | PDF) Cotton Insects: Thrips still need attention; Monitor squaring cotton for fleahoppers and Lygus; Overwintered boll weevils flush out following rains; Old world bollworm survey for Homeland Security; Statewide pyrethroid resistance monitoring. Cotton Agronomy: Crop continues to take hit from multiple weather events; When will we finally get into our "summer doldrums"? Plant Disease Situation. Crop Water Issues. Cotton Research Briefs.
June 20 (HTML | PDF) Cotton Insects: Thrips numbers highly variable across the area; Lygus numbers a concern in wild hosts; Natural enemy numbers climbing slightly; Bollworm and beet armyworm trap catches remain low; Boll weevil numbers remain at record low. Cotton Agronomy: Cotton crop status uncertain at this time; Weed management tips. Corn Insects: Transgenic corn hybrids for rootworm control; New insecticide seed treatment for corn. Sorghum Insects: Early heads up on late season midge. 2003 Alternative Crop Options After Failed Cotton.
June 13 (HTML | PDF) Cotton Insects: Thrips continue to plague surviving weather damaged cotton; Grasshoppers remain a problem; Low numbers of "beneficials" are a concern; Severe weather is causing havoc to boll weevil trapping. Cotton Agronomy: How much cotton is going, going, gone; Assessing stand damage; Roundup Ready window closing in some fields. Replant Decisions for Alternate Crops. Crop Water Issues. Cotton Research Briefs. Corn and Green Bean Research Update. New Texas IPM Web Site. 2003 Cotton Management Meeting Series.
June 6 ( HTML | PDF ) Cotton Entomlogy: weather effect on thrips, grasshopper problem areas, wireworms and grubs in cotton, check for plant bugs, eradication hurts boll weevil. Agronomy: weather a mixed blessing, heat units thus far, herbicides and transgenic cotton, replanting decisions.Briefs: cotton seedling disease, all quiet with grain crops, insecticide updates for Entrust organic insecticide and Intrepid, irrigation and crop water use, Nutt heads Peanut Producers, questionable mosquito control products.