Whiteflies

Howdy,

  Harvest has been going on great in the upper gulf coast. I've seen and heard about good corn, milo, and cotton yields this year. We've had a few disagreements with the weather and its behavior lately, but otherwise it’s been going well.

  I've been seeing whiteflies in some of our later planted cotton. As everything is being defoliated or drying down, these insects are moving into the areas that are still green. Whiteflies reproduce rapidly, they reach reproductive maturity in about 15 days, and the adults live and reproduce for 2-3 weeks. The adults are small white, flying insects, while the nymphs look more like scale insects. The first stage nymph is called a crawler and is the only mobile stage of the immature whitefly. After the nymph molts the first time, it will remain feeding in the same place, and look much like a scale insect.

Whitefly Adults and Large Nymphs
Photo from Cotton Bugs

Whitefly Adults
Photo: Kate Harrell

Whitefly Nymphs
Photo: Kate Harrell

  The main concern with these insects is the honeydew they produce. The honeydew can drip into the cotton lint and cause sticky cotton, leading to issues with ginning, staining, and reducing lint quality. Heavy honeydew also fosters the growth of mold, which can cause problems with defoliation as well as staining lint.

  If you're only a few days from defoliating and are seeing adults and 20-30 large nymphs per leaf, defoliating soon should be a suitable solution, but keep an eye out for new populations on regrowth.

  If you have more than 20-30 adults and large nymphs present, and have eggs and smaller nymphs as well, you may need to consider treatment options. When the populations of these insects get really high, they become much more difficult to control. 

  Current treatment recommendations include:

• Acetamaprid (intruder or generic) at 2.3 oz/acre

• Sivanto at 10.5- 14 fl oz/acre

• Oberon at 8-16 oz/acre

• Centric at 2.5 oz/acre, but this is the weakest treatment option

  As always, give me a call or send me an email or text if you have questions or concerns. Have a good week and good luck harvesting, everyone!

For more information on whiteflies, check out:

The Cotton Bugs Website

Defoliation Field Day Cancelled

Howdy,

Due to the weather, the Cotton Defoliation Field Day has been cancelled. We held out as long as we could and it was dry until 10 minutes ago. So, the Field Day that was scheduled for today at 1:00 p.m. has been cancelled.

Thanks!

Defoliation Field Day

Monday, August 7^th - Cotton Defoliation Field Day

By Corrie Bowen

County Extension Agent – Wharton County

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Wharton Counties will be hosting a cotton defoliation in Wharton on Monday, August 7, 2017 at 1:00 p.m..  A replicated research plot was sprayed on July 28th in Wharton  that has both one-shot and follow-up treatments to compare to commonly used combinations.  Viewing and evaluating this plot will give producers an idea of what to expect regarding leaf drop and opening of bolls this year.  Dr. Gaylon Morgan, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension State Cotton Specialist, will be available to discuss the performance of the thirteen defoliation treatments being evaluated.  There is no charge to attend the field day.  One (1) General CEU will be offered for Texas Department of Agriculture Pesticide License Holders.  The Wharton County cotton defoliation turn row meeting will be held from 1  p.m. to 2 p.m  on CR 428 in Wharton. From the Colorado River on Business 59 in Wharton, travel south west on Business 59 for 1.3 Miles.  Turn left onto CR 448, and immediately cross the railroad tracks.  After the railroad tracks, turn right.  Follow CR 448 for 1 mile.  Turn left on CR 428.  Go 8/10 of a mile and the defoliation plot will be on your left. A flyer with a map for the Wharton County Cotton Defoliation Field Day can be found by clicking on EVENTS at http://wharton.agrilfe.org.  For any questions about the Wharton Cotton Defoliation Field Day, contact Stacey at the Wharton County Extension Office at (979) 532-3310.