Alabama Insect Situation: Friday September 15, 2023

We have received multiple reports of redbanded stink bugs found nearing threshold levels in the Alabama Black Belt this week. Redbanded stink bugs (RBSB) are the most damaging pest of soybeans in Alabama. They are small, green and have a light red, orange or purple band across their shoulders (back). RBSB also have a small spine in between their legs that points back up towards their face. Populations tend to aggregate on early planted soybeans, then move to late planted beans as early planted beans are harvested. They can cause economic damage  until the R7 growth stage, unless there are adverse environmental conditions that promote poor seed quality (i.e., cool, wet).

RBSB are more difficult to control, particularly when the nymphs appear. If adults and nymphs are found (threshold=4/25 sweeps), then a full rate of bifenthrin + 0.5 lbs ai of acephate is needed for control. If sub-thresholds are found, then a full rate of bifenthrin plus a neonicotinoid (imidacloprid) may provide adequate control. If a threshold population of adults only are found, we recommend making an application of bifenthrin to knockback adults and try to stop egg lay.

Our soybean looper traps continue to be high across the state, but we have received few reports of damaging levels of worms in the field. Small loopers are highly sensitive to environmental conditions and are prone to "crash" if a cool snap hits. That is why most thresholds say to only count worms that are >1/4 or 1/2 inch. If threshold populations (19/25 sweeps, prevent 20%-30% defoliation) are found, then diamides (Vantacor, Besiege, Elevest) or Intrepid Edge is needed for control. Loopers are more difficult to control than velvetbean caterpillars or green cloverworms.

As always, if we can ever be of any help, or if you would like to provide input on the situation in your area, please don’t hesitate to reach out (Scott Graham: 662-809-3368; Ron Smith: 334-332-9501). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Insect Situation: August 31, 2023

Phone calls and reports have slowed considerably over the past 10-14 days. Most of the cotton is no longer susceptible to insects and some is beginning to open. We have some areas that have gotten good rainfall over the past week; however, many areas are very dry and need rain badly. Soybeans have been the focus of most calls this week, with stink bugs and caterpillars being the main concerns.

Soybeans

Stink Bugs

For the most part, early planted (April) beans are safe from most all of our insect pests, including stink bugs. Our threshold prior to R6 is 4 bugs per 25 sweeps. Once R6 (beans touching inside pods of upper 4 nodes) is reached, we double the threshold to 8 bugs per 25 sweeps for 7-10 days (R6.5-pod and pod wall beginning to turn mature color) then we can terminate insecticide applications.

We have observed green, southern green, brown and brown marmorated stink bug adults and nymphs in fields across the state. A high labeled rate of a pyrethroid will do a good job killing any of these in soybeans and save the crop from economic damage if threshold populations are found.

Caterpillars

Our soybean looper and corn earworm (podworm) trap counts have been up significantly the past couple of weeks. We have had more acres infested and treated for podworms this year than we have had in the past 5 or more years. Our threshold for podworms is around 6 per 25 sweeps.

Right now, the velvetbean caterpillar seems to be the dominant species in the mix thus far, which is good because they can easily be managed with most labeled insecticides. I would, however, be a little cautious with pyrethroids given their ability to flare loopers and the big moth flight we’ve experienced this past couple of weeks. The threshold for defoliators is to treat at 20% defoliation from R1-R6 and 30% defoliation after R6 for 7-10 days. Alternatively, treat when 38 VBC or 19 SBL are caught per 25 sweeps.

As always, if we can ever be of any help, or if you would like to provide input on the situation in your area, please don’t hesitate to reach out (Scott Graham: 662-809-3368; Ron Smith: 334-332-9501). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Insect Situation: August 17, 2023

Plant bugs, stink bugs, bollworms, spider mites (cotton), velvetbean caterpillars, corn earworms soybean loopers (peanuts and soybeans) and stink bugs (soybeans) have been reported this week. In some places, cotton looks good and has good moisture, in others it’s scary dry and blooming out the top.

Bug Complex

Reports of green and southern green stink bugs have picked up this week statewide. After wondering if they would ever show up, they are here now. As we mentioned last week, our tests in south, central and north Alabama, are running 30-50% internal boll damage in untreated plots. We have started hearing reports from scouts and consultants that damage has jumped from less than 10% to 30% or more in the past week. While our older cotton is safe from bugs, later planted cotton (probably about mid-May on) is still at risk. The threshold is 10% damage weeks 3-6 of bloom and 30-50% in weeks 7-8.

Plant bugs are becoming a little spottier but are still heavy in some places. A lot of acres have received multiple applications of Diamond and that has helped keep populations manageable. Keep the fight up until cotton reaches NAWF 2, at that point, we should be free to cut it lose.

Spider Mites

We have received reports of spider mites across the state this week. In some cases, these are in fields that have been hammered for plant bugs, but not in every case. Historically, rain has helped reduce the impacts of mites, but that hasn’t seemed to hold true the last couple of years. We are not sure why this is, but it seems to be real. Look for signs of injury, then flip leaves over to confirm you have an active infestation. At this point in the season, we have a few options (abamectin, Zeal, Portal, Oberon), with abamectin being the most common used. There are varying levels of resistance, so if you have used some earlier this year, watch closely behind another application. Regardless of the product, we feel that higher rates give us better control later in the season as coverage is difficult with bigger plants and more canopy. One of the bigger questions we have gotten is when to cut lose spider mites. Research from the mid-south suggests mites can cause yield loss until about NAWF 2, so keep after them until at least that stage.

