COTTON WORKSHOP TO FOCUS ON FIRST SQUARE TO BLOOM

    Some of our early planted cotton will be producing the first square very soon and thus enter a growing stage that is of critical importance as yield potential is being determined.  This time of development for the cotton plant is critical, as by the time the cotton plant begins to bloom, 80 to 90% of crop to be harvested is on the plant.
    Currently our cotton crop is growing through a stage of development in which the roots grow faster than the plant parts above ground.  A young taproot may extend 6 inches into the soil by the time the first true leaf is visible.  Then soon after the first true leaf appears, the roots begin developing an extensive lateral system.  Roots grow where moisture, oxygen and temperature are optimum. As these three factors decline, root growth slows and, as a consequence, the plant takes up less water and nutrients.  This would explain why recent very wet conditions in some parts of the county, actually stressed the young cotton plants, as too much water starved the plant of oxygen.
    Before the reproductive stage is reached in the cotton plant, the primary insect pests of cotton are the thrips complex and the aphid complex.  Recent research has shown that cotton is extremely susceptible to thrips damage before squaring. By the time producers notice damage (crinkled leaves, leaf margins curling upwards), the economic damage has been done.
    In general, weed control is critical during the first 6 weeks of the season.  Although having a few weeds in a field generally has little effect on production and harvesting, having many weeds can cause severe problems.  Research has shown that if weed competition ends at 4 weeks, little yield is lost, however beyond that 4 week time frame, competition from weeds begin to reduce cotton yields.
    To address critical management issues during this time of crop development, the Gulf Coast Cotton Management Workshop will be held on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 with the focus on “First Square to First Bloom.”   The workshop will be held at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at 10345, State Hwy 44, just west of the Corpus Christi Airport.
    Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. followed by the program at 8:30 a.m and will conclude by 11:30 a.m.  Workshop topics and speakers will include the following; Overview and Current Crop Conditions by Dr. Juan Landivar, Resident Director of the Research Center, Physiology of Cotton Plant by Dr. Carlos Fernandez, AgriLife Research Scientist, Managing Fertility, Plant Height, and Square Retention, by Dr. Dan Fromme, Extension Agronomist, Insect Management by Dr’s Roy Parker, Extension Entomologist and Mike Brewer, AgriLife Research Entomologist, and Using Computer Online Tools to Help Manage Crop by Jeffrey Stapper, County Extension Agent - Nueces County, and Carlos Fernandez.
    Participants in the workshop will be awarded CEU’s toward their Pesticide Applicator and Certified Crop Advisor Licences.  This workshop is one of a series that will be held throughout the growing season this year. The workshop is being sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Texas AgriLife Research.  More details are available from the Nueces County Extension Office at 361-767-5223.
Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin.  Individuals with disabilities, who require an auxiliary aid, service or accommodation in order to participate in any of the mentioned activities, are encouraged to contact the County Extension Office eight days before all programs for assistance.

