This was another interesting week in Colquitt County agriculture. Rain has been spotty this past week making insecticide applications in cotton a challenge. Caterpillar pressure in peanut has been low. Corn harvest is here.
Cotton: It has been an interesting week in cotton production. Areolate mildew was identified in Colquitt County last week. Dr. Bob Kemerait believes that current conditions, including high humidity, a dense leaf canopy, and sporadic rainfall, are highly favorable for disease development. As a result, this disease could increase rapidly over the coming weeks. Fungicide applications are recommended to protect yield potential where disease is present.
In the past, azoxystrobin provided effective control of areolate mildew. However, fungicide resistance has now been confirmed. According to local on farm research, Priaxor and Miravis Top provided effective control of areolate mildew. The best timing for fungicide applications is during the third week of bloom or later and when the disease is detected during scouting. If cotton has reached the third week of bloom and fields have not been scouted, growers should consider current disease-favorable conditions when making treatment decisions.
Dr. Kemerait believes cotton remains at risk from areolate mildew until approximately four weeks prior to defoliation. For growers concerned about target spot, the risk period generally extends through the sixth week of bloom.
What About Jassids?
A few adult cotton jassids were observed in one or two fields last week; however, none of the fields surveyed exceeded treatment thresholds. Scouts, consultants, growers and county agents need to be monitoring fields closely for jassids.
Source : uga.edu