Soybeans

We have gotten several calls on defoliating caterpillars and stink bugs with some podworms mixed in. In some cases the soybeans are around the R5 stage and highly susceptible to all three, in others they are mid R3 and relatively safe from podworms and stink bugs. While pyrethroids provide good control of stink bugs, cloverworms and velvetbeans, they are an excellent way to create a soybean looper problem. Scout closely and make sure you don’t have loopers before spraying a pyrethroid. Our looper traps have picked up across the state this week and we expect to start finding worms really picking up over the next 7 to 10 days. Remember loopers have 2 pair of prolegs, VBC have 4 and GCW have 3. In fields with loopers, consider using a diamide insecticide like Besiege, Elevest or Vantacor, or a product like Intrepid Edge. If stink bugs are in the mix, I would consider adding the needed pyrethroid to make a full labeled rate for Besiege/Elevest, or adding a full labeled rate to Vantacor or Intrepid Edge.

Peanuts

Like with soybeans, defoliating caterpillars are starting to build in some areas. Peanuts are tough and can withstand quite a bit of defoliation. Be on the lookout but don’t treat if threshold isn’t met (4-8 per row foot). As dry as we are in some places, we do not want to make an unnecessary application an create a spider mite issue.

As always, if we can ever be of any help, or if you would like to provide input on the situation in your area, please don’t hesitate to reach out (Scott Graham: 662-809-3368; Ron Smith: 334-332-9501). For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Insect Situation: August 12, 2023

We are beginning to see the “light at the end of the tunnel” for most of our late planted cotton across Alabama. We visited several fields in central and south Alabama this week and the crop looks good. Many fields in south Alabama were beginning to bloom out the top and are pretty much safe from bugs. There are still many fields at risk from plant bugs and stink bugs, however, so we can’t walk away yet.

Plant Bugs

Plant bugs are still heavy and requiring treatments in many later planted fields. For a lot of the crop however, its time to talk about plant bug insecticide termination. Recent research from the mid-south entomologists groups suggest cotton is “safe” from plant bugs once it reaches Node Above White Flower (NAWF) 2 or 3. Regardless of the plant bug populations in these fields, they are not doing economic damage and should not be sprayed. In our younger fields, plant bugs are absolutely doing damage and should be monitored and treated when threshold is reached.

Stink Bugs

Internal boll injury has made a big jump this week. On our research farms in Prattville, Headland and Belle Mina plots that had not been sprayed with a stink bug material had as high as 50% internal boll damage, even though we are not seeing that many stink bugs still. Similarly, in a ThryvOn demo plot we are sampling on a grower field in NE Alabama, we found 20% internal injury while averaging less than 2 stink bugs per 100 sweeps. This helps to make the point that we cannot be looking for stink bugs to make treatment decisions. Pull some 10–12-day old (quarter sized) bolls and look for damage. Peak bloom (weeks 3-6) is the most critical time to protect bolls and threshold is just 10%.

What to Spray for the “Bugs”

We have reached the point in the season in this late planted cotton, that we need to be thinking about both plant bugs and stink bugs when making insecticide decisions. That doesn’t leave us many options, just pyrethroids and organophosphates. Diamond will still have utility in some situations, but this late in the year, that will come down to a field-by-field decision. I have received several calls this week on “clean up” sprays of a pyrethroid plus acephate. This is a common treatment that does a good job killing most everything in the field and getting you through. There are likely some situations where plant bugs need something like Transform for control, I would advise adding a pyrethroid in the tank for stink bugs.

What about rates? At this point in the year, these plant bugs have been hit by just about everything. For pyrethroids and Bidrin, I would suggest running a 1:20 (6.4 oz) over a 1:25 (5.12 oz). The minimal savings on insecticide cost doesn’t out weigh the drop in efficacy. For Diamond, it may just depend on how much longer you need to go, but I am mostly recommending 6 oz still for most calls (if it is needed).

One other thought. As we reach the end of the year, try to get a final bug spray out before plants loaded up with bolls start to lean across the middles. In some cases, we may do more damage to bolls with the sprayer than stink bugs will do that late in the season.

Bollworms

We mentioned a few fields of Bollgard 2 requiring treatments last week and a few more have been sprayed this week too. The diamides (Besiege, Vantacor, Elevest) provide the best control, but are most effective on small worms or when timed with a hatch out. Pyrethroids MAY still provide some knockdown but scout behind them closely to make sure. Most of our fields are 3-gene (Bollgard 3, WideStrike 3 or TwinLink+) and we do not expect any issues with controls in those fields.

Soybeans

Things are still pretty quiet on the soybean side are still pretty quiet. We have heard of a few fields with low levels of loopers and velvetbean caterpillars but not at treatable levels. We have also started observing some stink bugs but not at damaging levels. Keep monitoring fields, at some point things will pick up.

Peanuts

Again, things are still quiet. Defoliating caterpillars are out there, but not at damaging levels. We have not heard of any spider mite problems yet, so avoid disruptive insecticide applications to avoid creating any issues.

As always, if we can ever be of any help, or if you would like to provide input on the situation in your area, please don’t hesitate to reach out (Scott Graham: 662-809-3368; Ron Smith: 334-332-9501). For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Insect Situation: Friday August 4, 2023

The phone calls have picked up over the past week. Plant bugs have picked back up in some spots and in some areas of south Alabama they are still heavy. I spoke with one person in south Alabama yesterday about the insect situation in his area. He told me most folks are saying vigilant but getting frustrated with the number of plant bug applications going out. When asked about stink bugs, his response was “I think they all just morphed into plant bugs.” While that was a joke, it does bring up a point about stink bugs. We still just haven’t found many and still don’t understand why.

