Plains Pest Management News - May 23, 2017

Good Morning!

Here is a link to the first issue of the Plains Pest Management Newsletter this year.

Plains Pest Management News May 23, 2017

 

Find current and previous newsletters at the Hale County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service website. https://hale.agrilife.org/

Once you are on the website, click the "Newsletters" tab then the IPM link.

 

                        
Thanks,

 

 

 

 

 

Blayne

 

 

South Plains Scout School - May 25, 2017

Everyone is invited to join us for the South Plains Field Scout School on Thursday, May 25, 2017 in Lubbock.  If you or your workers need an introduction and basic understanding of field scouting cotton, corn, sorghum, or peanuts for insect or disease, this is the place to get the training!  Please see the agenda below. 

 

 

Blayne Reed

 

South High Plains Scout School

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center

1102 E. FM 1294, Lubbock, TX 79403

May 25, 2017

For crop consultant workers, farmers and their workers, County Extension agents and their interns, and any agricultural related worker - Three CEU’s will be offered

 

8:0 – 8:30 am Registration (free)

   Cotton  

   8:30 - 9:00 am Agronomy & Plant Mapping – Seth Byrd

9:00 – 9:30 am Insect Pests & Scouting – Suhas Vyavhare, Blayne Reed

9:30 – 10:00 am Hands on Cotton Plant Mapping – Blayne Reed,

   Suhas Vyavhare

Corn & Grain Sorghum 

  10:00 – 10:30 am Agronomy - Calvin Trostle
  10:30 – 11:15 am Insect Pests - Pat Porter

11:15 – 11:30 am Beneficial Insects –Katelyn Kesheimer/Suhas Vyavhare

   11:30 – 12:00 Peanut Insects and Diseases – Tyler Mays

  
   Contact Rae Cox, (806) 746 – 6101 rmcox@ag.tamu.edu to RSVP by May 23, 2017.

 

Educational programs by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, religion, sex, disability or national origin.

The Texas A&M System, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.

 

 

May 2, 2017 Soil Temp in southeastern Swisher

May 2, 2017 Soil Temp

For the third year in a row, cool, wet weather has moved in just as we look to start planting season for cotton and are still adding to our winter heating bill rather than making turns in our cotton fields.  Following last weekend’s norther, I hurried back on May 2^nd to a field I had taken soil temperatures in on April 24^th.  While the 2^nd was a warm sunny morning, soil temperatures will need some time to rebound after the cold shock.  The intended cotton field I checked was the no-till, heavy wheat stubble field which registered 56⁰F at 9:30 AM.  On the 24^th, this same field registered 59⁰F. 

For a quick review, cotton gets off to its best start when planted in a recommended 69°F consistent temperature soil (roughly 64°F bare minimum with high air temperatures in the upper 80’s to low 90’s for the following week to continue a steep soil warming trend).  While I do note a warming trend in the weather forecast, I still see a chance of rain and a cool (not as cold as the last one) front expected early next week before the steep warming trend cotton seedlings would truly need begins.  That would place our planters starting to make those frantic turns in the fields about the 10^th through the 12^th.

I would urge producers not to worry about the calendar date until we at least start getting into double digits, no matter how many acres you intend to plant or what variety the acres are to be planted with.  Cotton’s development is tied to heat units, not days.  All varieties, regardless of how determinant or indeterminant, will get off to a better, healthier, and faster start when they are placed into better growing conditions.  This better, healthier, and faster start often means less seedling disease, a shorter window for thrips issues, less chances of early may hail stones, and a faster transition into reproductive mode.  It is absolutely impossible to extend cotton’s growing season by planting earlier in this area.  The cool, and (season depending) wet conditions in late April and early May always prevent it.  Even on the rare occasion that this early cotton survives and does not require replanting, cotton planted ‘cool’ will develop more slowly through these conditions.  Cotton planted into less than ideal conditions are will develop slower on a day to day basis compared to those planted into better conditions regardless of calendar planting date.  That is until the calendar planting date turns into June, at which point there is often not enough growing season left to make a good cotton crop no matter how good the start. 

Blayne