Category Archives: Agriculture
Hemp Disease Prognosis for Texas
Dr. Tom Isakeit, Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist There is intense interest in growing hemp (Cannabis sativus) commercially in Texas. Along with considerations of applying the best agronomic approaches for growing it, there is a need to consider potential pitfalls, particularly insect pests and diseases. There is very little information on hemp diseases in Texas. The national host indices list just three fungal diseases of hemp in Texas, but this probably reflects a lack of observations. With a small hemp acreage in Texas, there will probably be a… Read More →
2019 Texas Rolling Plains Forage Trial Results
Emi Kimura, Extension Agronomist, Vernon, TX UNIFORM FORAGE TRIAL Uniform Forage trial was conducted at Lockett, TX. Plots were planted at 90 lbs/ac seeding rate on Miles fine sandy loam on 2 October 2019. Total precipitation received during October 2018 to May 2019 was 15.8 inch. Forage was clipped one time on 31 May 2019. The highest forage yield among released variety (species) was SlickTrit II (triticale), followed by CP7869 (wheat), WB4515 (wheat), and CP7909 (wheat). Table 1. 2019 Uniform Forage Trial at Lockett, TX. table 1 Background… Read More →
Texas Rolling Plains Pick’s List for 2019-2020
Emi Kimura, Extension Agronomist, Vernon, TX 2018-2019 Cropping Season in Review Rolling Plains wheat season started with very wet condition in September 2018 all the way to the end of October 2018. There were only a few days in October that producers were able to work in their fields due to the wet field conditions. Planting was delayed to November to December. Although field conditions during November to February were relatively dry across the Rolling Plains, precipitation received in March and April helped to increase yield potential. Rust… Read More →
Causes of Blank Heads or Unfilled Kernels in Grain Sorghum
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, TAMU Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 723-8432, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu This past week I received digital pictures and sorghum head samples from two different fields where grain sorghum fill was incomplete. This highlights the most difficult field situation I encounter in grain sorghum for 20+ years. What is the cause? What is particularly frustrating is production conditions often appear to be good. Often it is difficult to pinpoint any reasonable cause. Weather often is not a known factor, e.g. there were no extremes… Read More →
Update on Industrial Hemp for Texas
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, TAMU Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, TX (806) 723-8432, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu September 11, 2019 The discussion of industrial hemp, particularly for cannabidiol (CBD), continues unabated in Texas. Colleagues report they hear as many as four hemp processing facilities being proposed in a local area. I can only imagine there are double and triple the number of CBD processing facilities being proposed versus those already in operation in other states. Texas A&M AgriLife is increasing our knowledge of industrial hemp. Several information programs across… Read More →
Wheat Variety Grain Picks for Texas-2019-2020
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, TAMU Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 723-8432, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Dr. Brandon Gerrish, Extension small grains program specialist, TAMU Soil & Crop Sciences, College Station, (207) 432-1481, branman80@tamu.edu Texas A&M AgriLife staff in College Station, Amarillo/Lubbock, Vernon, Lubbock, and Corpus Christi have designated our annual wheat grain variety “Picks” for the 2019-2020 growing season for four distinct variety testing regions of Texas. These are the High Plains, Rolling Plains (Chillicothe/Vernon region in the north to south of Abilene), Blacklands & Northeast Texas, and… Read More →
Texas A&M AgriLife Coniderations for Industrial Hemp
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, TAMU Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 723-8432, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Texas A&M AgriLife staff have received hundreds of inquiries about industrial hemp. Like you, we will be watching closely to see if the required federal rules and a State of Texas plan are in place soon enough to readily permit 2020 production. Texas A&M AgriLife has updated one article and released three new documents that are intended to help producers cut through all the information they hear. These four documents are: Industrial Hemp… Read More →
East and South Texas Cotton Harvest Aids: The Art and Science
By James Griffin Cotton Extension PhD. Student Applying cotton harvest aids has been referred to as an art. In this article, we will examine methods to change the narrative to more of a science. The first decision to make is when to “pull the trigger,” secondly rather to make one or two applications, and finally which products to use. From my experience, the 60% open boll method has been the standard for some time although other methods are most likely more accurate than eye balling percentage open… Read More →
High Yielding Wheat Cultivars Extract Soil Water from Deeper Soil Depths
Sushil Thapa1, Jourdan Bell2, Qingwu Xue1, and Jackie Rudd2 Texas A&M AgriLife Research1 and Extension2 at Amarillo Winter wheat is a major crop for grain and forage production and is managed under both dryland and irrigated conditions in the U.S. Southern High Plains. Wheat yield and water-use efficiency (the ratio of yield to evapotranspiration, ET) in the area are primarily limited by soil water deficit from late spring to early summer. Therefore, the effective use of soil water, which is from soil water storage at planting as well… Read More →
Cotton Blue Disease, A Virus Disease Not in Texas, So Far
A new virus disease of cotton found so far in several southeastern US states has attracted a lot of attention lately. This is the “cotton blue disease”, which is caused by the cotton leaf roll dwarf virus. Symptoms are seen in the new growth following virus infection and include stunting, blistering or crinkling of leaves (Figure 1), and downward cupping of leaves (Figure 2). Other symptoms can include reddening, shortened internodes, upward cupping of leaves and abnormal top growth. Plants may also exhibit a green-blue leaf… Read More →