High Plains IPM Audio Updates
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9/29/2021 (audio file) Final scheduled episode of the season. Cotton: stink bugs still doing 2-3% boll damage in fields. Pending rain might be good for cotton if not too much of it. Sorghum: heavy Lygus numbers in places pushing threshold levels. (6:34)
9/22/2021 (audio file) Cotton: insects mostly quiet except localized stink bugs. Sorghum: sugarcane aphid slowing down but Lygus near threshold in places. Disease in corn. Updated Harvest Aid Guide is available. (8:07)
9/15/2021 (audio file) Cotton: insects almost done but stink bugs and aphids still a threat. Corn: southern rust, gray leaf spot and spider mites still on the radar. Sorghum: late blooming fields still subject to midge. Sugarcane aphid, lygus and stink bugs can still do harm. Note this year's problems to help next year. (7:40)
9/8/2021 (audio file) Cotton: heat units welcome, rain needed, Lygus still active on young fruit, bollworms fading, stink bugs still a threat. Allow some stress after last harvestable boll is 20 days old. Sorghum: headworms, midge and sugarcane aphid still need watching. (5:35)
8/31/2021 (audio file) Cotton: pests variable, bollworm spotty, Lygus common. Sorghum: sugarcane aphid rising slowly, some fields over threshold, some spider mites, watch for headworms, watch for midge in late flowering sorghum. Corn: some fungicide applications have gone out, spider mites still a threat in late fields. Peanuts: continue to watch for leaf spot. (8:43)
8/25/2021 (audio file) Cotton: many fields approaching cutout, a few fields treated for bollworms, Lygus treatments still needed in places. Corn: spider mites hanging on or increasing in younger corn, earworms abundant. Sorghum: Treat sugarcane aphid as threshold reached, a few headworm treatments have been needed, midge still present. Peanut: continue to watch for leaf spot. (9:12)
8/18/2021 (audio file) Cotton: bollworms flying but numbers fairly low, at least one field treated for Lygus, still some aphid activity. Pull back on or stop irrigation in order to hasten maturity. Corn: spider mites still increasing on late crop, southern rust disease incidence up. Sorghum: sugarcane aphid numbers still creeping up as are headworms. Peanut: leaf spot increasing. (7:45)
8/11/2021 (audio file) Cotton: irrigation and plant maturity, don't pull the trigger too soon on cotton aphids, light to heavy bollworm egg laying. Sorghum: sugarcane aphid expanding, watch for headworms and midge. Corn: spider mites increasing, some fields sprayed. Disease incidence increasing. (8:35)
8/4/2021 (audio file) Cotton: aphids and bollworms increasing, some fields still being treated for fleahopper. Sorghum: sugarcane aphids widely distributed. Corn: spider mites still low. (6:36)
7/28/2021 (audio file) Cotton: still time for cotton development, consistent small pockets of cotton aphids. Further fertility inputs could delay maturity. Fleahoppers still a threat to later plants. Sorghum: sugarcane aphid found areawide, fall armyworm (headworms) increasing. (8:30)
7/21/2021 (audio file) Peanut disease window is open. Cotton: a bit behind in heat units, some fields retreated for fleahoppers, lygus and bollworm increasing. Corn: disease incidence low, spider mite activity picking up. Sorghum: reports of sugarcane aphid in southern Hale County, fall armyworm increasing, time to scout for sorghum midge. (8:46)
7/14/21 (audio file) Weeds more susceptible to herbicides thanks to rain. Think twice about killing white weed (silver leaf nightshade) right now because it is a major fleahopper host. Cotton: fleahoppers very high in Hale and Swisher counties, variable elsewhere. Caterpillars increasing. The need for PGR is highly dependent on variety. Corn: time to start looking for spider mites. (13:08)
7/7/2021 (audio file) Cotton: fleahoppers above threshold in many fields. Lygus numbers low but present. Some PGR applications still going out. Sorghum: YELLOW sugarcane aphid in pockets, no greenbugs or sugarcane aphids. Corn has no significant problems. (5:22)
