HAIL DAMAGED COTTON WILL DELAY MATURITY

Recent storms dropped hail on some fields of cotton in the Coastal Bend. Deciding what to do with a field of cotton after a hail event is often a difficult decision yet can also be simple.  Your best option is to avoid going into the field for several days as cotton will look terrible the day after hail event. If weeds are an issue, give the cotton some time to recover before herbicides are applied.

            So when you do go back to the field what should one look for?  When looking in a hail-damaged field, examine the plants to see what percent have a terminal loss and what percent are cut off below the cotyledon node. Those cut off below the cotyledon node will probably not recover. Those that do not have a terminal will probably recover but produce a crazy plant with many branches due to the loss of apical dominance. These plants can produce cotton but maturity will be delayed and will be subjected to the problems associated with late cotton, namely, insects, weather, and increased production cost with low potential returns.

            If the survivable plant population is greater than 20,000 plants per acre, and the stand is uniform I would keep it. Plants with damaged terminal will develop new reproductive  branches which will set fruit and can reach 80-100% of the pre-hail yield potential.  However, maturity will be delayed and pest and agronomic management must be adjusted for a late crop.        

            If the weather turns favorable after a hail storm event, with timely rainfall events, plant recovery will be impressive. One reason is the increased root: shoot ratio.  Following the hail event, the plant now has a large relative root system to provide lots of nutrients and water to the smaller shoot with lower leaf area.  The reduced leaf area and injured leaves is one of the reasons why attempting to foliar feed hail damaged cotton has not been successful.

            There are no miracle cures that can be sprayed on the fields to increase survival or yields.

The very thing that makes cotton so complicated to manage, being an indeterminate perennial, gives cotton an advantage over other crops when hit by hail. Cotton can recover much better from hail damage than corn.

            Hail damaged cotton will produce numerous vegetative branches and hail damaged fields will also act like and need to be treated like "late cotton." Assuming good growing conditions following the hail event, a plant growth regulator (mepaquat type product) will likely be necessary as they have shown to have a beneficial impact on this type of damaged cotton.. These applications should be made after the cotton has recovered and branching and square set is occurring.  If we do not get the timely rainfall during the rest of the growing season, the application of mepaquat products may not be needed.

NEW TOOL TO BATTLE MESQUITE

            Last week I participated in an educational event in the Kingsville area that focused on managing mesquite on our rangelands.  A new tool, a herbicide called Sendero^TM by Dow AgroSciences was discussed in great detail.  This product has two active ingredients, namely aminopyralid + clopyralid, which means that it is not a restricted use herbicide and does not require a pesticide applicator’s license to purchase.  Recent testing of this herbicide has shown that it provides nearly 40 percent more consistent control than the traditional mix of Remedy Ultra and Reclaim.

            So when is the best time to make foliar applications of herbicide to mesquite?  Research has shown that the optimum time to treat is when:

1) the soil temperature at 12-inches below the surface is 75^◦F or higher

2) the mesquite leaves are a dark green color all over, rather than some light green new growth at the ends.  Applications should be avoided immediately following a significant rainfall, as the production of too much new growth will reduce the movement of herbicide to roots.  This could be a problem with the recent rains this year!  Simply wait until all the leaves have turned a dark green color again before treating.

3) the mesquite tree is not flowering or elongating the beans.  In the Coastal Bend this year that time should be occurring around 63 to 72 days after budbreak or from May 4 to May 12, assuming a March 1 budbreak date.  So the optimum time to make a foliar herbicide application this year, if all of the environmental conditions are good, would be approximately from May 13 to May 30.

4) the leaves are healthy. No more than 25% of the leaves can have damage by insects, hail, disease, or rodents.  Soil moisture is another important factor to consider before treating.  Even though mesquite is a deep rooted plant, treatments should be delayed if plants are under drought stress.

           

            If you miss the foliar treatment timing window, you do have other options to help manage mesquite, including of course mechanical treatments or basal stem treatments.  More information regarding honey mesquite control may be obtained from your local County Extension Office or at the web site; http://pestman.tamu.edu/

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. This information is presented in good faith, but no warranty, express or implied, is given. Weed and brush control results may vary tremendously if treatments are applied under less than optimum conditions. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended, and no endorsement by Texas Agrilife Extension Service.

SORGHUM CROP SHOWING SEVERE DROUGHT STRESS

            In the southern parts of Nueces county, and western parts of the Coastal Bend , grain sorghum is showing severe moisture stress and questions are being asked about possible options or fate of this crop. One of the reasons we grow grain sorghum in the Coastal Bend is that sorghum is drought tolerant and unfortunately we seem to have our share of droughts.  Currently we have grain sorghum at all stages of development, however most is in the stage – panicle initiation, just prior to flowering, at which time moisture stress can cause significant yield reduction.

