Worth County growers, we have many thing going on this week.
CORN
Corn harvest has been going strong. Rain events have slowed harvest in places, but corn is coming out of the field quickly in many parts of the county.
PEANUTS
We began peanut maturity clinics this week at the regular locations. Plan to bring some samples to see how the crop is maturing on your farm. In peanuts, we have also been visiting fields with some issues at this time. White mold hits are increasing in many fields at this time – even fields with a good white mold spray program – because of ideal conditions.
Spider mites appear to be increasing and reaching high populations in certain fields, in many cases non-irrigated fields that have been under hot, dry conditions. Dr. Mark Abney has a great blog post today describing much of the current insect situation that we have been seeing in the county – it is at the following link: https://site.extension.uga.edu/peanutent/
COTTON
Cotton is moving along quickly, and some fields are ready for defoliation. Speaking of defoliation, Worth County Extension hosted a Cotton Defoliation meeting yesterday with Dr. Jared Whitaker (UGA Cotton Agronomist) presenting timely information for our cotton growers. If you happened to miss the meeting, we have information available at the Extension Office.
More cotton fields have hit threshold for Silverleaf Whiteflies (SLWF) this week. In many cases, the later planted cotton that has new growth, young and tender leaves seem to be the most attractive fields for SLWF at this time. Keep a close watch on cotton fields for this troublesome pest. Spider mites have also been present in many fields, but at low levels. In hot and dry conditions, spider mite populations can increase, so be checking for them, too.
As always, please give us a call at the Worth County Extension Office if we can help you with questions or concerns. Looking forward to seeing you soon!