6/30/2021 (audio file) Mostly full moisture profile in many places. Cotton: scout fleahoppers at squaring; some fields over threshold. Hail damage set some cotton back. A few earworms in corn. (7:14)
6/23/21 (audio file) Cotton: fleahoppers building to infest older cotton, thrips still a threat to youngest cotton. Older cotton probably needs fertilizer. Check soil moisture before starting irrigation. Sorghum and corn pests low except fall armyworm. Peanuts starting to bloom. (7:57)
6/16/2021 (audio file) Crop pests light but abundant in bar ditches and roadsides. Evaluate your fertilizer plan and begin thinking about PGRs on cotton. Evaluate cotton for nematode damage. Some cotton above threshold for thrips - spotty areas. Stink bugs abundant outside fields, a big fall armyworm flight is going on now. (2:36)
6/9/2021 (audio file) Some cotton needs replant options - disease abundant. Surviving cotton, thrips light to moderate. Sorghum and corn made it through even though they look rough. Herbicide window closing on corn. Weeds abundant, preseason herbicides showing value. (6:49)
6/2/2021 (audio file) Rain delays force decisions on cotton and other crops. Rain may have driven seed deeper. Temperatures cool. Check stands now. Thrips pressure light but needs monitoring. Cotton: minimum plant stands. (7:23)
5/26/2021 (audio file) Cotton: still time to plant, some cold shock in existing stands, minimum plant stands, thrips light but weeds and disease the primary issues. Grain crops look good in spite of some hail damage. Alfalfa weevil still hanging on. Scout School for cotton, sorghum and corn this Friday, May 28. (9:38)
5/19/2021 (audio file) Cotton soil temperatures good but planting slow or delayed. Wheat; light pest pressure including thrips. Grain crops look good. Alfalfa weevil still present. Check cotton for wireworms. (4:40)
5/12/2021 (audio file) Alfalfa weevil still emerging but first cutting approaches. Start scouting for wireworm damage three days after planting cotton. Thrips and pima cotton in Parmer and Bailey counties. (5:10)
5/5/2021 (audio file) Alfalfa weevil still emerging and a threat. No freeze damage on heavily irrigated wheat. Cotton: soils will be warm enough very soon, wheat for cover - late burndown will increase wireworm risk. Preventative treatments are the only option for wireworms. Check for wireworms shortly after planting. (3:56)
4/28/2021 (audio file) Hale and Swisher counties: Alfalfa weevil still a threat. Most wheat escaped freeze damage. Soil temperatures mostly good for corn and sorghum. Hockley, Cochran and Lamb counties: Creeping up to cotton planting soil temperatures, window closing for some herbicides. Be careful with late 2-4D. Auxin and paraquat training. Paraquat training available online from EPA. (6:48)
4/21/2021 (audio file) Freeze not too bad in Hockley and Cochran counties, too early to assess in more northern counties. Considerations for cotton. Alfalfa weevil emergence still going on, multiple sprays needed. Soils still too cool for cotton planting. (9:10)
4/14/2021 (audio file) Alfalfa weevil over threshold. Still too cold for planting cotton. Brown mite in wheat. Nematodes in cotton: Varietal selection is key, at-plant insecticides and seed treatments help, foliar chemicals can help in salvage. Brown mite in wheat has moved south. (9:44)
4/7/2021 (audio file) Brown wheat mite, alfalfa weevil being sprayed. We can train on IPM and scouting. IPM is about profitability and definitely includes insecticide use. (7:26)
3/31/2021 (audio file) Crop consultants are important to have! Soil temperatures for Pima cotton. Wheat viruses showing, especially in dryland, alfalfa weevil pending. (6:53)
3/24/2021 (audio file) Our research says put preseason residual herbicides out now. Consider seed treatment for sorghum and other crops. Watching for alfalfa weevil and army cutworm. (4:16)
3/17/2021 (audio file) Alfalfa weevil around the corner, Wheat; army cutworm less than last year, other insects low but viruses picking up. Sorghum; sugarcane aphid in-furrow insecticide treatment won't last long enough for grain sorghum, but at 80 days could benefit forage sorghum or silage. Cotton; expect more wireworms and use treated seed, nematodes highest in southern Bailey County. (5:24)
