Weekly in-season Updates
|
INFORMATION |
July 1, 2006 Talkin’ Cotton
Welcome rainfall has been received in much of the cotton production areas in the last two weeks, but there are some areas that remain extremely dry. Subsoil moisture was not received during the winter and spring, so all moisture that the cotton is receiving has been through limited rainfall or irrigation. Plants have used much of their energy for root development, but now that roots have made it to some moisture, the vegetative part of the plant is now developing. Heat units are ahead of average and plants that have had adequate rainfall or irrigation are growing rapidly and developing squares. First bloom should occur in the first two weeks of July for most of our mid May planted cotton. Water needs increase during and after the first two weeks of blooming, and continue until cutout. Cotton that is just beginning to square should be observed for fleahoppers or fleahopper damage. Fleahopper damage is evident as a very small square that has turned black and will fall off the plant when touched. These squares are normally about 1/8 inch or smaller in diameter. If you have a computer, you can see photos of fleahoppers by typing “cotton fleahopper” in your search engine. At this stage, 30 to 40 percent of the plants that have fleahoppers present will justify spraying. If you notice any damage to squares, the cotton should be sprayed for fleahoppers. Vydate or Orthene are common treatments for control of these pests. Later in the season, cotton will tolerate more damage, but at this stage, we need to keep all the fruit we can on the cotton plant. Irrigated cotton should have approximately one inch of water per week at this time, but later into the bloom period the ideal irrigation should be closer to two inches per week.
|