Plant Bugs

Plant bugs continue to dominate the situation, and a lot of calls have revolved around Diamond. This insect growth regulator helps to keep immature plant bug populations suppressed with good residual and rainfastness. Diamond is best used when applied at the first appearance of nymphs, but that doesn’t mean its ineffective at other times in the season. Right now, Diamond can still be a big help in keeping populations in check. We have received several calls this week about finding threshold populations of plant bugs 5 or 6 days after an application. Once we get embedded populations of plant bug nymphs, it can take up to 10 days to really see the effects of Diamond. That does not mean that I would not make a follow-up application in less than 10 days, but I would not reapply Diamond in less than 14 (6 oz) or 21 (9 oz) days.

Stink Bugs

Populations are still low, but we have reached thresholds of internal boll injury on the research farm in Prattville this week. Keep scouting and monitoring fields. If possible, try to get a stink bug material in the tank (Bidrin, Acephate, pyrethroids) when making plant bug sprays.

Spider Mites

We have received reports of spider mites requiring treatments in SE and Central Alabama this week. Reports from NE Alabama are that populations have held steady from last week and are bordering treatment levels in some fields. At this point in the season we have a few options (Portal, Zeal, Oberon) but abamectin (Agri-Mek and others) is the most economical option. There are two formulations of abamectin sold (0.15 and 0.7), regardless of the formulation, we should be on the higher end of the rate form this point forward. As cotton gets more growth, higher rates tend to provide better control.

Bollworm Flight

Our bollworm moth traps have picked up statewide in the past week. We have heard some reports of heavy egg lay and a few fields with escape worms requiring treatments in two-gene cotton. With the amount of VIP (3-gene) cotton we have now, we shouldn’t be too concerned with bollworms but we should be alert in the 2-gene varieties.

Soybeans and Peanuts

Calls for beans and peanuts are still far and few between. We have been alerted of soybean field at threshold for soybean loopers in the FL panhandle, but overall populations are just starting to build. Stink bugs have still not been high in most fields. Hopefully the early beans will get away without needing treatments. Later soybeans tend to be at higher risk so continue scouting and monitoring.

As always, if we can ever be of any help, or if you would like to provide input on the situation in your area, please don’t hesitate to reach out (Scott Graham: 662-809-3368; Ron Smith: 334-332-9501). For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Crops Insect Situation: Thursday July 27, 2023

The plant bug situation has not changed over the past week. There are still some hotspots with high numbers of nymphs, but overall populations are manageable. We have also observed and received reports that adult plant bugs are showing back up in places, presumably moving in from nearby corn fields. When scouting, keep an eye out for borders with corn because that is likely to be where the highest pressure is. We have reached the point of the season where a sweep-net may be needed in addition to a drop cloth as nets are more efficient in picking up adults. Managing these populations of adult plant bugs is important because they will also be depositing eggs that will hatch out in the following 7-10 days. Keep scouting for plant bugs and be prepared to treat when needed.

Spider mites should be in the back of everyone’s mind right now. Spider mites have been reported at treatable levels in NE and SE Alabama this week, and we have observed populations in fields in central Alabama as well. The current long-range forecast doesn’t look favorable for soaking rains, which help beat spider mite populations back. At this point in the season, we recommend using higher rates of abamectin for controls. There are two formulations of abamectin sold (0.15EC and 0.7EC). Higher rates (12oz+ or 3oz) provide more consistent control in bigger cotton with a lot of canopy. Based on the current forecast, I could suggest being proactive on a spider mite infestation, particularly if going across the field anyway. Spider mite infestations are much easier to control before they “get out of hand.”

We have also heard about a few fields in south Alabama with escape worms in Bollgard 2 (BG2) cotton. We do not believe this is widespread, in other words, I wouldn’t start automatically treating all my BG2 fields, but we should be aware. Our threshold is when 5% small larvae (5 worms on 100 plants) or when 6% damage is observed (squares, flowers or bolls). There are several options for control, however they are all most effective when applied to small worms (>0.25”). We know there is some bollworm pyrethroid resistance, however, they may provide adequate control in some cases. The diamides (Besiege, Vantacor, Elevest) provide the best control, but at a price. If a pyrethroid is used, it should be monitored closely after application because the cost of a “miss” could be high.

Where are the stink bugs? That is one of the biggest questions we are getting right now. My answer is, I don’t know, but I hope they stay where ever they are. In general, there just hasn’t been a whole lot of stink bugs or damage observed in fields so far. It could be that we were more proactive in corn this year, or on plant bug management, or it could be related to weather somehow. Whatever the reason, we know the high damage potential stink bugs have and we need to continue scouting and be prepared to intervene when necessary.

Things have been very quiet on the soybean and peanut front. We have talked to a several folks this week and there doesn’t appear to be much action out there. There are some cloverworms in most fields, a few loopers and stink bugs here and there, but overall, not much. This highlights the importance of scouting and only treating when necessary. If there are no damaging levels of pests in the field, then there is no return on an insecticide application.

As always, if we can ever be of any help, or if you would like to provide input on the situation in your area, please don’t hesitate to reach out (Scott Graham: 662-809-3368; Ron Smith: 334-332-9501). For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Cotton Insect Situation: Thursday July 20, 2023

Plant Bug Situation

Overall, we appear to be in good shape after the onslaught of adult plant bugs that infested fields in June. Phone calls have slowed down considerably, and most of the reports are that plant bugs are out there and in some fields at damaging levels, but manageable. I think we have two big factors that have helped us in this regard.

The first was our adult plant bug management. As we have talked about a lot this year, our recommendation in Alabama is to treat a threshold population of adult plant bugs, regardless of square retention. We believe this helps to preserve square loss before it happens and reduces egg lay. The immature populations in fields now are a result of this egg lay in June. Allowing a threshold population of adults to “ride” a week to wait for square loss gives them the chance to lay tens of thousands of eggs per acre over the following 7 days. Killing these adults before they have the chance to feed and lay eggs has helped keep populations manageable.

