Tuesday, October 25, 2016

2016 Terry County Cotton Defoliation Trial 7 Days after Treatment Results

Below is ratings taken on the 2016 Terry County Cotton Defoliation Trial at 7 Days after treatment. Pictures of each treatment has been posted on the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service-South-West Plain IPM Facebook page in a photo album titled "2016 Terry County Cotton Defoliation Trial". Lastly, we would like to thank Walter King for allowing us to use part of his field for this trial. If you have any question please do not hesitate to contact me, my email is tyler.mays@ag.tamu.edu and my office phone is (806) 637-4060.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

2016 Terry County Cotton Defoliation Trial

The 2016 Terry County Cotton Defoliation Trial was sprayed on Monday October 17th starting around 2:30 in the afternoon. A list of treatments in the trial can be seen in the table at the end of this post. The trial is located on 385 (Levelland Hwy.) about 0.5 miles north of the FM 2196 intersection, on the East side of the highway. There is a yellow board that has a plot plan and the first rep has treatment signs. Feel free to stop by and look at the trial. We cannot think Walter King enough for allowing us to use part of his field for this trial. More information on the trial can also be found on the IPM Program's Facebook page "Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service -South-West Plains IPM". I will collect data at 7 day intervals, and the results will be posted on here, in my newsletter, and on the South-West Plain IPM Facebook page.

Treatment Number
Treatment Descriptions
1
Ginstar @ 8 oz/acre
Superboll* @ 32 oz/acre
NonIonic Surfactant @ 0.5% volume/volume
2
Aim @ 1 oz/acre
Superboll @ 32 oz/acre
Crop Oil Concentrate @ 1% volume/volume
3
Sharpen @ 1 oz/acre
Superboll @32 oz/acre
Methylated Seed Oil @ 0.5% volume/volume
4
Gramoxone @ 20 oz/acre
Superboll @24 oz/acre
NonIonic Surfactant @0.5% volume/volume
5
Gramoxone @ 12 oz/acre
Aim @ 1 oz/acre
Superboll @ 24 oz/acre
Crop Oil Concentrate @ 1% volume/volume
6
ETX @ 1.25 oz/acre
Superboll @ 32 oz/acre
Crop Oil Concentrate @ 1% volume/volume
*Superboll is a 6 lbs./gallon ethephon product similar to prep and Boll’d 6

Friday, September 30, 2016

South-West Plains IPM Update Volume 16, Issue 18

To read newest edition of the South-West Plains IPM Update click here. Feel free to pass along as you see fit, and if you know anyone who would like to receive this newsletter by email please have them contact me at (806) 637-4060, or by email at tyler.mays@ag.tamu.edu. 

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Friday, September 16, 2016

South-West Plains IPM Update Volum 16, Issue 17

The newsest edition of the South-West Plains IPM Update can be found by clicking here.  Feel free to pass along as you see fit, and if you know anyone who would like to receive this newsletter by email please have them contact me at (806) 637-4060, or by email at tyler.mays@ag.tamu.edu

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Fungicide Use Restrictions in Peanuts

Due to regulatory issues in Europe with residue testing, both Bird song Peanuts and Golden Peanut Company are stressing that producers not use Propiconazole, Monopotassium salts, Dipotassium salts, and Phosphorous acid. The use of these products could leave a residue that could cause a rejection of peanut products by the European Union. This restriction is a policy based restriction and not a restriction due to health reason. Both Golden Peanut Company and Birdsong peanuts will more than  be test peanuts as they come to the buying point. There are still many effective fungicides out for control of foliar disease such as Tebuconazole, Prothioconazole, and Azoxystrobin to name a few. For pod rots Tebuconazole, Flutolanil, Mefenoxam, PCNB+Mefenoxam, and Thiophanate-methyl are a few active ingredients that can still be used in this year's peanut crop. Remember to read and follow the labels directions. If you have any questions about the what fungicides you can or cannot use in peanuts this year, it is in your best interest to contact who your contract is with to get clarification. If you have any questions you may also contact me at (979) 482-0111 or at tyler.mays@ag.tamu.edu. You can also find more information on this on the Texas Peanut Producers Blog, click here to read it.

Friday, September 2, 2016

South-West Plains IPM Update Volume 16, Issue 16

Click here to read the newest issue of the South-West Plains IPM Update. Feel free to pass along as you see fit, and if you know anyone who would like to receive this newsletter by email please have them contact me at (806) 637-4060, or by email at tyler.mays@ag.tamu.edu. 

