Tag Archives: economic threshold

Cotton Fleahopper Numbers on the Rise

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Cotton fields range from pinhead square to early bloom. Most fields are susceptible to cotton fleahopper damage and the potential for bollworm losses. We are finding cotton fleahoppers in numbers as high as 1 per plant, averaging around 20-30 per 100 plants. Continue to scout for cotton fleahoppers through the first week of bloom. This pest may cause fruit shed of small pinhead squares. Squares larger than matchhead size are generally safe from fleahopper damage. Once the plant has reached bloom, 80-90% of the fruit that will be… Read More →

IPM Field Meeting – May 21, 2018

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Date: Monday, May 21 Time: 9 am Location: Near Port Lavaca at the Intersection of FM 1679 and Sanders Rd. Topics: Crop development and pest management will be discussed CEUs: 1 hour CEU will be provided.

Pest Management in Bloomimg Sorghum

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Sorghum fields across the Mid-Coast of Texas are beginning to bloom. These fields are susceptible to sorghum midge damage. The sorghum midge is one of the most damaging insects of sorghum in Texas, especially in the southern half of the state.  The adult sorghum midge is a small, fragile-looking orange-red fly with a yellow head, brown antennae and legs and gray, membranous wings. During the single day of adult life, each female lays about 50 yellowish-white eggs in flowering spikelets of sorghum.  Eggs hatch in 2 to 3… Read More →

Squaring Cotton may have Cotton Fleahoppers

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Cotton maturity ranges from 2-3 leaf to matchhead square and some fields have multiple stages of cotton. Fields with squaring plants should be inspected weekly for Cotton Fleahoppers. This can be done visually or by using a small, 2-gallon bucket once the plants are 12 inches tall. Treat fields that exceed an economic threshold of 15 fleahoppers per 100 plants. Treating fields for cotton fleahoppers prior to squaring is not an effective management practice and will only increase the cost of production without a yield increase. This practice… Read More →

Stink Bugs in Sorghum, Cotton and Soybeans

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We have reached the time of the growing season when Stink Bugs are the primary pest in most of the row crops on the Texas coast. Sorghum maturity is from bloom to soft dough and will be susceptible to stink bugs until hard dough. Scout for stink bugs and headworms using a bucket to beat sorghum heads into until you have sampled 10.  Then stop and count the stink bugs and headworms in the bucket.  This should be done at 10-20 places per field and average the number of stink bugs… Read More →