By KERRY SIDERS, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent-IPM for Hockley, Cochran and Lamb Counties
Cotton has generally been growing off well under the current weather conditions. Many fields are reaching bloom stage or will be blooming in the next week or so. This is an important milestone physiologically to achieve before the end of July, as it gives us almost a full month then to bloom and set bolls. In fact, some fields still are growing a bit too much vegetatively and could use a plant growth regulator to balance out some of this growth to the reproductive side. I say this knowing several fields are not going into bloom until they have 9 nodes above white flower. This is great if we have an exception fall. However, I personally would rather see 7-8 nodes above white flower going into bloom. Not too much horsepower to overshoot the target but enough to get there
and mature it out with quality. Pest wise we are not concerned so much with fleahoppers once we move into bloom stage cotton. Still watch some young cotton that we need to protect those squares. I would concentrate on Lygus, worms on conventional or older Bt technology cotton, and watching for aphids. Soil moisture may be declining in areas which have not received recent rainfall. So, irrigation may become necessary for cotton to progress at a pattern mentioned above and so that it matures out properly. Also, get your fertilizers out in the next week!
Grain sorghum in Hockley, Cochran and Lamb counties con tinues to not have detectable sugarcane aphids. Please report in findings you may have to me so I can alert others. Scout on a regular basis.
Peanuts are generally doing well. We are in the time frame (60-90 days after plant) in which a preventative fungicide application might be considered for maximum protection from dis ease and meeting yield goals. Conditions could become ripe for leaf spot development and other peanut disease issues.