Sunday, August 28, 2016

South-West Plains IPM Update Volume 16, Issue 15

Click here to read the 15th issues of the South-West Plains IPM UpdateFeel free to pass along as you see fit, and if you know anyone who would like to receive this newsletter by email please have them contact me at tyler.mays@ag.tamu.edu

Saturday, August 20, 2016

South-West Plains IPM Update Volumne 16, Issue 14

Click here to read the 14th issue of the South-West Plains IPM Update. Feel free to pass along as you see fit, and if you know anyone who would like to receive this newsletter by email please have them contact me at tyler.mays@ag.tamu.edu

Sunday, August 14, 2016

South-West Plains IPM Update Volume 16, Issue 13

Click here to view the 13th issue of the South-West Plains IPM Update.  Please fill free to pass along as you see fit, and if you know anyone who would like to receive this newsletter by email please have them contact me.


Saturday, August 6, 2016

South-West Plains IPM Update Volume 16 Issue 12

Click here to read the newest issue of the South-West Plains IPM Update.

Please feel free to pass along as you see fit. If you or anyone you know would like to receive this newsletter by email, please contact me by email at tyler.mays@ag.tamu.edu.

South-West Plains IPM Update Volume 16 Issue 11

This is uploaded late but I would like to add it here so you all can go back at look at it. Click here to view the 11th issue of the South-West Plains IPM Update.

Please feel free to pass along as you see fit. If you or anyone you know would like to receive this newsletter by email, please contact me by email at tyler.mays@ag.tamu.edu.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

South-West Plains IPM Update Volume 16, Issue 10

Click here to read the recent issue of the South-West Plains IPM Update Newsletter.

Please feel free to pass along as you see fit. If you or anyone you know would like to receive this newsletter by email, please contact me by email at tyler.mays@ag.tamu.edu.


Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Bollworm Egg Lay in Gaines County July 19, 2016

On Tuesday (7/19/2016) my field scout and I started to pick up some bollworm eggs in Western Gaines county. These eggs were being found on both the upper leaf surface (Figure 1&2) and on the bract of squares. Eggs were not laid in the terminal region, but were about 3 nodes below the terminal, this can be because of the low humidity and high temperatures we have had lately.  The egg populations in the two fields were averaging between 10 eggs per 100 plants to as high as 30 eggs per 100 plants. Eggs were both white and brown. The color of the egg can be an indication of how soon you will be seeing neonate larvae in the field. When eggs are first laid they are white, and within 2 to 3 days the eggs will turn brown. The bollworm egg is about the size of a pin head and has ridges running from the top center of the egg to where it attaches to the plant (Figure 3). These eggs are typically laid singly on the upper third of the plant, however they can deposit eggs on squares, bolls, stems, and flowers in the lower portion of the plants. This typically only occurs when the cotton is stressed or when we are experiencing periods of high temperatures with low humidity. 

There have been reports of high bollworm populations in the southern portions of Texas. This means that farmers and crop consultants in the rolling plains and southern high plains should be looking out for bollworms in cotton whether it is still squaring or past full bloom. Scouting for bollworms should occur about every five days. In non-Bt cotton examination of the upper third of the plant is usually sound enough to make management decisions, but in Bt cotton the entire plant should be inspected for bollworm eggs and larvae. Currently there are two recommended scouting methods the Terminal/Square inspection method and the whole plant inspection method. In the terminal inspection method, the field should be divided into four sections, and examine 25 plants in each of the four sections for a total of 100 terminals. Also in each of the four sections of the field 25 quarter grown squares or larger should be randomly pulled and checked for damage. When pulling squares the scout should avoid flared or yellow squares. Scouting for bollworms using the whole plant inspection method the field should also be divided into four sections, and a minimum of 20 plants per a section should be checked for a minimum of 80 sites per field. When looking at the plant the scout should examine every square, boll, bloom, or leaf on the plant. Scouts should also pay attention to bloom tags, or the dried bloom still stuck to the boll.

