Category Archives: 2017
South, East, and Central Texas RACE and Monster Trial Results
by Gaylon Morgan, Josh McGinty, and Dale Mott The 2017 Cotton Variety Results for the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Coastal Bend, Upper Gulf Coast, Winter Garden and Blacklands are available at Cotton.tamu.edu/ or going directly to Cotton Variety Testing. This booklet includes 15 large-plot on-farm trials and 3 Monster Trials. The location specifics for each trial location is listed in Table 1, including the cooperator, planting and harvest dates, and other agronomic considerations. We recommend growers gather as much information as possible from this RACE booklet and other sources on… Read More →
Dicamba Label Update and Mandatory Training for Applicators
by Scott Nolte, State Extension Weed Scientists; Gaylon Morgan, State Extension Cotton Specialist; Josh McGinty, Extension Agronomist at Corpus Christi; Pete Dotray, Weed Scientist at Lubbock. Dicamba tolerant cotton and soybean varieties were brought to the market in 2015 and 2016, respectively, and were followed in 2017 by the newly registered dicamba herbicides formulated specifically to have lower volatility. Following a challenging launch in 2017 of these newly registered herbicides in some states, the EPA worked with companies registering the new dicamba formulations to make revisions to those… Read More →
Crediting Soil Nitrogen in Wheat Can Cut Costs Without Cutting Yield
by Dr. Clark Neely, Statewide Small Grains and Oilseed Extension Specialist, College Station, TX Dr. Jake Mowrer, Statewide Soil Fertility Specialist, College Station, TX Dr. Emi Kimura, Regional Extension Agronomist, Vernon, TX Dr. Dennis Coker, Soil Fertility Program Specialist, College Station, TX Russell Sutton, Assistant Research Scientist, Commerce, TX Daniel Hathcoat, Small Grains Program Specialist, College Station One of the foremost questions on many wheat producers’ minds this year is “Will I make any money on wheat?” While it is true wheat prices are down and many budgets… Read More →
Many Producers aren’t seeing it….It’s all about what’s underground
by Tony Provin, Professor and Extension Soil Chemist and Ronnie Schnell, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist-Cropping Systems ronschnell@tamu.edu The era of remote sensing, aerial drones, satellite imaging and GPS/GIS has most producers focusing on the visible issues present in their fields. The Soil Health movement is attempting to increase the awareness of the functions of soil and how to enhance or maintain our nation’s most critical natural resource. Whether it’s Texas or the central corn-belt, the root of most problems (pun intended) is actually roots, or lack of. … Read More →
Post-Harvest Handling of a Corn Field Affected by Fumonisin Contamination
by Thomas Isakeit, Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station; Jourdan Bell, Assistant Professor and Agronomist, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Amarillo; Ted McCollum III, Professor and Extension Beef Cattle Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Amarillo Fumonisins are toxins produced in corn kernels by two species of fungi (Fusarium verticillioides and F. proliferatum). These toxins are carcinogens and can cause illness in livestock, particularly in horses. The levels of fumonisin allowed in food and… Read More →
Crop Testing Program Hybrid Trial Results—2017
by Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, Lubbock, (806) 723-8432, ctrostle@ag.tamu.ed Katrina Horn, Crop Testing Program director, (806) 845-8505, khorn@tamu.edu Ron Schnell, Cropping Systems Extension Agronomy, College Station, (979) 845-2935, ronschnell@tamu.edu A unit of Texas A&M AgriLife is the Crop Testing Program, http://varietytesting.tamu.edu/, which has been functioning for over 40 years. The program offers fee-based public testing of corn, grain sorghum, and sunflower hybrids and one large forage sorghum silage trial. The above webpage also publishes data from other AgriLife crop trials conducted outside the auspices of the Crop Testing… Read More →
Outlook for Northern High Plains Cotton – Mitigating Cool Temperatures and an Immature Crop
by Seth Byrd – Extension Cotton Specialist, Lubbock, TX; Gaylon Morgan – State Extension Cotton Specialist, College Station, TX The role of temperature, and specifically heat, in the growth and development of cotton is a common topic of discussion during the season. Heat units are a critical component for cotton’s growth and development; whether for germination and emergence, reproductive development, or fiber maturity and boll opening. In regards to maturing fiber and opening bolls, 900 – 1200 heat units are typically needed to go from a white flower to an… Read More →
What is Causing the Late-season Cotton Defoliation in Cotton in West Texas?
by Dr. Tom Isakeit, Extension Plant Pathologist, – College Station, TX; Dr. Gaylon Morgan, Extension Cotton Agronomist – College Station, TX; Dr. Jason Woodward, Extension Plant Pathologist – Lubbock Many cotton fields in the High Plains and Rolling Plains of Texas are experiencing browning or bronzing of the foliage (Figure 1), often accompanied by premature defoliation. Several leaf spots are commonly associated with such affected foliage. Different species of fungi have been found to cause these leaf spots. These are species of the genera Corynespora (Figure 2), Cercospora… Read More →
Seeding rate may be one way to cut wheat costs this year
by Dr. Clark Neely, Statewide Small Grains and Oilseed Extension Specialist, College Station, TX Dr. Josh McGinty, Regional Extension Agronomist, Corpus Christi, TX Planting season is quickly approaching for producers planting wheat for grain this fall. As everyone knows, wheat prices are low and turning a profit will be difficult. Finding ways to cut costs and not influence yield or returns will be important. One potential option is cutting back seeding rates. Over the past two years, seeding rate treatments have been incorporated into variety trials across the… Read More →
Wheat Variety Disease & Insect Tolerance Traits—2017-2018
by Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, TAMU Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 723-8432, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Dr. Clark Neely, State Extension Small Grains Specialist, TAMU Soil & Crop Sciences, College Station, TX, cbneely@tamu.edu In an August article in Texas Row Crops Newsletter we noted Texas A&M AgriLife Extension “Pick” wheat varieties for grain in the Texas High Plains. Since then additional Picks were published for hard red winter wheat for the Rolling Plains, Blacklands, and South Texas. Furthermore, Picks have been designated for soft red winter wheat in Blacklands… Read More →