Some of the earlier planted cotton in the area is already squaring.
Growers and scouts should be monitoring fields for tarnished plant bugs and checking square retention. “Although plant bugs are an uncommon and sporadic pest of Georgia cotton, failure to detect economic infestations can result in yield loss and delays in maturity,” according to Dr. Phillip Roberts, UGA Cotton Entomologist. Be sure to monitor square retention and be observant for plant bugs when walking fields. Sprays should only be applied when needed. Treatment is recommended if plants are retaining less than 80 percent of pinhead squares and numerous plant bugs are observed. It is a good habit to periodically pull plants and monitor first position square retention on the whole plant. The goal is to retain at least 80 percent of all first position squares at first bloom.
Other pests like aphids and spider mites can also be present and start to build. Keep a check on cotton fields and let us know if we can help.
A great opportunity to learn about scouting or to get a refresher on scouting is the upcoming UGA Scout School in Tifton on Monday, June 10, 2019 at the Tifton Campus Conference Center. The school begins at 9:00 a.m. and lasts until 12:30 p.m. There is no registration fee, but for those wishing to attend the scout school in Tifton, please contact Mrs. Debbie Rutland at 229-386-3424.