GRAIN SORGHUM SHOWING NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES

    The rains we received last week were both beneficial and detrimental, depending on wether you received 1-inch or 3-inches plus your neighbors runoff from out west.  Fields along some of our major creeks, like Petronila Creek were under water for several days, thus drowning or severely stressing crops from super saturated conditions.  Our recent warm temperatures have helped move along our degree day units, if fact for grain sorghum and corn we are back up to about 93% of normal, while our cotton degree day units are about 98% of normal.  Our wheat crop continues to develop well with some reports of rice stink bug damage occurring on grain that was in the milk to soft dough stage.
    Our grain sorghum crop growth stages range from just a few leaves to reaching the stage of growth at which time many things begin to happen with the plant. For the older sorghum plants, the total number of leaves has been determined and the grain head size is being determined at this time.  Now is also the time that rapid nutrient uptake is occurring and yes we are seeing some nutrient deficiencies.  These nutrient deficiencies tend to be more obvious in situations with adequate soil moisture, when the plant is growing rapidly, and in many cases has a small root system, so it can not capture all of the nutrients that it needs.  Until grain sorghum develops an extensive root  system, young plants may not be able to obtain enough ferrous iron to maintain normal growth on some soils. Although iron is not a part of the chlorophyll molecule, it is required to supply enough chlorophyll to support the growth of new leaf tissue.
    High-pH, calcareous soils not only reduce the availability of soluble iron in the soil; they also change the soil’s cation-exchange capacity so that less iron is present and available for exchange overall. The result is a more slowly growing plant and subsequent uneven flowering dates. This not only delays ripening of grain and harvest , but the uneven pollination undermines an effective insecticide spray program for controlling sorghum midge.
    Mild chlorosis ranges from a lighter green leaf color that progresses to increasing interveinal striping, to almost no visual symptoms.  Moderate chlorosis is seen where sorghum plants are yellow or yellow-green in strips, or irregularly  shaped areas of the field. Fields may have intermittent blotches of chlorotic plants scattered in a salt-and-pepper (random) arrangement. Iron chlorosis is often sporadic throughout the field, or it may be associated with some land-moving event.
    Visual symptoms are often the best indicator of whether or not to treat chlorotic fields or parts of fields for iron chlorosis.  Applying iron as a foliar spray is effective in restoring the green color and they are most effective when repeated at 10-day to two-week intervals. Several products are available for field use to correct iron chlorosis.  Iron sprays require a spreader-sticker or detergent in order to be effective. If a commercial spreadersticker is not available, ordinary household detergent may be used at rates of 1/4 to ½ pint per 50 gallons of solution. Thorough coverage and wetting of the entire leaf surface is necessary for good results. Avoid too much detergent to minimize the chances of leaf burn.

WET WEATHER PROMOTES FUNGI IN WHEAT

The week of cloudy, wet weather has promoted conditions in our wheat fields that is ideal for the growth of Black Head Molds or Sooty Head Molds.  Yesterday, I and Dr. Ron Duncan, Small Grains Specialist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service were examining wheat fields around the county and we found this fungi, giving heads a dirty or sooty appearance, called Sooty Head Mold.  These fungi are considered to be a saprophytic or possibly weak or opportunistic parasites, but they can accelerate senescence and many contribute to kernel smudge.
Control measures are rarely justified.  During harvest, clouds of dark spores are common in fields in which this fungi is present.

Another Grassbur Control Option Available

Pastora herbicide (nicosulfuron + metsulfuron) has received a Section 18 Emergency Exemption label for use in bermudagrass pastures and hay meadows for control of sandbur (grassbur) through June 30, 2010.  At this point, the product can only be applied to control grassbur, so this weed must be present at the site.  Pastora is effective for controlling grassbur up to 1.5 inches tall, so timeliness of the application is very important, requiring a conscious scouting of the field for emergence.  Pastora must be applied to bermudagrass that is less than 4 inches tall to insure adequate interception of the herbicide by the grassbur plants.  As always, be sure to read and follow the label directions.

WHEAT AND OILSEED FIELD TOUR SET

    Despite very wet conditions this past fall and winter that prevented some folks from getting their wheat planted, there will be some wheat made this year in Nueces County.  A Spring Wheat Variety Trial was established on January 12, 2010 at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.  In addition,  Cool-Season Oilseed Crops were also planted to evaluate their potential in the Coastal Bend of Texas.
    To show these crops potential, a Field Tour has been scheduled for Thursday, April 15, 2010 at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center on HWY 44, just west of the Corpus Christi Airport.   The Field Tour will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. followed by the program at 9:00 a.m.  An indoor session will focus on current Wheat and Oilseed Markets, Wheat Production Update, Cool Season Oilseed Options, Sunflower Best Management Practices, and Guar Production Potential.  The program will then move outside to tour the variety trials which will conclude by 11:45 a.m.   The variety trials consist of; 11 spring wheat, 7 safflower, 7 camelina, 13 canola, and 9 flax. Participants in the program will be awarded 2 CEU’s. This program is being sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service of Nueces County and the local Agricultural Advisory Committee.
Individuals with disabilities, who require an auxiliary aid, service or accommodation in order to participate in any of the mentioned activities, are encouraged to contact the County Extension Office eight days before all programs for assistance. Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

