Cotton Insect Newsletter Vol. 19, No. 14, August 15, 2001 Call 1-877-629-1474 for Cotton Insect Hotline

Cotton Situation:  After about two weeks of hot, dry weather conditions in the Florence area, we finally received from ½ to 1" of rain yesterday.  There were a few reports of 3 to 4", but there were more reports of small showers or nothing at all.  Thus, the overall condition of the cotton crop has made a turn for the worse.  We are seeing more problems with moisture stress in late-planted cotton this year than has typically been the case.  In fact, cotton planted during late May and early June has performed quite well in recent years.  However, when late-maturing cotton plants are deprived of water in the middle of their fruiting cycle, as has been the case this year, there is simply not enough time to make it up.  By the time the cotton plants set squares to produce more bolls, it will be too late for these to contribute much to yield.  Most blooms formed after September 1 will have little chance of producing harvestable bolls.   Cotton Information:  I like to remind you from time to time that cotton insect information may be obtained in several ways.  I update the Cotton Insect Hotline (see the phone number above) on Tuesdays and Fridays.  This means of communication was established with financial assistance from the South Carolina Cotton Board.  Cotton Insect Blurbs is an insect status report that is transmitted through the Clemson University Cotton Listserver.  If you sign up for this, you will receive information as email messages.  If you want to sign up for the Listserver, just send me an email message with your name and address to mroof@clemson.edu.  If you have information concerning the insect situation in your particular area, please share it with me and I will pass it along to others.  The Cotton Insect Newsletter is now available through the internet at http://www.clemson.edu/peedeerec/.  You can see the Newsletter at this web site soon after it has been written, usually by 1:00 every Wednesday during the growing season.  Archived newsletters are available as well.  For example, you can view the Newsletter from the previous week or look at one published at about the same time in 2000. Insect Situation:  There does not appear to be much happening with bollworms this week.  The moth numbers in our pheromone traps have been lower.  Egg counts and small worm counts have also been lower than last week.  Most of the cotton in this area has lost its attractiveness.  The soybeans that are blooming and setting pods right now will probably be pulling in a higher percentage of the bollworm moths. Stink bugs are present in most cotton fields in the Pee Dee and probably throughout the state.  They are capable of damaging bolls until they are about 20 days old, but bolls from 4 to 12 days old will probably get most of the action.  If you have cotton fields with plants that have bloomed out the tops, a very low percentage of the bolls will be susceptible to stink bug injury, therefore, you would need to adjust the 15% damaged boll threshold accordingly.  As I mentioned last week, the small bolls formed in the tops of the plants and at 2nd through 4th positions will have less value than the bolls at the prime positions that are already safe from attack. Plant bugs have the capability of producing boll damage similar to that caused by stink bugs.  Generally, lygus bugs are easier to find and if you have large numbers of these bugs in a field, you will see some flowers with darkened anthers and warty spots on the petals.  I have heard reports of plant bug adults and nymphs showing up in some Savannah Valley and Piedmont area fields, but in fields that we have checked in the Pee Dee area this year, plant bugs have been few and far between.  Beet armyworms were found in a few fields in Dillon County.  I still haven't heard any reports from elsewhere in the state, but I can't help but think that a few beets might be found in other places.  It's almost too late for these insects to cause economic problems except in late-planted cotton.  Most of their feeding injury will be confined to leaves, squares and blooms.  During past years when beet armyworms have caused a lot of damage, widespread infestations had already occurred by this time of year, with insecticide treatments already going out.  Fall armyworms are apparently at the lowest level we have seen in years.  If you think back, there wasn't much said about falls in cotton last year either.  There were some problems reported in 2000 in coastal Bermuda grass. What's Going on With Lepidoptera?  It does seem that the numbers of most of the moth pests in cotton have been decreasing during the last few years.  Bollworms haven't exactly overwhelmed us this year and I haven't heard of anyone not being able to control them.  Budworms were almost nonexistent, except for a few areas in the state.  Fall armyworms hardly showed at all, and beet numbers seem to be low as well.  It's still a little early to talk about soybean loopers, but they only rarely present problems.  Perhaps the Bt-cotton is affecting the populations of these insects.  If that be the case, imagine what will happen to these pests when Bollgard II comes along.  It will be much more effective against bollworms, armyworms, and soybean loopers. Cropping Systems Field Day at the PDREC:  Plan to attend this field day on September 13.  Research information will be presented on cotton, soybean, peanut, and wildlife food production. Home and Garden Festival at the PDREC:  Speakers and exhibitors will cover a wide range of subjects about growing plants in and around the house at this festival that will be held on Saturday, September 15.   Mitchell Roof  Extension Entomologist

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