April showers are history. Triple-digit temperatures will
soon be here – possibly as soon as next week. That means cotton season is in
full swing. There are only 26 or so weeks until harvest.
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| Here's a disease-infected seedling. - UC IPM photo |
Around the Valley, cotton seedlings are popping up nicely
because of the ideal warm weather we have been experiencing in our Valley.
The germination
rate is good. So far, I haven’t heard much about early season disease problems.
In surveying the emerging cotton fields, I’ve seen good
stand development. Insects, plant pathogens or poor weather or soil
temperatures during planting can cause weak stand establishment. If growers see
weak stands, they need to look for any pests by digging around the soil of the
damaged plants. Check the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest
Management web site for more information about assessing
stand establishment.
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| One of our habitats of young mustard, corn and sunflowers. |
The natural habitats we planted last month at some of the
participating SJSFP fields are progressing well. Already, I’ve seen some of the
beneficial insects such as ladybugs around the emerging mustard plants. That
bodes well for our effort to use biological controls to keep crop-damaging pests
at bay and reduce the use of pesticides.
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| Keep a close watch for lygus. - UC IPM photo |
Around the alfalfa fields, growers have wrapped up
irrigating their crop. They’re almost ready for the second cutting. I’ve seeing
aphids and lygus numbers going up. I’m suggesting growers continue to monitor
these pests. So far, the early season is looking good.
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