Tag Archives: Thrips
Early Season Cotton Maturity
I’ve been asked by a few growers “Why is my cotton growing so slowly?” The answer is primarily cold temperatures. The table below shows how many days are usually required to get from one stage to another. Notice emergence to first square usually takes 27 to 38 days. The difference between these is how warm or cold temperatures are. SOURCE I planted a cotton variety trial in Austwell, TX on March 12, or 47 days ago. Today this test is at 6-7 true leaf and I am finding… Read More →
Thrips and Fleahoppers in Some Cotton Fields
This week while scouting cotton fields in Calhoun, Refugio, and Victoria Counties, we have found thrips, cotton fleahopper, and aphids. A few young cotton fields have thrips above economic levels of 1-2 per true leaf. This is not a comment I am fond of making because, I rarely think of thrips as an economic pest in cotton fields of the Mid-Coast. The problem we are seeing is more of a factor of lack of rainfall than the presence of thrips. In most years, our cotton fields are growing… Read More →
Early Season Cotton IPM
The oldest cotton in the Mid-Coast is squaring and the youngest is just emerging from the ground. Pest management in early season is primarily focused on two or three insect pests: Thrips, Cotton Fleahopper and Aphids. It is important to consider the pest, its numbers and the crop stage when deciding whether or not to add an insecticide to the tank. Even if it only costs $1, an unneeded tank partner will reduce crop profits. Thrips can be a yield limiting pest until the cotton plants have 4-5… Read More →
Early Season Cotton Pests
Cotton in the field is as old as 3-4 leaf stage. This year’s crop has already been through a lot of turmoil from high winds and blowing sand to cold temperatures in the 40s. Early season cotton insect pests include thrips, aphids and mites. Seed treatments are usually effective in controlling these pests but sometimes problems will still occur. We have found several fields in Calhoun County with mite problems. Mites feed on the underside of the leaf. They feed by piercing plant cells with their mouthparts and sucking… Read More →
Thrips IPM in Cotton
Cotton is up on the coast of Texas and Thrips are the primary insect pest we will encounter until the plant gets 3-5 leaves. Thrips are very small insects found on the underside of small leaves and in the plant terminal. Thrips are slender, cigar shaped, straw colored insects about 1/15 inch long, with piercing and sucking mouthparts. Adults are winged and capable of drifting long distances in the wind. (Source) Thrips are early-season pests of seedling cotton. In much of the state, thrips are a minor pest, but… Read More →