            So let’s review some factors that make grain sorghum so drought tolerant.  First the sorghum plant has an aggressive root system with a higher root density that allows deep water extraction, in fact some research indicates that 90% of the total water used by the sorghum plant can come from a soil depth up to 5.4 feet, however most comes from the top three feet of soil. Our problem this year, we have very limited deep soil moisture as we learned from soil core samples we took back in February.  So we knew going into this crop year that if we did not get timely rainfall events after planting, our crops could become moisture stressed.

            In addition to a good root system, other drought tolerant traits of grain sorghum include stomata that remain open at a wide range of leaf turgor, and stomata that close at higher levels of stress, thus avoiding further water loss.  Then there is the leaf roll, that we all see occurring now, that also avoids further water loss by decreasing surface area of leaf contact with radiation.  This leaf roll usually begins after 10 to 14 days of water stress.  Yet with all of these traits, when there is no water, the crop suffers badly.

At some point the moisture stress becomes so severe that the plant has reached a point of no recovery, even if rain events begin soon.  So when has the crop reached a point of calling the insurance adjuster to the field?  According to USDA Grain Sorghum Loss Adjustment Standards Handbook,  http://www.rma.usda.gov/handbooks/25000/2010/10_25210.pdf , grain sorghum has reached the permanent wilting point when plants are damaged to the point that the leaves remain tightly rolled throughout the night and the four lower leaves of the plant are brown and brittle and during the day will crumble when rolled between the hands.  So the bottom line is, when the crop reaches the permanent wilting point, the crop is done.So if you have grain sorghum leaves that are crispy dry in the early morning after having overnight relief and then remain that way throughout the day, you can pursue the permanent wilt cause of loss with your crop insurance.

            Could you harvest the stressed crop for hay?  Yes, that would be one possibility, but there are factors to consider.  Before you choose this option, be sure to check with your crop insurance provider.

            Drought-stressed crops like grain sorghum and corn may result in the accumulation of nitrate at levels that are toxic to livestock.  Nitrates naturally occur in plants.  At normal plant nitrate levels, rumen microflora convert ingested nitrates into microbial proteins that are then used by the animal.  When the uptake of nitrates exceeds the rate of use to sustain rapid growth, excessive accumulation may occur, as is the typically the case when plants are stressed due to drought—even though sorghum or other plants may not be growing, they are still accumulating nitrate. Moreover, accumulation may be amplified when high rates of nitrogen fertilizer were applied prior to the stress period.

            Nitrate toxicity is often associated with sorghum hybrids, sudangrass, johnsongrass, sorghumsudan hybrids, corn, and carelessweed (pigweed).  If you produce or plan to use any of these crops for hay, testing for nitrates is strongly recommended when the crop is produced under conditions of moisture stress.

            Research at the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory at Texas A&M University has found that it is safe to feed forage containing up to 1 percent nitrate (on a dry-matter basis) to healthy ruminants.  Forage with a higher percentage of nitrate could be fed if it is ground and mixed with low nitrate forage to reduce the overall nitrate levels to less than 1 percent (dry-matter basis).  Forage containing 0.5 to 1 percent nitrate should not be fed to weakened cattle unless your veterinarian has approved it.  The 1 percent nitrate level assumes that cattle are healthy, well conditioned, and being fed a high-energy diet.  An online reference regarding Nitrates and Prussic Acid in Forages can be found at the web site; https://agrilifebookstore.org/ by typing E-543.

            If forages contain too much nitrate the animals cannot complete the conversion process to protein and nitrite levels build up.  The result is the formation of methhemoglobin which can cause an animal to die from asphyxiation, or lack of oxygen.  The animal’s blood turns brown instead of the normal bright red.

            When sampling for nitrates, it is important to remember that nitrate accumulates in the lower stem, and the least is found in the leaves.  If sampling corn, grain sorghum, and sorghum-sudangrass standing forage, create a composite sample from plant parts taken from at least 10 to 15 areas with the same fertility and moisture conditions.  Do not mix plants from “good” and “bad” parts of the field. Create different composite samples for these areas.  Ship samples to the laboratory in clean paper sacks. Do not use plastic bags because the high moisture content will cause the samples to mold, which interferes with the nitrate analysis.