There are two types of economic threshold for bollworms in cotton, and are based on either the number of larvae per acre (common for the High Plains and the Panhandle of Texas), or the number of larvae per 100 plants (common in eastern portion of Texas).  To calculate the number of larvae per acre you need to calculate the plant population per acre, this can be done by counting the number of plants in roughly 13 row feet and multiply by 1,000 to obtain the number of plants per acre. Next you need to calculate the average number of larvae per plant from your checked plants and then multiply by the number of plants per acre. For example, you averaged 40 plants in 13 row feet across the field, multiply by 1,000 and you get a plant population of 40,000 plants per acre. When scouting you averaged 2 bollworms per plant, now multiply 2 bollworms per plant by 40,000 plant per acre and you get 80,000 bollworms per acre.  The economic threshold for bollworms is also dependent on whether the cotton is Bt or non-Bt, and the growth stage at which the field is in. The economic threshold for Bt cotton in or past the bloom stage using the worms per acre calculation is 5,000 worms/acre with >5% damaged fruit (Table1), where using the number of larvae per 100 plants the threshold is 8-12 worms >0.25” per 100 plants with >5% damaged fruit (Table 2). Table 3 is the threshold for non-Bt cotton when scouting using the terminal inspection method. 


Figure 1. White cotton bollworm egg found on the upper leaf surface of cotton in Western Gaines County, Texas. (photo credit: Tyler Mays)

Figure 2. Brown cotton bollworm egg found on the upper leaf surface of cotton in Western Gaines County, Texas. (photo credit: Tyler Mays)

Figure 3. Magnified photo of a cotton bollworm egg (top) to show the ridges running from the top of the egg down the side to where the egg contracts the leaf. Looper eggs (bottom) which can sometimes be mistaken for bollworm eggs. (photo credit: cottonbugs.tamu.edu)

Table 1. Whole Plant Inspection Method Economic Threshold for Cotton Bollworms based on the Number of Larvae per acre

Cotton Type
Cotton Stage
Worm Size
Non-Bt
Bt
Pre-Bloom
All
≥30% damaged squares with worms present
Bloom to Harvest
< 0.25”
10,000 worms/acre
Do not Treat
>0.25”
5,000 worms/acre
5,000 worms/acre with >5% damaged fruit.
Table was derived from the economic threshold section for bollworms/budworms and cottonbugs.tamu.edu/fruit-feeding-pests/bollworm-and-tobacco-budworm/


Table 2. Whole Plant Inspection Method: Economic Threshold for Cotton Bollworms Based on Number of Larvae per 100 Plants.

                    Cotton Type
Cotton Stage
Worm Size
Non-Bt
Bt
Pre Bloom
All
≥30% damaged squares with worms present
Bloom to Harvest
>0.25”
10-15 worms /100 plants
Do no treat
<0.25
8-12 worms/100 plants
8-12 worms/100 plants with >5% damaged fruit
Table was derived from the economic threshold section for bollworms/budworms and cottonbugs.tamu.edu/fruit-feeding-pests/bollworm-and-tobacco-budworm/


Table 3. Terminal Inspection Method: Bollworm Economic Threshold for Cotton Bollworm based on Number of Larvae per 100 Terminals.
Cotton Stage
Natural Enemies
Cotton Type


Non-Bt
Bt
Pre-Bloom
Present or Absent
15-30% damaged squares and worms present
Use Whole Plant Inspection Method
Bloom to Harvest
Present
8-12 small worms per 100 terminals and >5% damaged fruit
Absent
4-5 small worms per 100 terminals with eggs present and >5% damaged fruit.
Table was derived from the economic threshold section for bollworms/budworms and cottonbugs.tamu.edu/fruit-feeding-pests/bollworm-and-tobacco-budworm/

Saturday, July 9, 2016

South-West Plains IPM Update Volume 16, Issue 8.

Click here to read the latest edition of the South-West Plains IPM Update.

Please fill free to pass along as you see fit, and if you know of anyone who would like to receive this newsletter please have them get ahold of me.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

South-West Plains IPM Update Volume 16, Issue 7

Click here to read the 7th issue of the South-West Plains IPM Update.

Feel free to pass along as you see fit. If you known anyone who would like to be added to the newsletter I would be glad to add them to the mailing list.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Tips to prevent bring home Bed Bugs

Recently I attended a meeting in Tyler, Texas with some other entomologists. While staying at the hotel one of the entomologists found bed bugs in her hotel room. On March 3, 2016   Dr. Katelyn Kowles Extension Agent-IPM for Lubbock and Crosby counties, posted a to-do list to help prevent bringing back bed bugs from your vacation, on her blog (http://lubbockcountyipm.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-travelers-nightmare.html). This to do list includes how to check hotel room for bed bugs and what to do if you find them in your hotel room. Below is the checklist put together by Dr. Kowles, along with some useful pictures of bed bugs.

