Cotton Situation: Temperatures have cooled this week, with highs in the low to mid 80's and lows in the 60's.   Bolls are opening rapidly, with some fields in the Pee Dee area already 25-50% open.  The latest planted cotton fields are maturing bolls in the lower fruiting positions, while higher positions are occupied by developing fruit that will remain susceptible to insect attack for the next few weeks.
For more information on the relationship between boll age and insect attack see Newsletter 13, August 16 ( http://www.clemson.edu/peedeerec/COTTON/insect12.html ). 

Insect Situation: We are catching quite a few bollworm and budworm moths in some of our pheromone traps.  There are still plenty of moths around to cause problems in late-maturing cotton.   Other lepidopteran pests have been keeping a surprisingly low profile.  A few fall armyworms and  beet armyworms have been observed, but I’m not aware of any serious problems.  Keep an eye out for soybean loopers defoliating cotton plants.   Developing bolls can be reduced in size and value by insect damage to subtending leaves.   Stink bugs will continue to damage young bolls. Aphids and whiteflies are increasing in some fields.

Honeydew/Lint: Sucking insects are a potential problem in cotton from the time bolls begin to open until defoliation occurs.  Heavy infestations of aphids and whiteflies may extract great quantities of sap from the cotton plant and excrete it back on the plant as honeydew, which has a high sugar content (30%+).  This material can be seen on lower leaves when aphids or  whiteflies feed in terminals.   Honeydew falling on open bolls will produce sticky cotton, followed by the growth of sooty molds that may reduce color grades. 

Earlier this week, I saw a field with cotton plants still squaring freely.  The lower leaves were very shiny, indicating that honeydew was being produced by either aphids or whiteflies.  As it turned out, there was a mixed population of banded-wing whiteflies and cotton aphids.   I did not advise treating with an insecticide, because there was good soil moisture and the plants did not appear to be stressed.   The upper leaves were not drooping at all.   None of the lower bolls had opened, so there was no danger of “sticky cotton” or sooty mold development.  More rain, and a good helping of disease for the aphids will probably remedy this situation without the use of insecticides.  If the same situation were developing in more mature cotton with many open bolls, I would be much more concerned.   Also, if leaves had been showing signs of wilting, insecticidal intervention may have been an appropriate measure.

Boll Weevil Containment Program: I talked with Randal Lynch this morning and he indicated that program operations appear to be on the right track, and no boll weevils have been trapped.   He reminded me about the Southeastern Grower Foundation meeting in South Carolina on September 6 and 7 at the Embassy Suites at I-26 and Bush River Road in Columbia.  This meeting is usually held in Montgomery, Alabama, but is being held in South Carolina to honor the efforts of Mr. Robert Lee Scarborough in eradicating the boll weevil.   The meeting will begin on Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. and it will continue the next morning.  There will be several grower representatives in attendance from North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Alabama, as well as South Carolina. 

Final acreage figures are not in, but it looks like we had about 285,000 acres of cotton in South Carolina this year - - a considerable drop in acreage from 1999.  Darlington County was the champ, with nearly 35,000 acres.   Please continue to monitor the trapping activities in your area, and if you see problems report them by calling 1-800-269-9928.

Final Newsletter: This will be the final newsletter of the year.  I will continue to update the Cotton Insect Hotline (1-877-6291474) on Tuesdays and Fridays until insects are no longer a problem.   Cotton Insect Blurbs on the Cotton Listserver will also be a source of information about insects.

Mitchell Roof
Extension Entomologist