           To sample corn, grain sorghum and sorghum-sudangrass in bales, the bale must be split open and the lower stems of individual plants must be collected. If the bale is going to be ground before it is going to be fed, then representative core samples can be taken with a bale probe.  Samples can be submitted to the Texas AgriLife Extension Service Soil, Water, and Forage Testing Laboratory. Submittal forms are available online at http://soiltesting.tamu.edu

If Considering Restocking - Use Caution

If you are in the cattle business and you look across your pasture and see a lot of green, in many cases that green is probably weeds, and grasses still have a way to go before they are recovered from the drought. Parts of Texas have had significant rain and folks are starting to talk about restocking their cattle herd, but here is a word of caution. We may not be out of the drought yet! In contrast, if you are south of Hwy 44 in Nueces County, you have missed out on many significant rain events and your pastures still are still moisture stressed.

 Some long range forecasts show that the drought will persist in South Texas or possibly even intensify. So if you are in South Texas and thinking about restocking, here are some questions you should ask yourself. How long is it going to take for your pasture to recover? What will this summer bring in regards to rain? The drought that we went through in 2011 was historic and had a significant impact on our forages, and it could take a year for grasses to recover provided rainfall returns on a regular schedule.

 The drought obviously reduced above ground growth last year and at the same time, roots of these plants were also stressed, adding to the length of time it will take for these plants to recover. One also needs to evaluate what you had to spend this past year to feed hay and other feedstuffs. Along with that expense, you might be in for some real sticker shock when you go to purchase replacement cattle. So, before restocking, consider a rebuilding plan and think seriously about your stocking rate. Moreover a rotational grazing system can improve overall range health by giving plants rest from grazing. Plants will be more vigorous and their root systems better developed if you use a rotational grazing system. In areas where droughts are common, breeding herds should constitute no more than 50 to 70 percent of the total carrying capacity of the ranch during normal years. The rest of the herd should be yearlings or stocker animals.

 We here in Texas should always keep drought in our stocking plans, or simply said, we should have our pastures stocked for drought at all times. If we get into a period of above normal rainfall and we have a lot of extra forage, there are several ways you can utilize that extra forage, graze it, lease it out for grazing, or possibly bale it. In contrast, you cannot feed your way out of a drought and be profitable. If you are completely destocked, maybe you choose just to stay out a year and let your pastures recover. After all, rangeland recovery only comes with rest.

 Keep in mind that the decisions you make before and after a drought are just as important as those made during drought. Consider these strategies when dealing with drought: • Maintain as much carryover forage on the ground as possible. • Keep the herd composition flexible. • Implement a grazing system that allows periodic rest of native pastures. • De-stock as early as possible. Make adjustments before either the range or the livestock suffer. • Balance forage supply and demand before, during and after drought. • Protect the soil by maintaining minimum forage levels. • Refrain from fully restocking after the drought until the forage has recovered completely. We can all hope that this “La Nina” weather pattern is coming to a close and that we move to a more normal rainfall pattern, as this drought has gone on way too long!

GRAIN SORGHUM IS SHOWING SIGNS OF MOISTURE STRESS

Grain sorghum is known as a drought-tolerant crop and that is why it is so well adapted to the local region. Grain sorghum's ability to perform under dry conditions can be attributed to the sorghum plants rolling leaves as they wilt, thus reducing transpiration, the waxy covering over the leaf protecting it from drying and the extensive root system. This leaf rolling event has been occurring south of Robstown for the last few days, as crops are already moisture stressed this growing season.

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 cannot 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, too 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.

As one evaluates the overall condition of our grain sorghum crop, many fields are at that critical stage in which moisture demand is increasing rapidly and the plant is going into the reproductive stage of development. The average daily water use by grain sorghum is usually less than 0.10 inch until approximately the seven-leaf stage, depending upon climatic conditions. At this stage, water use increases rapidly and is likely to be 0.30 inch per day during the boot, bloom and early grain development stages. We sure need a good rain to move this crop along.
More information and on sorghum production can be found at http://www.sorghumcheckoff.com/sorghum-production-handbooks

Huskie Herbicide—Major Addition for Weed Control in Texas Grain Sorghum

Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, Lubbock, 806-746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu

• Over-the-top weed control in grain sorghum
• Excellent control of pigweed and many other broadleaf species
• Greatly reduced injury potential compared to 2,4-D and dicamba
• Atrazine suggested as a key tank mix partner to enhance weed control

Huskie was approved for use in grain sorghum in July 2011. Some producers in the Texas High Plains region used the herbicide in late planted grain sorghum, and they were very pleased with the results. Texas AgriLife staff have researched Huskie since 2009 (brief summary below).

Huskie is labeled for over the top use (POST) in grain sorghum from 3-leaf stage to 12” tall. The herbicide’s active ingredients contain two formulations of chemicals in Buctril and a second a.i. pyrasulfotole. Huskie has demonstrated good post-emerge control on Palmer ameranth and other pigweed species, kochia, species of morninggloery, marestail, henbit, etc. Partial control is noted on bindweed (possession vine) and puncturevine. Best weed control is noted for weeds at ≤ 4” tall.

