Hot and windy in the LRGV this week as many growers were cultivating, irrigating, or spraying their cotton. Temperatures are steadily heating up as we move to warmer days in the upper 90s.
Cotton was blooming in the Valley as we came across several fields while scouting. Insect pressure in cotton this week was very low. We picked up on a few cotton aphids here and there across the Valley as cotton aphid populations were relatively low to none. However along Military Hwy/river is where I saw high cotton aphid numbers and entire plants covered in aphids.
Fleahopper populations decreased this week as many fields we picked up on had very few to none present. Also some spidermite activity present in some cotton fields still and came across some high consistent populations in a couple of fields along the river in the Donna area.
Bollworms. In parts of Texas we have found evidence of bollworm resistant to one or more Bt genes in our Bt cotton. Fortunately for South Texas we have not seen or experienced increased bollworm pressure like in other areas of Texas. However, if you have a Bt cotton field that has bollworm pressure this year I would like you to please contact me, (Danielle Sekula, 956-968-5581) so we may collect the larvas. We would like to be ahead of any resistance issues and are asking for your cooperation in protecting our cotton crop.
In grain sorghum populations of sugarcane aphids (SCA) were low to none in fields across the Valley. We have been actively monitoring their presence and lack thereof. I have noticed a slight increase this week as the weather has gotten warmer but not nearly enough SCA present to warrant spray treatment. However despite the low populations of sugarcane aphids we need to be monitoring and making sure their populations keep in check because we all know how rapidly they can reproduce when conditions are favorable.
