Cotton:
We have been getting hammered by whiteflies and spider mites. Spider mites can be cleaned up with some abamectin. The whiteflies have just overwhelmed us. After talking with Dr. Roberts this week, his graduate students counted sticky cards every Monday morning in several surrounding counties, and ours were in the thousands. People have been asking me if Knack is starting to play out; I don’t think it is. Knack is a good product and the backbone of our whitefly program. I just think it is overwhelmed with the pressure we’re seeing. Here is what I’d do when you are overrun with whiteflies: you need to knock them down. I like Sivanto (ask about the rebate program), Assail, or Venom (generics available), and then follow up 5-7 days later with Knack. If you go Sivanto, you can push that to 10-12 days if needed. If spraying for areolate mildew, remember Priaxor or Miravis Top are your choices. Not Miravis; it won’t work. It has to be Miravis Top.
Peanuts:
This heat and humidity are beginning to cause us some problems. White mold and leaf spot are becoming more prevalent. If you have a known outbreak of white mold and/or leaf spot, the Teb/Bravo mix won’t cut it; you will need to go with something heavier. Elatus, Excalia, Convoy, and Umbra are all good choices for white mold; Alto, Priaxor, and Provost Silver are good choices for leaf spot. A critical consideration when choosing fungicides later in the season is that pre-harvest intervals (PHI) vary among fungicides. For example, Alto and Elatus have a 30-day PHI, and Excalia and Convoy have a 40-day PHI, compared to a 14-day PHI for other fungicides such as Provost Silver and Fontelis.
Peanut Maturity Checks:
I checked the first peanuts of the year on Wednesday. Tift NVHGs that were 130 days old; they look like they have about 3 weeks left. I will check them if you want me to, but you’ll have to schedule it with me until Sept. 1st. From Sept 1st on, I will have everything set up in the back and will be available to check them in the mornings. If you have DG 913s, I have heard they will mature in the 130-135 range, so let’s start checking them a little earlier so we don’t get behind.