Monthly Archives: April 2017
Foliar Injury Symptoms from Auxin Herbicides are NOT a Good Indicator of Cotton Yield Loss
by Seth Byrd – Extension Cotton Specialist – Lubbock, TX; Peter Dotray – Extension Weed Scientist – Lubbock, TX; Wayne Keeling – Research Cropping Systems and Weed Science – Lubbock, TX; Misha Manuchehri – Extension Weed Scientist (OSU) – Stillwater, OK; Josh McGinty – Extension Agronomist – Corpus Christi, TX; Gaylon Morgan – State Extension Cotton Specialist – College Station, TX Cotton injury from herbicide drift and potential yield loss has been a hot topic recently, both among producers and in the popular press. It is important to… Read More →
Have you noticed any flowering pigweed recently?
by Muthu Bagavathiannan, Josh McGinty, Vijay Singh, Peter Dotray and Gaylon Morgan Palmer amaranth and waterhemp are two pigweed species that have become problematic in row crop production fields in Texas. Palmer amaranth is widespread in the High Plains, Rio Grande Valley, Coastal Bend and Central Texas regions, whereas waterhemp is predominantly found in the Upper Gulf Coast as well as the Blacklands regions. Herbicide resistance in these two species is an emerging issue and extension specialists have emphasized the need for diversifying weed management tactics to prevent/delay resistance…. Read More →
What is wrong with my wheat?: Multiple issues perplexing growers in Central and South Texas
by Dr. Clark Neely, Statewide Small Grains Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension 2017 has been another interesting year once again for wheat growers in the Texas Blacklands and South Texas. Chances are you or someone you know who grows wheat has asked at some point, “What is wrong with my wheat?!” There appears to be a number of factors at play this spring causing wheat to look abnormal, poor, or “raggedy”. I will attempt to cover the most likely culprits and some less likely ones too in… Read More →
Sugarcane Aphid Update
by Robert Bowling, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist –Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Sugarcane aphid on sorghum in Hildalgo County was detected on March 21, 2017 by Danielle Sekula-Ortiz. Sugarcane aphid colonies were small and the field had not reached an economic population but there are several important considerations with this detection. Winged aphids were found in some of the colonies. This means the aphid is mobile and strong southerly winds will carry the aphid into other areas of the Rio Grande Valley and eventually to the Upper Gulf… Read More →
GOSS’S WILT OF CORN: ABILITY TO OVERWINTER IN TEXAS
by Thomas Isakeit, Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist, College Station Goss’s wilt is a bacterial disease of corn, caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis. In recent years, its range has expanded beyond the Midwestern states, where it had been confined for decades. Outbreaks in Texas were confirmed in 2009, 2014 and 2016. Most of the affected fields were in the High Plains, but there have been occurrences in the Blacklands and Upper Coast growing areas (Figs. 1 &2). At this point, I don’t know whether these occurrences represent… Read More →
Within-Row Plant Spacing—Ensuring Planter Accuracy of Seed Drop
by Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, Lubbock, (806) 723-8432, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu In recent newsletters for Texas Grain Sorghum Association I first discussed row spacing for grain sorghum then especially in-row spacing of seed drop and the accuracy (or lack thereof) of uniform seed spacing within the row (see https://texassorghum.org/sorghum-tips). Here, I expand the with-in row discussion to all Texas row crops. On a smaller scale of about two to six inches within any row spacing, it may seem the uniformity of seed spacing is not that important for row crops. Yes,… Read More →