The second thing that has helped us to this point is the use of Diamond. When timed properly, Diamond provides residual suppression of plant bug nymphs. While not in all cases, reports we have received seem to indicate that following an application of Diamond + a knockdown insecticide, many fields have bought themselves to the stink bug window (≈3^rd week of bloom).

Stink Bug Situation

Speaking of stink bugs, reports of populations and damage in fields are trickling in. Remember our threshold changes by week of bloom. Early bloom (weeks 1-2), threshold is 50-30% boll damage. Peak bloom (weeks 3-6), threshold is 10% boll damage. Late bloom (weeks 7-8), threshold is 30-50% boll damage. Right now, reports are that most of the populations are brown stink bugs. Typically, the green species show up towards the end of July or first of August. In general, pyrethroids aren’t as good on browns as organophosphates (Bidrin, acephate). However, pyrethroids often do a good enough job on browns to keep populations below threshold. Also consider your plant bug situation and resistance levels if needed to make a bug complex spray.

Others

We have received several calls on aphids over the past week. In most fields, populations are heavy in localized areas and are not a concern for treatment. We don’t often recommend treating aphids, but some situations may require an application, such as if cotton is drought stressed and/or late or if populations are making scouting other insects, like plant bugs difficult. We have gotten a report of the fungus killing aphids in the Wiregrass, so we should expect populations to start crashing soon.

We have some pockets of spider mites in fields but overall we have not gotten too many calls lately. Watch the weather and behind applications of broad-spectrum insecticides for mites building.

We observed some bollworm egg lay in fields in central Alabama this week, but we have not heard of any escapes in two or three-gene cotton.

Update on ThryvOn

I also wanted to give a quick update on some of the calls we are getting with ThryvOn. ThryvOn provided excellent control of thrips in every field we visited and based on all the feedback we received during the thrips window. In June, when adults were migrating in, it was hard to see what ThryvOn was doing. In many fields, populations were above threshold and square retention was dropping. Some folks were frustrated with having to treat these fields since it has a “plant bug trait.” However, we are now starting to realize some of the benefits. We have gotten calls across the state reporting that non-ThryvOn fields with similar planting dates and pre-bloom insecticide regimes are being treated for immature plant bugs, while they cannot find many nymphs or dirty bloom in the ThryvOn. This is what we hoped to get from this technology in Alabama, “saving” a spray in July and pushing us to the stink bug window.

Final Thoughts

We are off to a good start, but still have a long way to go. Keep scouting and monitoring fields and be prepared to make timely applications when needed. As always, if we can ever be of any help, or if you would like to provide input on the situation in your area, please don’t hesitate to reach out (Scott Graham: 662-809-3368; Ron Smith: 334-332-9501).

For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Cotton Insect Situation: June 29, 2023: Plant Bugs Continue to Build

The plant bug situation has continued to increase over the past week. Going back at least 51 seasons, this appears to be the most widespread and highest pressure we have seen in Alabama. There are fields with numbers as high as 5x threshold in some places. Many fields have received 2 pre-bloom applications, and some have had three.

The question is “what do we do?”

In a lot of these fields, plant bugs are reinfesting so fast, 7–10-day spray windows are not holding up. Remember that no product provides residual control of migrating adult plant bugs. We may expect 48-72 hours of control, but past that, things get dicey. In other cases, the number of adults in the field is hard to get under control with our “normal” plant bug regime.

In most years, the highest labeled rate of imidacloprid is “good enough” to get populations under threshold, persevere square retention and reduce egg lay. In many fields this year, the ≈60% control we get leaves numbers out there that we can’t live with. In other words, 60% of 8 bugs/100 sweeps is 4.8 bugs in the field (below threshold), while 60% of 12 bugs/100 sweeps leaves 7.2 bugs in the field (right at threshold). Again, in high pressure fields, the highest rate of imidacloprid alone will likely not keep populations in check.

What about pyrethroids? We have a graduate student, TJ Douglas, who has been screen adult plant bug populations for resistance to several classes of insecticides this spring. In his preliminary analysis, he has found HIGH levels of resistance to bifenthrin in the TN Valley (Limestone County, we have known this for years), SW Alabama (Monroe County), and East Central Alabama (Elmore County). A population from the SE Alabama (Henry County) came back with elevated levels of resistance (but ≈62% lower than SW Alabama). Populations in NW (Cherokee County) and West Central (Dallas County) came back much easier to control.

What does this mean for 2023 in regions with resistance?

We have known about pyrethroid resistance in the TN Valley; thus, they have not been recommended for control for years. Over the past 2 seasons, we began receiving scattered field complaints in SW Alabama. Due to these experiences and results from lab tests, we are no longer recommending pyrethroids in SW Alabama for plant bug control. We have not received field complaints from the Wiregrass or East Central Alabama following pyrethroids, so this resistance could be “pocketed” and not widespread across the region. It is hard to say what we will get out of pyrethroids in these regions this year. Choosing a pyrethroid for plant bug controls may come down to a grower-by-grower decision based on their experiences. I would be very cautious using a pyrethroid in the Wiregrass and EC Alabama and scout closely behind to monitor performance.

What does this mean for 2023 in regions with no resistance?

In NW Alabama and the Black Belt, we are still comfortable recommending pyrethroids for control of adult and immature plant bugs.

So, if imidacloprid isn’t good enough and pyrethroids are resistant, what are we going to do with adult plant bugs?

