In case you haven’t heard we have found the Cotton Jassid in all of our middle Georgia Counties. For most of you that have been spraying for stink bugs the populations are low. However we need to continue to monitor this introduced pest especially on later planted cotton. Check multiple leaves per plant for nymphs and skin casts. Adults are very mobile and not the easiest to detect at low levels. If you are seeing 1 -2 nymphs per leaf and damage (hopper burn or yellowing and cupping) you should consider treating. This will be dependent on the stage of growth and possibly on how many times you have already sprayed. With cotton at $0.65/pound you may not be able to afford another application.
With cotton nearing maturity and cutout, some of you may be thinking about your defoliation options. Here is what Camp Hand, UGA Cotton Agronomist, sent us this morning. “Looks like across the state it will be cool up until Thursday/Friday, when it will warm back up. But then by Saturday it will begin to cool back down as we look to next week.” The three way mixture is always best for defoliation, boll opening and regrowth control. If it doesn’t rain soon we may not have to worry about the latter. Rates for defoliation this week. Thidiazuron – 4 oz/acre – lots of young growth out there and need a little higher rate with cool temps. Folex/Def – 10 oz/acre – my preferred rate for all situations, but could back down to 8 if spraying Thursday. Ethephon – 42 oz/acre – do it once and do it right.
As always unique situations come up, so if you have questions just contact Your County Agent.
