Monthly Archives: April 2023

Cotton IPM Update – Cotton Fleahopper

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Cotton fields range from seedling to 9-10 nodes, or pinhead square. With the beginning of the fruiting process we enter into the damage window of the cotton fleahopper. Fleahoppers can cause economic losses by feeding on small squares, or flower buds, causing the fruit to abscise and fall off of the plant. The resulting square loss can delay crop maturity and reduce yields. Treatment should be considered when cotton fleahoppers are present in numbers above 15 per 100 plants. Text below from “Cotton Fleahoppers” The adult fleahopper is… Read More →

Cotton IPM Update – 2-6 leaf cotton

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Cotton Maturity ranges from cotyledon to 6-leaf cotton with squares beginning to be visible. It has been fairly windy over the past few weeks and we need to be able to distinguish between thrips feeding and wind damage. Thrips can be sampled either visually by looking closely at the underside of leaves and the plant terminal, or by beating the plants into a white cup or on a black cloth. Links to two good videos demonstrate scouting thrips and thrips management are at the bottom of this post…. Read More →

Cotton IPM Update – Early Season Thrips

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Cotton maturity ranges from germinating to 2 leaf. Cotton planted in the last week has been emerging in  5-6 days. This quick emergence is due to warm temperatures and adequate soil moisture. Emergence to first square can take 27 to 38 days. We usually see the first squares 28-30 days after emergence. Thus, cotton planted March 27, emerged April 1-2 and should have the first squares by the first of May. The primary insect of concern is Thrips. Thrips are slender, straw-colored insects about 1/15 inch long, with… Read More →