Tips for Travelers: Scouting for Bed Bugs

How to scout your hotel room for bed bugs:
  1. Don’t put any belongings on the bed or unpack before you complete your inspection. I put my luggage on the luggage rack (usually in the closets of most rooms) or in the bathroom until I have checked for bed bugs.
  2. Things you are looking for:
    • actual bed bugs
    • shed skin of immature bugs
    • dark brown fecal spots (dried excrement)
Adult bed bugs are approximately a quarter of an inch long and red-brown with oval, flattened bodies. Immature bed bugs are smaller versions of the adults, but with a much lighter color and approximately the size of a pinhead.
  1. Begin with a preliminary check around the room. Focus on the corners of ceilings and the baseboards.
  2. Remove the corners of the fitted sheet and look underneath the mattress and box spring. Examine the mattress seams and crevices in the box spring. Pay special attention to head of the bed. Most cell phones have a flashlight that is very useful for this!
  3. You should also inspect crevices in the bed frame. This is especially important if the bed frame is wood!
  4. If there is a removable headboard, remove it from the wall and inspect the crevices on the back. This is a common place for bed bug infestations to begin. If you have never done this before, make sure you have two people to remove it safely
What to do if your hotel room has bed bugs:
  1. Call the front desk and request a new room. Problems are usually contained in a particular area, so try to get a room in a different area.
  2. Quarantine all your belongings in garbage bags (or something similar), especially if they were on/near the bed or if you experienced bites.
  3. Put everything that is safe for laundering in a dryer at high heat for at least 45 minutes. DO NOT wash first! A washing machine does not typically get hot enough to kill all the bugs. After you have dried everything, then you can resume a normal washing routine.
  4. Keep your luggage/anything that can’t be laundered in a closed garbage bag until you can treat it. Contact your local pest control company for how to do this.

Important facts about bed bugs:
·       Bed bugs feed only on the blood of animals and spend most of their time where they can get a reliable blood meal from their host. In the case of hotel rooms, this is near the bed. Only when they are very hungry, or there is a bad infestation, will you find them in other places.
·       Bed bugs do not transmit diseases when they bite. Every person reacts differently, ranging from mild irritation and itching to large, red welts. Some reactions are delayed and occur days or even weeks after the bite.
·       Bed bug bites are usually painless so people don’t always realize they are being bitten. Any exposed skin is vulnerable, such as arms, legs, face, or neck. Bed bugs will typically make several bites at at time, often in a short line.
·       Bed bugs are mostly active at night and can go months without a blood meal. Therefore, ignoring a problem and hoping that they starve is not a reliable solution.
·       There has been a global resurgence in bed bugs over the last decade and eradicating an infestation can be time-consuming and expensive. Taking pro-active measures when you’re traveling to avoid bringing them home is always worth it!  
Other things that can be inspected include behind picture frames or couches and chairs. But limit your search to items near the bed!




Top: Bed bug taking a blood meal (feeding), Second: Bed bug eggs, Third: Adult bed bug, and Bottom: Progression of the bed bug from the egg to the adult. Photo Credit: Bart Drees, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Additionally, here is a link to a website where Dr. Mike Merchant of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has posted more helpful information about bed bugs.
  
