Pay attention to cotton seedlings
In the Furrow&
By Will Duffie County Extension Coordinator

One of the last things I wanted, or even like to discuss is dry conditions and issues that arise when

conditions are on the dry side. The bulk of the cotton planting has been taking place since the first week of May.

Cotton in

these first planted fields is in the cotyledon to two leaf stage. Plants that are now emerging along with young plants need to be monitored for early season insects. Thrips are the primary pest, but with very little vegetation around fields, grasshoppers are finding a good meal in a few cotton fields in Burke County.

The first thing we must do is to walk fields and check on the grasshopper situation. I expect that the majority of fields will not need an insecticide application, but be sure to check just in case.

Grasshoppers will feed on cotton leaves and stems. Cotton can fully recover if only the leaves are eaten; the damage will occur when the grasshopper feeds on the stem when the cotton is emerging or when it has on 1 leaf. What will happen is they will chew on the stem, and when the plant gets older the partially eaten stem can not hold the plant and the plant will lodge.

So what should a cotton grower do about this potential pest? First, check conservation tillage fields. This is because grasshopper laid eggs in the soil in the fall and any winter or spring tillage will kill the eggs that would currently be hatching. If a field has a large population of grasshoppers and the cotton is very young or just emerging, see if a border treatment will work.

A quick look at the research data reveals that acephate (Orthene) was one of the better materials for controlling grasshoppers. Lorsban did a fine job on grasshoppers as did some of the pyrethroids, methyl parathion, etc. On cotton and non-crop land (ditches, fallow areas, pastures, etc.), Dimilin at 2 oz. per acre has done a good job in the past on immature grasshoppers and provides some residual control for a couple of weeks. Overall, treatment decisions for grasshoppers in seedling cotton are difficult when trying to be proactive and reactive decisions can sometimes be too late. It is probably best to be reactive and start with border treatments when stands are threatened. This problem is a field-by-field call and requires regular observation to get it correct.

For more information call the UGA - Burke County Extension Office at 706-554-2119.