A website from UGA Cooperative Extension

CROP UPDATE

Earlier planted corn is mature and harvest has begun this week in the county. Hope our growers have a good harvest season as we get into it. It is still wet across much of the county, but field activity is hopping in fields that growers can run equipment.

Many things are happening now. Let’s keep a few items in mind at this time.

As corn is drying down, stink bugs are moving from it to other crops. In cotton, be scouting for stink bugs and/or damage. There is a dynamic threshold used based on week of bloom in cotton. When scouting, pull random sample of quarter size diameter bolls and avoid field edges. Pull 1 boll per acre, no less than 25 bolls per field. Sort bolls into 2 piles – those with external lesions and those without. Crack and inspect bolls with external lesions for internal damage (warts on the boll wall, stained seed or lint). If threshold is not met, check the remaining bolls for damage. Treat for stink bugs when the threshold is met.

Week of bloomStink Bug Threshold (% Damage)
1Retention
220
310 to 15
410 to 15
510 to 15
620
7+30+
Dynamic Stink Bug Threshold

While we are talking about cotton, remember to be scouting in the plant canopy for foliar diseases. Conditions are right for target spot and areolate mildew to be infesting cotton fields. If allowed to progress, either of these diseases will cause premature defoliation. Timely scouting and treatment can protect the potential yield in cotton fields.

Peanut growers should be on a good fungicide program for white mold and leaf spot. There are many options and fungicide programs available to growers, and a great, interactive decision tool (click to see Peanut Rx 2021) to help, also. Growers with questions can call the Extension office for more information.

Soybean rust has been confirmed in Tift, Toombs, and Burke County sentinel plots. Soybean producers across south Georgia are advised to use a fungicide to protect against rust if they haven’t reached R6/full seed growth stage or have not already sprayed within the last 21 days.

We have had reports of fall armyworms (FAWs) in pastures and hay fields. Keep a regular check on fields. Treat when larval populations of these insects exceed 3 larvae per square foot.

DATES AND EVENTS

  • Virtual Citrus Update: Post Harvest Fruit Quality – Tuesday, August 3 from 12:00 noon to 1 p.m. Register in advance for this meeting at: bit.ly/fvsu-citrus-aug-3-2021.
  • The Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day has been rescheduled for August 12th at Spence Field in Moultrie. For more information go to: sunbeltexpo.com
  • The Southeastern Hay Contest is accepting entries now. Entries are due by September 1, 2021. We have some quality hay producers in Worth County and have had winners in past years. More information on contest rules and entry can be found at www.sehaycontest.com.
  • The Georgia Pecan Growers Annual Fall Field Day is planned for September 9, 2021. It will be hosted by Nut Tree Pecan Nursery at 8505 Old Bainbridge Road, Baconton, GA. Field Day Topics Include: Hedging, High Density Plantings, New Varieties & Production Expectations, Crop Nutrition, Orchard Conversion, Best Management Practices for Maximum Yields, and New Technologies. Registration is required. Go to georgiapecan.org for more information.

If we can be of assistance to you at Worth County Extension, please let us know.