Stay safe, TM

Friday, March 4, 2016







WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ZIKA


As mosquitoes venture out of their geographical habitat, so do the viruses they carry
Q: What is the Zika virus?
A: A member of the Flavivirus family, the Zika virus is an emerging mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in the Zika forest of Uganda in 1947. Until very recently, it was confined to Africa with occasional small outbreaks in Asia. It slowly spread east, with cases on Easter Island off the coast of South America confirmed in 2014 and the first cases in Brazil in May 2015, and it has spread further throughout South and Central America since then. Although usually a mild illness, the virus can be dangerous to pregnant women and their unborn children.
Q: How do you get Zika?
A: Like a number of other diseases such as dengue and chikungunya, which are also spread by mosquitoes, the Zika virus is spread through the bite of the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes become infected when they bite a human who has the virus, and are then capable of spreading the virus to other susceptible humans. These mosquito vectors are abundant in many urban environments of Texas and elsewhere and are active during the day and night, increasing the period that humans are at risk of exposure. Between 20 and 25 percent of those persons who become infected will develop symptoms. It’s recently been shown that the virus can be spread through sexual transmission from human to human, but that mode of transmission remains rare.zika virus path 
Q: What are the symptoms?
A: Common symptoms of Zika include fever, skin rash, red eyes and joint pain. Some patients report muscle pain, general malaise, headache and vomiting. Symptoms typically last between two and seven days. Complications are rare, but some cases require hospitalization for supportive care.  zika virus common symptoms 
Q: Who is at risk?
A: Everyone who hasn’t had the virus is potentially at risk. For pregnant women, contracting the virus represents a risk to her unborn baby. Though a definitive link has yet to be proven, Zika virus appears to be associated with miscarriages and microcephaly, a birth defect in which the infant has an unusually small head and abnormal brain development. For everyone else, the biggest potential complication is Guillain-BarrĂ© syndrome, in which the immune system attacks the body’s own nerve cells, causing problems with muscle coordination and breathing. It can be fatal in rare cases, especially in situations without high-quality intensive care.  zika virus who is at risk 
Q: Is there a treatment?
A: No, other than making the patient more comfortable with symptomatic treatment, there is no specific cure or treatment for Zika. There is also no cure for Guillain-Barré syndrome, although supportive measures in the intensive care unit can typically keep patients alive long enough to recover.
Q: How can the virus be prevented? How can I protect myself?
A: There is no vaccine for the virus yet, so all preventive measures should be focused on preventing mosquito bites. This means eliminating standing water and other mosquito breeding sites, as well as using mosquito screens in windows and using appropriate insect repellents when outdoors. Men who might be infected should use condoms to avoid infecting their sexual partners.
Q: How is Zika diagnosed? Are there tests available?
A: There are no commercially available tests for Zika, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and some state and local health departments are able to perform tests for Zika. A commercially available test that would make diagnosis faster and easier might be only weeks away, though.
Q: What do pregnant women need to know about the virus?
A: The Ministry of Health of Brazil discovered an association between being infected with Zika virus and an increase in cases of microcephaly in newborns in that county, with the risk greatest when the mother was infected during her first trimester. Microcephaly is a medical condition that results in a small head because the brain has stopped growing or is not developing properly. Because of the potential association between Zika virus infection and microcephaly, pregnant women should be especially careful to avoid mosquito bites, particularly during their first trimester. The CDC has advised pregnant women to avoid travel to endemic countries if possible. Because many women do not know they’re pregnant until near the end of the first semester, women who could be pregnant should also consider taking precautions.
Q: Where is Zika?
A: A number of countries in the Americas from Mexico to Brazil have active Zika transmission. In addition, Cape Verde and three Pacific Islands (American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga) have reported transmission of the virus. We have also seen the Zika virus in travelers returning to the U.S. from places where Zika is spreading—but to date, no one is known to have been infected locally in the continental U.S. through the bite of a mosquito. areas affected by zika virus 
Q: Will we see Zika in the United States?
A: For Zika to spread widely, two things are necessary: The Aedes mosquito and appropriate conditions in communities. Crowded tropical areas without air conditioning or window screens are prime opportunities for spread of the virus, while screened-in spaces and air conditioning common in the United States helps to block virus transmission by reducing contact between mosquitos and humans. We are already seeing transmission of Zika within U.S. territories like Puerto Rico and American Samoa, and health officials say it is very likely to spread further, but widespread transmission like we are seeing in tropical countries is unlikely in the continental United States.  US areas most likley to be affected by Zika virus 
Q: What is the government doing?
A: Although the disease is not yet spreading within the continental United States, President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.8 billion in emergency funds to combat Zika. The money would go to mosquito control programs, vaccine research, public education programs and foreign aid to countries in South America, Central America and the Caribbean where Zika is endemic. In addition, the CDC has developed the diagnostic test for Zika virus, and government researchers are studying better methods of detection and prevention. They are also working with at-risk areas to improve mosquito control efforts in advance of warmer weather.
Q: What if I’m planning to travel to a place with an established Zika outbreak?
A: Pregnant women are being advised to avoid areas with active Zika transmission if possible. For everyone else, it is still okay to travel to Central and South America and the Caribbean, but the CDC recommends usual anti-mosquito measures. Men returning from these areas should use condoms to protect their partners from possible infection, especially if his partner is or could be pregnant. Officials are also urging travelers to avoid mosquito bites both while abroad in a Zika-affected country and for at least a week after a returning (in order to avoid spreading the virus, should they be infected and not know it.)
Q: What should I do if I think I might be infected with Zika virus?
A: To prevent others from getting sick, it is especially important to keep any mosquitos from biting you and transmitting the virus to other people. Get plenty of rest and drink fluids to prevent dehydration. Pregnant women potentially exposed to Zika virus (through either travel to or contact with a partner who has travelled to a Zika-endemic region) should notify their obstetrician so that maternal and fetal screening tests can be initiated.
For additional information, visit the CDC website.
— Christina Sumners