2020 Episodes
10/7/2020 (external link) Last scheduled episode of the season. Cotton: Time to harvest to protect the "money bolls" and quality. Little pest activity. Peanut digging underway, late corn and sorghum still at slight risk to pests. Don't wait too late in the season to make the final alfalfa cutting. (8:01)
9/30/2020 (external link) Harvest aids are a field by field decision. Peanuts: have enough digging moisture. Grain sorghum: evaluate now for whether it has time to mature, some still susceptible to sugarcane aphid. Wheat: consider using a seed treatment to kill vectors of diseases that show up later. (7:04)
9/24/2020 (external link) Cotton harvest aids: New and shorter guide available, check additives carefully. Insect activity light in cotton, aphids and stink bugs a possible threat. Sorghum: Sugarcane aphid crashing in some places and rebounding in Hale and Swisher counties. Upcoming cotton field days. (8:04)
9/17/2020 (external link). Special Edition: The Art and Science of Cotton Harvest Aids on the Southern High Plains. Blayne Reed and Kerry Siders discuss timing of harvest aid application, the different types of harvest aids and scenarios for their use. (20:54)
9/16/2020 (external link) Corn and sorghum; mites not out of the picture. Sorghum: sugarcane aphids limping along, headworms not gone. Cotton: aphids and stink bugs still out there. Why has cotton turned? Is it disease or wind, cold, insufficient water? Working with our pathologist to find out. Peanuts: black hull, otherwise looks good. (9:14)
9/9/2020 (external link) Cold will slow cotton down but not too serious unless it freezes. Keep drip irrigation running a while longer unless we get 1/2 - 1" of rain. Sorghum: sugarcane aphids and headworms still a threat in some fields. Wheat: nothing can be done to prevent army cutworm next year, but seed treatments are recommended for fall planting. It is a good time to take stock of plant diseases in the field. (7:14)
9/2/2020 (external link) Guidelines on when to shut off irrigation in cotton. Pests quiet but bollworm threat remains. Isolated stink bug risk. Morning glory weed control. Sorghum: midge, headworms and spotty sugarcane aphids. Corn: mites still a threat to late fields, rain could promote disease. (6:41)
8/26/2020 (external link) Cotton: bollworm populations low, some fields no longer at risk. Keep up with irrigation to fill last bolls. Yellowstriped armyworm very abundant on pigweed in Hockley and Cochran counties, can move to cotton. Corn: mites still a threat to younger crop. Sorghum: sugarcane aphid pressure still increasing, many fields treated, sorghum midge very active in places. Sesame: sesame leafroller is here and some fields have been treated - scout now. Peanuts: leaf spot and caterpillar pressure light. (8:04)
8/19/2020 (external link). This is the critical week for bollworms - but the good news is numbers are not high (yet). Fields that reached 5 NAWF by August 1 are probably safe from worm damage. Continue to scout for Lygus. Sorghum: many fields at threshold for sugarcane aphid, hedgehog aphids in places. Corn: spider mites increasing. Peanuts: diseases still low but might change with rain. (8:32)
8/12/2020 (external link) Bollworm pressure increasing in north, other pests occasional. Sorghum: sugarcane aphid generally increasing, hedgehog aphid found doing damage, fall armyworm ragging up whorl stage plants, spider mites in places. Corn: continue to watch for spider mites. Peanuts look good but watch the weather for changes. (9:17)
8/5/2020 (external link) Cotton at or near 5 Nodes Above White Flower - why this is important and what to do if you are significantly behind. Bollworms present, and a mix of other pests that can bite you if they flare up. Peak water use upon us or just past. Don't let up on scouting. Evaluate verticillium in fields. Corn: spider mites at varying levels. Sorghum: no midge or headworms, fall armyworm numbers rising and damaging whorl stage, sugarcane aphids simmering. (11:04)