Centric (thiamethoxam) is still an option. Centric is a neonicotinoid (like imidacloprid), just a little more expensive. Centric at 2 oz/A has always been better on adult plant bugs than imidacloprid and resistance monitoring suggests populations are still susceptible across the state. **Note: Centric often does not provide adequate control of immature plant bugs.

Acephate is another good option for control of adult plant bugs. The ½ lb rate of acephate should provide adequate control. In some fields, acephate plus imidacloprid has been used with positive results. Resistant monitoring shows that plant bugs are still susceptible statewide. **Note: Acephate is often associated with spider mite outbreaks in days or weeks following application.

Transform is probably the best plant bug material currently on the market. We typically like to hold the “big gun” until bloom, when immature plant bugs begin to emerge. The 1.5 oz rate of Transform provides good control of all stages of plant bugs, but at a price. This product is important for controlling immature plant bugs.

What about tank-mixing imidacloprid and bifenthrin? We have some data on this from the TN Valley on immature plant bugs. In 2021, it provided pretty good control. In 2022, it did not provide any measurable level of control. This mix may work on migrating adults, but it may be a total miss.

**Bidrin is restricted by label until bloom and cannot be used in the pre-bloom window**

How do I know if my insecticide worked?

While still important, monitoring adult populations in the field following an application is not the best way to determine if the most recent application work. Adults may reinfest fields and it is not uncommon to find as many or more adults in a field 5-7 days after a spray than before. The best way to determine the efficacy of an insecticide application for adult plant bugs is to monitor pinhead square retention 4-5 days later. If retention falls 10% or more 4 days later, then it is likely that either the application did not work or could not perform under the pressure. Use this information to guide follow up applications. If retention is holding (and greater than 85%) but threshold levels of adults are in the field, then a follow-up application is still warranted.

What about cotton with immatures present?

In a lot of the older cotton in Alabama, immature (nymph) plant bugs are beginning to or have been emerging over the past week. In this situation, where adults are still migrating in and nymphs are showing up, Diamond is critical for control. We wrote a lot about using Diamond last week (link), but here are a few reminders: Diamond is not a “knockdown” insecticide and should be tank-mixed with one. Diamond provides residual suppression and does not eliminate plant bugs or the need for follow up applications. Think of Diamond like ThryvOn: populations can still build to damaging levels but are lower than they would be if not used.

After bloom, acephate, Transform and Bidrin are options to consider tank-mixing with Diamond.

Getting off to a good start in this cotton with nymphs emerging will be critical to “set the tone” for the rest of the season.

As always, if we can ever be of any help, or if you would like to provide input on the situation in your area, please don’t hesitate to reach out (Scott Graham: 662-809-3368; Ron Smith: 334-332-9501).

For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Cotton Insect Situation: Friday June 23, 2023: Plant Bug Pressure on the Rise

We have received reports of threshold populations of plant bugs from the Gulf to the Tennessee line and from Mississippi to Georgia. If cotton has squares, it should be scouted for adult plant bugs. In Alabama, our threshold is 8 adults per 100 sweeps -OR- to maintain 80% square retention. Some states recommend only treating adult plant bugs if square retention falls below 80%, regardless of the number of adult plant bugs in the field. We have a couple of reasons for treating 8/100, regardless of square retention.

1.       A square will likely not fall off the plant the day it is fed on by a plant bug. In other words, you can find a field with high plant bug numbers and high square retention because plant bugs have moved in recently and fed on squares, but they have not had enough time to fall.

2.       Consider the damage potential of plant bugs. A threshold level would result in unacceptable square loss in the following week. The literature says that adult plant bugs feed on 0.6 to 2.1 squares per day. A threshold population of adult plant bugs is ≈1,160 bugs per acre. Assuming a plant population of 36,000 plants per acre and an average of 2 pinhead squares added each week, then a weeklong infestation of a threshold of adult plant bugs will result in up to of 17,052 squares lost, or ≈24% of the pinhead squares in the field. If we know that damage potential is possible, don’t wait for it to happen.

3.       In addition to feeding on pinhead squares, adult plant bugs also lay eggs. These eggs will hatch out over the following 7-10 days, resulting in an embedded population of immature (nymphs) causing problems later in the season.

Speaking of egg lay and plant bug nymphs hatching out, this brings up the timing of the insect growth regulator, Diamond. This chemical is only active on nymphs and kills them as they molt (shed skin) and grow from one instar (growth stage) to the next. Immature plant bugs develop through 5 instars over ≈15 days. As mentioned above, the egg stage lasts 7-10 days. This makes the timing of Diamond critical to maximize its effectiveness. We feel that we get ≈2 weeks (TPB nymphal life length) of residual suppression from a 6oz rate of Diamond. Timing this application as close to the initial hatch out as possible helps to get the most “bang for your buck” out of this.

Typically, we say that around 1^st bloom is the best time to apply Diamond. This assumes that a threshold population of adults in June was present in the field and killed with a well-timed spray when found. In a “normal” year, adults move into fields when 3 or 4 pinhead squares are present (≈2 weeks into squaring). Given time for eggs to deposit and nymphs to hatch out, we typically expect to start finding nymphs around 1^st bloom. This year in many fields, adult plant bugs were found in fields with 1 or 2 pinhead squares present (≈1^st week of square). Additionally, there are a lot of fields that had a threshold (or higher) level of plant bugs for 7 or more days before an application could be made due to rain. In these cases, Diamond should be applied earlier than the 1^st week of bloom. The point of this application is not to time up with crop stage, but with plant bug nymph emergence.

Bottom line: In many of the phone conversations we have had with folks this week, we are telling them that if high plant bug populations are in fields and no adulticide has been sprayed, then Diamond should be applied (with a knockdown insecticide) 10-14 days after the initial threshold population was observed. Making a Diamond application does not mean plant bug numbers will not reach threshold in the following 2 weeks, but it will help to keep numbers suppressed, especially if rains or other factors will not allow for timely follow-up applications.

