Billy Bryant, Greenwood
6/17/2024 – Cotton: Plant bug round 1 has gone out where needed. Pressure has been very light and
not all acreage has required treatment, but several farms received either Imidacloprid or Transform
where Plant Bug populations justified doing so. The oldest cotton at node 12 and I expect to see
irrigation pipe rolling out on it early next week. Square retention is very high in the absence of Plant
bugs. I began seeing a slight increase in Plant bug numbers next to my older corn late last week so
will begin trimming corn fields adjacent to cotton where necessary. The majority of the acreage is 8-
12 nodes. Dicamba is not as effective as it has been against pigweeds and teaweeds and have come
behind some with Liberty to get some burn on them. Laying by some fields now. Some to get Zidua
and some may get some Valor underneath depending on the situation and what they have to apply it
with.
Corn: Most acreage is tasseling and silking now. Fungicide has been applied to all 2 yr. corn.
Applications went out at V15. I’ve been seeing some Curvalaria Leaf Spot starting up in several fields
of 2 yr. corn along with a trace of Physoderma Brown Spot. I have some 2-gene sweet corn that is
highly infected with Curvalaria.
Soybeans: Fungicide has begun to go out on oldest fields. Adding some foliar K on some and will add
insecticide to most, I expect. Everyone is hustling to get water on our soybean crop. Many acres in
the R3 stage need a few more nodes and we don't need them to quit. Not much disease activity. Just
the usual Septoria on the bottom nodes.
Clay Horton, Leland
6/17/2024 – Soybeans range from emergence to R5. In the Lake Washington to Delta City area, we
have some low lying, heavy ground that has not been dry enough to plant until this past week; finally
finished the last block last Friday. Soybeans have been pretty quiet for the most part. We got the first
round of fungicides out last week and we will have lots of acres lined up this week and next. Insect
pressure has been low in most areas.
Corn ranges from VT to milk stage. Pollination looks good in all the older corn and disease pressure
is light for the most part, other than a few corn-behind-corn acres.
Jeff North, Madison
These photos were submitted by Jeff North for the June 7 th posting but were omitted. Each photo is
identified and titled with symptoms Jeff is seeing in the field.
Larry Walton, Tupelo
06/10/2024 – Corn – Corn crop in NE Mississippi is one of the best ever at this time with timely rainfall
almost every week (for soybean and cotton planting more than necessary). Most of the corn is at Vt to
R1 stage of growth. At this time, I have not observed any major diseases, however I have heard
some reports of southern rust on sensitive varieties further south and into Louisiana. Soybean –
Soybean planting is still going on strong at this time, especially north of Tupelo, MS. I saw planters
running at full speed just yesterday. Due to flooding situations in some areas, several soybean acres
will have to be replanted. At some locations yesterday and last night, rainfall totals were greater than
2 inches. With all the rainfall preventing timely application of herbicides, weed pressure is extremely
heavy in some locations. The outlook for the week is sunny, so I am hopeful that farmers can get
back in fields shortly with planting and weed control.
Cotton – As I stated in last report, they are still several acres of cotton to be planted. Yes, it is getting
late, however with the weather forecast looking good this week, I am optimistic that cotton planting
can be finished by endo of week in NE MS. The further north you go into West Tennessee, I have not
observed a year like this one with many, many acres of cotton still not planted. Bug pressure in cotton
thus far has been extremely light."
Trey Bullock, Seminary
6/14/2024 – Cotton is finally planted. From almost up to 14 nodes. Plant bugs are picking up in
isolated fields with a few being treated this week. Growers spent a lot of this week trying to plow
some cotton that had been soaked its whole life. Growth regulators and herbicides have been going
out this week as well trying to clean up fields that were getting pretty weedy from not being able to
spray timely due to rain. Aphids are beginning to develop but nothing to alarming yet.
Peanuts are from 30 to 60 days old. Herbicides, Fungicides, gypsum, as well as growth regulators are
going out. Insects are very light. Seeing FAW in grass around fields and any grass in fields.
Soybeans are from in the sack to R4. I have picked a few CEW/TBW in a few fields at low numbers
and flushing more and more moths daily. Hopefully all beans will be planted this week. Deer are still
our biggest pest. They have destroyed some peanut fields. We’ve tried everything, ALL sprays,
biosolids, and are now applying chicken litter around some of these fields. Really a huge problem as
everyone knows.
