Praying for rain, to get cotton seed planted in area

We are about 3-4 weeks out from rolling cotton seed in the ground here on the Southern High Plains of Texas. Stored moisture remains a huge challenge as we have not benefitted from recent moisture events. So, basically, we are in a severe drought, and our producers know that we supplement rainfall with irrigation and not the other way around. We will plant, we will get cotton up, and pray that we receive good moisture in May and June.

This brings me to my point about cotton planting season here in the Texas Plains. As we concentrate on planting and stand establishment, we must keep watch for early season insect pests on those earliest stands as we continue to plant. Insect pests such as thrips, wireworms and potentially others can rob us of stands, vigor, and most importantly time. So, producers must have someone designated to keep an eye on those already planted acres. If it be the producer themselves or someone else in the operation, scout those earliest established fields for pests and then be prepared to react if something is causing damage at economic levels. As I have mentioned before, this is another good reason to have a crop consultant on the job.

Praying for rain!

Kerry Siders is Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent-IPM for Hockley, Cochran and Lamb Counties, providing education and applied research for weeds, insects, diseases, nematodes, growth regulators and harvest aids in cotton.