As always, if we can ever be of any help, or if you would like to provide input on the situation in your area, please don’t hesitate to reach out (Scott Graham: 662-809-3368; Ron Smith: 334-332-9501).

For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Cotton Insect Situation (And Thoughts on Plant Bugs): Thursday June 15, 2023

Plant bugs are on the move. We have heard reports of adult plant bugs moving into fields across Alabama. A lot of fields in SW Alabama and some fields in Central Alabama have been treated over the past couple of days. The rain much of the state is experiencing will likely keep scouts and sprayers out of the field for a few days, but we need to get back in there as soon as we can. Until this week, we had been pretty dry in some parts of the state. The daisy fleabane has begun to play out and plant bugs are looking for better hosts. In most cases, that will be the oldest cotton around. In other areas, we have received timely rainfall and/or soils seem to be holding water better, leaving more fleabane in the environment. In these areas, plant bugs have started moving, but we will likely have another migration as the next generation matures our in a couple of weeks. We have also heard about spider mites and three-cornered alfalfa hoppers in some areas, but plant bugs are the biggest reports we have received.

I also wanted to put in plug from a post by Dr. Camp Hand at UGA discussing hail damage in cotton. I am not sure exactly how much we have in Alabama, but I suspect there are some fields suffering from it. You can read his post here (link).

Managing Plant Bugs Following the Storms

I had a discussion with a consultant this afternoon in central Alabama, and he brought up a good point to consider. He had a couple of fields with plant bug numbers close, but just under threshold earlier this week. Thinking the rain would cause some wash off (which it certainly would have), he and the grower decided to wait until the storm passed to treat. Now, assuming no more rain comes, they will likely be out of the field at least a week, potentially longer if rains continue. Plant bugs will be in the field depositing eggs over a 10–14-day period, meaning immature plant bugs will likely begin hatching around June 20^th and continue through the first of July. His question was basically, is it time for Diamond as soon as we can get the sprayer in the field. In this situation, the answer is probably “yes.” If they can get into the field around June 22^nd, that gives us good timing for the initial hatch out (around the 20^th) and we will expect to get 2-3 weeks of residual immature plant bug suppression from the 6-9 oz rate.

Remember Diamond should be tank-mixed with a knockdown insecticide to kill any adults in the field or immatures that have already hatched. Diamond kills immature plant bugs when they molt from one instar (growth stage) to the next. Plant bugs go through 5 instars with most of the damage being done in the 3^rd-5^th instar stages. This is why the timing of a Diamond application is so important. If the treatment is made too early, then some of the residual is wasted. If the treatment is made too late, plant bugs in the field will continue to feed and cause injury until they molt to the next instar.

We normally do not recommend Diamond being applied until nymphs begin to emerge, typically around first bloom (or the first of July). However, that is considering an application went out for migrating adults in the pre-square stage (mid-June). Others may have this unique situation where they know plant bugs are in the field, but they cannot do anything about it for a week or more. In these situations, I would suggest a Diamond application be made when a treatment goes out. If the ground dries out quicker, or a plane is available, I would suggest going ahead and treating threshold levels of plant bugs (8 bugs/100 sweeps or 80% square retention) now and waiting to make a decision on Diamond around the first of July.

As always, if we can ever be of any help, or if you would like to provide input on the situation in your area, please don’t hesitate to reach out (Scott Graham: 662-809-3368; Ron Smith: 334-332-9501).

For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Cotton Insect Situation: Friday June 9th

We are getting dry in a lot of areas across the state. A few rains have popped up here and there, but much of our cotton needs a drink. The crop also appears to be relatively late. I would say based on a lot of what I have seen and heard from folks we probably have more cotton closer to “first leaf” than “first square.”

The thrips situation picked up heavy in North Alabama, with several applications in NE Alabama and the TN Valley this week but seems to have subsided now. Several applications Reports in central Alabama have been a mixed bag, some are needing to make spray while others have been able to live with seed treatments or other at-plant controls. Most reports from south Alabama have been that cotton is outgrowing thrips at this point.

Spider Mites building in cotton

Something to keep an eye out for now is spider mites. We have seen low levels of mites in cotton approaching pinhead square in central Alabama and have heard about some in north Alabama as well. While populations haven’t reached damaging levels yet, our current weather patterns have us in a spot where mites should be considered when making management decisions. Abamectin is a good option and low to mid-labeled rates can be used in younger cotton.

Adult TPB in terminal

The plant bug situation in Alabama has already begun. We have heard of low levels of plant bugs in older fields in north Alabama and sprays have already gone out in some south Alabama fields. The dry weather is causing fleabane to play out and adult plant bugs will soon be on the move. As cotton reaches the 7^th node or so, we need to start running sweep-nets and checking square retention weekly. Threshold is 8 bugs per 100 sweeps -or- to maintain at least 80% square retention. Remember that in addition to feeding on pinhead squares, adult plant bugs are also depositing eggs that will hatch out into immatures (nymphs) over the next 7-10 days. As far as treatments, imidacloprid is a cost-effective option that provides “good enough” control at the higher rates. Centric and bifenthrin (depending on resistance levels in your location) are other options. Acephate is an option, but with how dry we are in some areas I would be a little hesitant to go that route due to the spider mite situation mentioned above. Remember that the label restricts the use of Bidrin between pinhead square and first bloom.

We have two more opportunities for scout schools on the calendar right now.