Also, there are numerous tank mix options particularly atrazine, which is a key for optimum weed control in grain sorghum. In fact, the Huskie label all but encourages use of atrazine to ‘strengthen and expand weed control.’ Atrazine rates, of course, are dependent on soil texture (heavy, light), but tank mix rates range from 0.25-1.0 lbs./A. Other tank mix options include Ally, dicamba, Peak, and Starane. Use spray grade ammonium sulfate (AMS) at 0.5-1.0 lbs./A and non-ionic surfactant (NIS) if the tank mix partner requires it.

Injury potential is low: Texas AgriLife notes only minor to ~15% injury to 4-leaf sorghum, with little evidence of injury persisting past 3 weeks. Even less injury has been observed in 8-leaf stage grain sorghum. This is much less than the injury potential from either 2,4-D and dicamba.

Sample of weed control results:

High Plains—Bushland, 91%+ control at 7 & 42 days after treatment of 3-4” Palmer ameranth when applied alone at 13-16 oz./A; 95%+ control when applied with 0.5 lb. atrazine at 13 oz./A; adding 4 oz./A dicamba did not improve control.
Halfway, Huskie + atrazine, 94-97% control of 2-4” Palmer ameranth at 21 to 41 days after treatment; slight sorghum injury noted with all POST treatments, but ≤ 5% 21 to 41 DAT unless 2,4-D was included.

Central Texas—No formal trials conducted to date, but Extension observations note that weed control appeared very good and injury potential was low.

For further information consult the label and your chemical dealer. An expanded summary from Texas AgriLife is available online at http://lubbock.tamu.edu/programs/crops/sorghum/

Expert: Facts, education needed about lean, finely textured beef

Here is an article written by Blair Fannin, that spells out the facts about recent media hype related to finely textured beef. He has also posted an audio interview with Dr. Cross available at http://agrilife.org/today/files/2012/03/leanfinelytexturedbeef.mp3

Lean, finely textured beef “is meat” and a healthy form of protein, according to a Texas A&M University expert.Dr. Russell Cross, head of the department of animal science at Texas A&M, said lean, finely textured beef is nutritious, and a production process he approved while serving as administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Food Safety Inspection Service in 1993.

“The simplest way to describe this is that it is meat, it’s beef,” he said. “The protein content is similar to what is ground in a steak. This product is no different than meat; that’s the reason USDA calls it meat.”

Cross said much misinformation has been reported and discussed in various media. That’s why it is important that the facts be told about the production of lean, finely textured beef, which comes from traditional carcass-harvesting-methods, he said.

“The carcass is chilled 24 to 36 hours and broken down into parts we call primal cuts, and put into vacuum bags and sent to retail stores. And that is cut into steaks and roasts,” he said. “The trimmings taken from this process — the lean, finely textured beef — is separated from the fat and from the lean trimmings. These products are frozen and put into a 60-pound box and shipped to processing plants that generate ground hamburger meat.”

Cross said there is no difference in taste, and that “it is perfectly natural to have trimmings that come from cutting out steaks and roasts from the carcass.”

“These trimmings have pieces of lean still attached to them,” he said. “It is valuable; it’s meat. Lean, finely textured beef is a process of centrifugation. It separates the lean and the fat, resulting in a very nutritious and very safe product.

Cross said every time an animal is harvested, 12 to 15 pounds of this product is generated and used in ground beef. “It’s been used for more than 20 years,” Cross said. From a beef industry perspective, this adds value to the carcass, Cross said.

“We try to harvest every single aspect of the animal during the process,” he said. “This 12 to 15 pounds would be that amount of protein not on the market. The fact we are going through this exercise of removing it from the market has caused the price of lean trimmings to go up over 15 percent. That’s going to cause the price of ground beef to go up, and we all know who is going to pay for that – the consumer.”

He said the Southwest just came off the worst drought in its history and the region “lost more than 35 percent of our cows in Texas alone.” “We are going to have a shortage of protein and this is just adding to that shortage,” Cross said. “This is going to cause the price of a lot of our products to go up.”

Cross said he and faculty members, as well as those who serve in dual roles with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Texas AgriLife Research, will continue to educate consumers on the facts of lean, finely textured beef.

“We have people who are very knowledgeable about this product both on the quality side and the food safety side,” he said. “We will do what we always do – we will collect the right data and get it out to the public and to the industry so they can use it. We will make it a priority to get the real facts out to the public.”