Thursday, July 17, 1997

Hot weather bringing rapid growth to area cotton crop

By J.T. SMITH / Abilene Reporter-News

Oldtimers have long observed that some of the top crops have been the ones that were the toughest to get started.

That may prove to be the case this year.

An extremely rainy and unseasonally chilly spring made it difficult to get the cotton crop planted in much of the Abilene region.

But now there is good subsoil moisture - thanks to those rains - and hot, sunny days have the cotton crop making rapid growth.

"Moisture is adequate in most of the area, and there is little difference in dryland and irrigated fields," said Emory P. Boring III, veteran Texas A&M entomologist based in Vernon.

Cotton mostly ranged from the 5- to 6-leaf stage through the second week of squaring.

A few fields are blooming.

"Cotton should be setting at least 75 percent of the squares during the first three weeks of square production," Boring noted.

Fleahoppers are damaging some cotton. Cotton that has set six to eight squares per plant can tolerate heavier fleahopper numbers.

Boll weevils showing up

Boring reports that boll weevils are continuing to move into cotton fields on the Rolling Plains.

Paul Weiser, Billy Whitaker and Danny Lambreth are maintaining traplines for boll weevils in Knox and Haskell counties.

Weldon and Ferdie Walker are monitoring weevil traps in the Walker Area southwest of Stamford in Jones County.

Both feeding and egg punctures by boll weevils are evident in several fields, Boring notes.

Meanwhile, bollworms also are being found in cotton fields.

Bollworm trap numbers have increased in Knox and Haskell counties.

Boring says that increased activity by bollworm moths is expected over this entire region from now through July 22.

In addition to insects, many cotton growers are experiencing a major battle in controlling weed infestations in fields.