Weekly in-season Updates
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INFORMATION |
May 20, 2007 Talkin’ Cotton J.C. Banks The good moisture and moderate weather this spring have combined to cause an explosion of weeds in the recently planted cotton. Recent weather conditions have really favored the weeds over the crop, and weed growth can get out of hand before we realize we really have a problem. Most cotton in Oklahoma is either a Roundup Ready or Roundup Ready Flex variety and our natural tendency is to spray as late as we can to avoid the necessity of spraying Roundup twice. We need to realize that as weeds get larger, they become more difficult to control with a glyphosate herbicide. When the weeds get stressed later in the season, they become even more difficult to control. Weed control researchers across the cotton belt, including Dr. Don Murray at OSU, have determined that the most critical time for weed control in cotton is during the first 5-6 weeks following planting. Cotton yield is most adversely affected if weeds are allowed to grow during this period. Hopefully, a yellow preemergence herbicide was used prior to planting, but if not, an early application of Roundup to small weeds is a very good insurance policy to avoid yield robbing weed control problems later in the season.
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