TIPS FOR BERMUDAGRASS ESTABLISHMENT

    Coming out of a couple of real dry years, in which we saw some decline of desirable forage and the encroachment of invader type plants that are not desirable, many folks are wanting to renovate some old pastures and hay meadows with a bermudagrass.
     So your first decision is selecting the forage variety, and if you want to go with a bermudagrass, here are some factors to consider.  Bermudagrass is the most widely grown introduced warm-season grasses in the Southeast, and maybe Texas, but is less common here in South Texas.  Bermudagrass is well adapted to a wetter climate and require large amounts of nitrogen to be productive.  An advantage of bermudagrass is that it can take heavy grazing pressure and many cattleman like bermudgrass hay.  There are many varieties, both hybrids and seeded types and Coastal hybrid  is the most widely used.  However, a newer variety, Tifton 85, has improved quality and yield and has also been found to be as drought tolerant as Coastal.  Jiggs seems to work better in heavy clay soils, however it is susceptible to leave diseases.  Seeded varieties most common include Giant and NK-37, although these two grasses produce less forage than the hybrids, since they are seeded this can be an advantage for small acreage.  There are other seeded bermudgrass varieties like, Comanche, Mohawk, SunGrazer Plus and Common that one might also consider.
    Establishment of the grass is a critical step, especially when one considers the time, effort, and expense involved in getting a new forage established.  The ideal seedbed should be smooth, firm, weed free, moist, fertile, free of excess residue or trash, compaction zones, and has good soil structure.
    Initial tillage may include moldboard plowing, heavy disking with an offset disk, chiseling, or subsoiling.  The soil should be worked with a disk to eliminate trash and reduce clod size.  The seedbed should be free of clods, firm, and not “fluffy.”
    The soil should be tested to determine what fertilizer is needed and a preplant fertilizer should be incorporated according to soil test recommendations. During the establishment stage, grasses need only small amounts of nitrogen, however once the grass begins to grow, the demand for nitrogen increases rapidly.
    Bermudagrass hybrids are commonly propagated by planting plant parts like sprigs (underground storage roots), stolons (above ground runners), or tops (mature stems).  Sprigs are planted in a furrow just behind an opening device, covered and rolled in a single operation, and is typically done in late winter or early spring.  In a dryland system, the depth that sprigs are placed is  usually 2 to 2.5 inches.  The “ideal” sprig is 5 to 6 inches long, planted with one end 2 inches deep and the other end on the soil surface.  If soil is dry, water should be applied immediately after planting.  Use only fresh sprigs from a certified grower.  If sprigs have been dug for more than 24 hours, they should be soaked in water for 12 to 15 hours before planting.  Planting rates of sprigs per acre can vary, depending on how fast a good stand is desired.  Planting rates usually range from 25 to 40 bushels per acre.  On another note, Tifton 85 prefers warm temperatures, so sprigs of Tifton 85 should not be dug and planted until the night time temperatures reach the mid to upper 50's, while Coastal sprigs can be dug during the dormant stage.
    Planting tops is different from planting sprigs in that you are actually planting above ground stems.  These tops must develop roots from the nodes.  A good top, will be about 6 weeks old, 18-24 inches long and have at least 6 nodes.  Planting tops allows one to plant later in the growing season as long as soil moisture is sufficient.  Tifton 85 and Jiggs are easier to root by tops than other hybrid grasses.  Tops should be planted at a rate of 5 to 7 bales per acre and should be planted as soon as possible after baled.  Scatter and disk tops into moist soil before they wilt, as tops can die within minutes.  Pack the soil immediately using a roller to prevent excessive moisture loss and ensure good soil contact.
    If you choose to plant a seeded variety, they are generally seeded at 8-10 pounds of unhulled seed per acre for the quickest establishment.
    More information on establishing a bermudgrass pasture can be obtained from your local County Extension Agent or online at the Texas AgriLife Bookstore, http://agrilifebookstore.org/
and then search for Forage Bermudagrass.

BE COUNTED WITH U.S. CENSUS

    The U.S. Census forms are currently being delivered to every residence in the United States. When you receive yours, just answer the ten short questions and then mail back the form in the postage-paid envelope provided.  If you do not mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker, who will ask you the questions from the form.  Any personal data you provide is protected under federal law.  So do your part and be counted, as the data collected will determine our future number or representatives in Congress.