Cotton: We have a wide age range of cotton from just blooming to 7th week of bloom. There are a few things I want to address:
- I am getting a lot of calls about pix and pix recommendations. As you all know with the conditions we have had, cotton is growing extremely fast, some varieties faster than others. It is very important that we stay on schedule if at all possible to contain this cotton. The more pix you put out does not necessarily mean it will hold the plant that much longer. You will be much more effective at regulating the plant if we tighten our spray intervals to 10 days instead of 15 or 20. With the afternoon showers we have been receiving, another thing to note is the rainfast time of pix products. Mepiquat chloride- 8 hours (4 hours with a surfactant) Mepiquat pentaborate- 2 hours (1 hour with a surfactant)
- I have also received many calls related to fertility. With the rain we have gotten, we have lost some nutrients due to leaching. A tissue and petiole sample is the best way to check nutrient levels. If you have deficiencies, we can then decide how to fix it if possible.
- Two diseases that have shown up in the last few weeks in older cotton: target spot and areolate mildew. Both of these can cause major defoliation and should be monitored. Dr. Bob Kemerait suggests that if we are within 3 to 4 weeks of defoliating cotton, then a fungicide application for areolate mildew will probably not be needed. As for target spot, the ideal timing of a fungicide application is between the 1st and 6th week of bloom. For preventative measure, an application would be most beneficial at 1st and 3rd week of bloom. If target spot is present early and this hot humid weather continues, a fungicide should be heavily considered.
Peanuts: I am seeing a fair amount of white mold and leaf spot. Staying on schedule with a good fungicide program is key in controlling these diseases and tightening spray intervals where disease pressure is especially high.