Tennessee Valley — Cotton and Soybean
June 13
Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center
Belle Mina, Alabama

Agenda

Northeast Alabama — Cotton
June 22
McCord’s Fire Station #1
1150 County Road 157
Centre, Alabama

Agenda

For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter and Podcast, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Cotton Insect Situation: June 1, 2023

The past week has brought slightly cooler temperatures across much of Alabama, resulting in cotton that is not growing off as quick as we would want in some areas. We also have some pockets that are getting dry, further exacerbating the issue.

Overall, thrips pressure has not been too bad this year, but we are starting to see pressure pick up in some areas. For the most part, our at-plant treatments have been holding on pretty well, but some of the seed treatments are starting to break. In “normal” conditions, we don’t see yield loss after about the 4^th or 5^th leaf stage. However, in fields where cotton is not growing, foliar applications may still be warranted. Remember that acephate is effective, but is highly sensitive to wash off after rain and may flare spider mites. Intrepid Edge has better rainfastness and is less likely to flare mites.

TCAH Damage in Cotton

We have also seen and heard reports of three-cornered alfalfa hoppers in some fields. TCAH tend to be worse in dry spells, when weedy hosts are drying down and tender cotton plants are the best thing around. They are usually worse on field borders, however in no-till, high residue fields they may be distributed across the field. Usually, we do not recommend spraying for TCAH because adults are so mobile and reinfest so fast that controls are difficult to evaluate. Typically, cotton plants damaged by TCAH die, and surrounding plants usually compensate for any loss. One consideration for treatment would be in fields with very low plant populations or in fields with spotty stands. Pyrethroids and acephate provide good control, but again adults can continue to move into fields. Generally, cotton is “safe” from TCAH around the 6-8^th node. Cotton plants that have been injured from TCAH appear stunted, leaf veins begin to turn dark red, and leaves take on a red/orange appearance. There will also be a knot or multiple knots on the stem usually below the cotyledons.

One other report we have gotten over the past week is high numbers of stink bugs in corn. Corn is highly susceptible to stink bug injury just prior to tassel (V14-VT). A well timed pyrethroid application will help corn and likely reduce populations moving into cotton later in the season as well.

Plant Bugs: Although we shouldn’t have any cotton squaring (yet), I want to go ahead and mention plant bugs. We have a graduate student (TJ Douglas) traveling the state making collections of adult plant bugs from daisy fleabane for resistance monitoring. The fleabane is loaded with all ages and stages of plant bugs across Alabama. Keep an eye on ditch banks and field edges with fleabane on it. As long as rains persist, and fleabane is healthy, plant bugs will likely stay there. Once the fleabane begins to dry down, plant bugs will start moving to the most mature cotton in the area (first planted cotton). Scout this cotton weekly as soon as squares are in the field. Threshold is 8 bugs per 100 sweeps -OR- maintain 80% square retention. Older fields (later planted) should be monitored for plant bugs as well, but early season populations tend to build most heavily in the earlier planted fields.

Cotton Scout Schools: We have 4 programs planned across the state this year. You can click the link on Agenda for details on each location. We published a story on the longest consecutive running program in Alabama Extension here.

Southeast Alabama — Cotton and Peanut
June 6
Wiregrass Research and Extension Center
Headland, Alabama

Agenda

Central and West Alabama — Cotton and Soybean
June 8
Autauga County Agricultural Center
Autaugaville, Alabama

Agenda

Tennessee Valley — Cotton and Soybean
June 14
Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center
Belle Mina, Alabama

Agenda

Northeast Alabama — Cotton
June 22
McCord’s Fire Station #1
1150 County Road 157
Centre, Alabama

Agenda

For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter and Podcast, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Cotton Insect Situation: May 19, 2023

Planters have been rolling over the past 7 to 10 days, when popup showers haven’t chased them out. We have talked to a couple of folks this week that have had to dodge rains trying to get the crop in. Overall, I think we are in pretty good shape right now.

The biggest question we have gotten this week: What’s thrips pressure looking like? This tells me most folks are in the same shape we are in, most of the cotton we have looked at is still in the cotyledon stage. It can be hard to tell until you start putting on a true leaf and getting some immature thrips hatching out to know what is going on. My best advice is to either consider the rainfall over the past 3 or so weeks and use the Thrips Model to try to predict what is going to happen. Of course, there is no substitute for actually getting out and scouting your cotton to see what is going on.

On that note, I will plug the 64^th Cotton Scouting Schools. We have 4 programs planned across the state this year. You can click the link on Agenda for details on each location. We published a story on the longest consecutive running program in Alabama Extension here.

Southeast Alabama — Cotton and Peanut
June 6
Wiregrass Research and Extension Center
Headland, Alabama

Agenda

Central and West Alabama — Cotton and Soybean
June 8
Autauga County Agricultural Center
Autaugaville, Alabama

Agenda

Tennessee Valley — Cotton and Soybean
June 14
Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center
Belle Mina, Alabama

Agenda

Northeast Alabama — Cotton
June 22
McCord’s Fire Station #1
1150 County Road 157
Centre, Alabama

Agenda

For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter and Podcast, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Cotton Insect Situation: May 10, 2023

As of Monday (5/8), we have turned hot and dry. In many fields we have walked across Central Alabama this week, moisture is lacking and stands are struggling to make. Some areas caught a rain yesterday, but storms were somewhat localized. Over the coming days, some fields may need to be irrigated up. As our agronomist Dr. Steve Brown says, farmers know their ground far better than we do, so you will know what you have and when it is time to make a call on a stand.

