From staff reports Maxwell Smith, Oklahoma State University Entomology and Plant Pathology Assistant Extension Specialist, spoke recently about the current condition of cotton across Oklahoma.
Smith said that areas in eastern and northeastern Oklahoma that have good irrigation systems look good. However, in the southwestern and western part of the state, the crop is limited due to limited irrigation and early rainfall.
“Even so, I think we are still sitting on a crop that we can go make something,” he said. “It’s a change from last year where at this point,” he said. “The rain had shut off and we were just watching the crop burn up. So I’m a little more optimistic about how it all looks this year as compared to last year.”
At this time of year, producers are applying fertilizer and utilizing irrigation. Smith said that some of the later planted cotton is having problems with fleahoppers, so he is monitoring the situation to reduce squaring losses. Around Fort Cobb and Carnegie, stink bugs have begun to appear in high numbers.
“I’ve heard about them in soybeans and sorghum,” Smith said. “But now we are beginning to see them in cotton. And as the cotton starts to put on that fresh, tender boll, it is most susceptible to them.”
He said farmers should be economically pragmatic when administering pesticides.
Smith said he has been impressed with the level of weed control he has seen producers accomplish this year. He said that between that and staying on top of the pests, the weather will be the only remaining factor in deciding the outcome of this year’s crop.