Harvest is just around the corner here on the Texas South Plains. We have been blessed with good warm sunny weather the past couple of weeks and the forecast is calling for more of the same through September. Optimism still exists for good yields and the fact that we have a dryland crop to harvest. We have not had this in a few years.
In general, we are still a couple of weeks from getting started applying harvest aids. Ethephon products are generally competitive enough such that we can keep rates at or above a quart. Defoliants generally all work well here. I remind producers to pay attention to what the manufacturers recommend for adjuvants with these products, particularly the PPOs (Aim, ETX, Display, Sharpen). To deviate can cause poor performance. Also, some defoliants can be temperature sensitive. As it cools, some of the defoliants, such as Ginstar, may require a bump in rate.
That leaves us with the desiccants, which are primarily paraquat products. Again, I remind producers that paraquat is activated by sunlight. If it is applied early in the day, it will generally result in a rapid burn of the plant tissue and result in typical desiccation (sticking of leaves). Versus, in an application applied later in the day, the paraquat will move deeper in the plant tissue (local systemic movement). This can result in both desiccation and additional defoliation.
Have a safe harvest.