7/29/2020 (external link) Cotton: Bollworm trap counts rising, Lygus at treatable levels in places, aphid increasing slowly. Check nodes above white flower and irrigate if you can to hold at 5 NAWF. July 31 is the last Dicamba application date. Herbicides to clean up problems in cotton. Corn: Mites increasing. Sorghum: watch for sugarcane aphid. (7:43)
7/22/2020 (external link) Cotton: Lygus still a threat, and some fleahoppers, be careful about PGR applications. Corn: spider mites low to high. Sorghum: Sugarcane aphid still wimpy. (7:59)
7/15/2020 (external link) Peanuts: time to wrap up fertility programs, irrigate to create the proper environment for flowering, pegging and pod development. Cotton: fleahopper still a threat. Mite pressure increasing in corn, sugarcane aphid in Lubbock, Hale and Crosby county sorghum. (7:41)
7/8/2020 (external link) Fleahopper increasing in cotton, a few lygus, false chinch bug lower, some PGRs going out. Irrigation critical, wheat stubble sucking water out of the ground. A few spider mites in corn, some fall armyworm in sorghum. Sugarcane aphid not here yet, but don't confuse corn leaf aphid with sugarcane aphid. (6:40)
7/2/2020 (external link) Cotton pests relatively light, be careful about controlling border weeds, when to expect first bloom, false chinch bug in cotton. Corn: mite pressure increasing. (7:24)
6/24/2020 (external link) Wind/hail damage to cotton, protect square set from plant bugs and fleahoppers, grasshoppers in margins. Consider cotton PGR application, start fertility program. Corn and sorghum quiet, fall armyworm numbers increase sharply in traps. (8:38)
6/17/2020 (external link) Cotton development behind, pests low except thrips in places, monitor insects as squaring starts. Weeds threatening; use Dicamba while you can. Corn; a few mites, gray leaf spot. (7:27)
6/10/2020 (external link) Helpful rain, several cotton fields lost, check stand counts in cotton, thrips still high in cotton in places. Corn and sorghum looking pretty good. A few oddball pests in cotton like grasshoppers and false chinch bugs. (6:08)
6/3/2020 (external link) Rain critical, dryland in peril, thrips very high in places like Tulia, a few cotton aphids starting, pillbugs and other things in no-till or minimum till with heavy cover. (6:31)
5/27/2020 (external link) Planting and crop growth updates, thrips thick in places but seed treatments holding, pillbugs in cotton, window closing for herbicides in grass crops, assess cotton stands for minimum plant populations. (7:36)
5/20/2020 (external link) Thrips very numerous, scouting needed, cotton coming up, more wireworms in the south (6:54)
5/13/2020 (external link) Rains may have affected herbicide placement, chilling injury and wireworm damage to cotton, fall armyworm far below average (7:12).
5/6/2020 (external link) Dry conditions, planting, heavy thrips but no hosts yet, wireworm concern in cotton, seeding rate, Pima cotton - know the seed source. (7:36)
4/29/20 (external link) Alfalfa weevil still numerous, significant wheat freeze damage - especially dryland, drought building, cotton planting - consider night temperatures - below 55 degrees not good. (7:36)
4/22/2020 (external link) Soil temperatures still too cool for cotton planting. Seeding rates in cold soils. A few aphids in alfalfa. Wheat freeze damage not bad. (8:48)
4/15/2020 (external link) Inspect wheat for freeze damage and make sure you still want to take it to grain, soil temperatures declined; too early to plant cotton. (9:58) Wheat freeze injury publication.
4/8/2020 (external link) Wheat cover getting too tall, decisions to take wheat to grain or not, disease risk in wheat increasing, now is the time for weed control, are cotton seed treatments needed, it is still too early to plant cotton. (13:19)
4/1/2020 (external link) Army cutworms in wheat, alfalfa weevils in alfalfa, planning weed control, start of striped rust and mixed aphids in wheat, lots of beneficial insects. 10 minutes 44 seconds.