Update for the Week – June 11, 2021

Since the last update, we have gone from very dry to wet. Much needed rains have moved through the county over the last week. In visiting with growers throughout the county, it looks like we received anywhere from around 1 inch in some areas and up to 6 or more inches, and it is raining as I write. Thankful for these showers! It is amazing the difference a rain can make in our crops.

Much of the corn in the county is at tasseling or beyond. Check out the next article for details on the Crop Disease Update. Southern corn rust was confirmed in our area on Wednesday of this week.

We have cotton that is just emerging and cotton that is already squaring. Growers and scouts can be monitoring for plant bugs and aphids, and in some areas there are reports of spider mites on young cotton. Weed control applications are being made to keep fields clean and to control weed escapes. If there are any growers or applicators that still need the Using Pesticides Wisely training, please contact us at the Worth County Extension office – you can still get the training! – and it may be a good time to do it while it is wet.

Many peanuts are reaching 30 to 45 days after planting, while some have just gotten planted. For the older peanuts, herbicide and some insecticide applications have gone out. These older peanuts are also reaching the stage to begin fungicide spray schedules. Recent weather conditions are favorable for diseases to get started. There is a great tool available to assess risk on a field-by-field or situational basis. Check out the Peanut Rx 2021 at: https://peanutrx.org/fieldtool.html.

This week Macie Wheeler, our UGA Tifton Graduate Assistant, and I attended the Cotton, Peanut, and Soybean Scout school on Monday. We also attended the County Agent Agronomic Crops Field day this week in Tifton. Macie was able to present her peanut research with Dr. Monfort to county agents from across south Georgia and a few from Auburn and Florida. Once her project is completed, there will be more results to share with Georgia peanut growers on the effects of in-furrow fertilizer.

I hope you all have a good weekend, and if we can help you at Worth County Extension, please let us know.