We have seen and heard a few reports of grasshoppers across central Alabama. Nothing too bad but some requiring treatments. Remember that the issue is more tied to the risk of stand loss and not leaf feeding. If grasshoppers chew on the mainstem, that is often enough to lose the plant. We don’t have any thresholds, so treatments are made based on the grower’s acceptable risk. If stands are spotty, risk may be higher. With the number of adult grasshoppers in the field, Dimilin alone will likely not be enough. In our experience, acephate (0.67-0.75 lbs) does a good job on adults and the added Dimilin (2 oz) provides good residual control of the immatures.

Moving to thrips, some things have changed from our last update. Missing those couple of rain chances the past week has altered expected pressure some in Central and South Alabama. Across these areas, now cotton planted through the first week of May is at a higher risk. As previously predicted, Cotton planted starting today (May 9) and later is at a much lower risk overall. When we planted our thrips trials in Prattville on May 2, the model rated the pressure around a “0.4,” which is pretty low. Today, the model is predicting a “0.94.” This is a good reminder that the model can and does change as weather predictions become a reality.

Bottom line: There is a good chance most of our (non-ThryvOn) cotton planted before May 8^th or so is going to need a foliar spray to supplement at-plant insecticides. Keep watching the model and scouting for thrips and injury. For the folks trying out ThryvOn, we do not expect to need foliar sprays to supplement thrips control.

For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter and Podcast, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.

Alabama Thrips Model Update: April 26, 2023

We have been running thrips models (link) across Alabama for the last 10-14 days to get a sense for what pressure will be like this year. Heading into my 4^th crop in Alabama, this is the easiest it has ever been to summarize the models across the state.

Across South Alabama (models run in Baldwin, Escambia, Coffee and Henry Counties), the Thrips Model is predicting a near “normal” situation with the highest risk being for April planted cotton and basically cotton planted after May 1^st being at a low risk.

In Central Alabama (models run in Dallas and Autauga Counties), the model predicts April planted cotton to be at the highest risk and cotton planted after about May 10^th at the lowest risk.

In North Central Alabama (models run in Pickens and Talladega Counties), things are a little different from East to West. In Pickens County, the highest risk is for early April planted cotton, but elevated risks run through about May 10^th. In Talladega County, the highest risk of thrips pressure is from about April 25^th through about May 10^th, cotton planted after about May 15^th is at the lowest risk across North Central Alabama.

In North Alabama (models run in Lauderdale, Limestone and Cherokee Counties), cotton planted in May is at the highest risk. The model is currently predicting the highest thrips pressure since at least 2018, with 2021 being the closest pressure. As of now, it does not appear any cotton will be at low risk in North Alabama.

With the models in mind, what are we going to do about thrips in 2023? We recently posted a blog with thoughts on thrips management. You can read it here. To summarize our post, effective thrips management is important to get the crop off to a fast, vigorous start. The best way to manage thrips is to use a recommended insecticide at-plant insecticide (IST or in-furrow) or ThryvOn cotton. Foliar insecticides are meant to supplement at-plant treatments, not replace them.

For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter and Podcast, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline. As always, if we can be of any help, don’t hesitate to reach out (Scott Graham: 662-809-3368; Ron Smith: 334-332-9501).

Thrips Model Locations

Alabama Thrips Management in 2023

When it comes to managing thrips, there is one thing that cannot be argued: you have to do something at-plant. There are some rumblings of wanting to go with a base seed treatment (storage rate) to save some up-front costs and try to “spray our way out” of thrips. This is very difficult to do. Properly timing insecticide applications to manage thrips is hard with a seed treatment, it is nearly impossible without. The reason for this is largely due to the biology of thrips. Most thrips eggs are deposited in the cotyledons, so the immature thrips are hatching out just as the first true leaf is pushing out of the terminal. Thrips prefer to feed “inside” the emerging true leaves while still in the furl stage (pushing out of the terminal). Thrips are protected while inside the furl, so it is nearly impossible to get insecticide to them. This means that when the first true leaf finally expands, it has already been injured. This brings up a good point about expectations for thrips sprays. In most cases, the “next leaf” is the one being protected. In other words, if an application is made when the 2^nd true leaf is in the terminal, that spray is most likely to protect the 3^rd true leaf. We can’t really judge how well a foliar treatment protected that leaf worked for about 7 days (≈3 days per leaf to open). Generally, if no immatures are observed, then we can assume our treatment “worked,” however, the presence of adults does not mean the treatment did “not work.” Adult thrips may continue to migrate into the field after the residual of the treatment has worn off.

Varying levels of thrips injury to seedling cotton.

With all that being said, what are our options for managing thrips?

1.    Insecticide Seed Treatments (ISTs) are the primary strategy used to manage thrips. Performance of ISTs vary by year and location, primarily due to weather conditions and thrips pressure. In low to moderate pressure, ISTs can “get the job done.” Under high pressure, or if growing conditions are not conducive to seedling growth, ISTs will likely require supplemental foliar treatments. Most cotton seed companies offer multiple seed treatment packages, with the lowest option (typically has the word base or basic), with a non-field active (or ‘storage’) rate of imidacloprid. The second option (many different names) generally has a full rate of imidacloprid, and option(s) 3 or 4 having additional nematicides or biologicals. Thus, at least the 2^nd option (e.g., Acceleron Standard) is needed for thrips control.

2.    In-Furrow (IF) applications are another effective way to manage thrips. Based on our past three years of research, we are no longer recommending acephate as an in-furrow treatment for thrips. That leaves imidacloprid (liquid), which is the same active ingredient as our seed treatments and the granular aldicarb (AgLogic), which is still highly effective against thrips. If using in-furrow treatments, then basic seed treatment options can be used, depending on the fungicide seed treatment package needed. Supplemental foliar applications may still be needed, particularly for in-furrow imidacloprid. Aldicarb treated cotton rarely requires foliar applications for thrips.

3.   ThryvOn is the final option that can be used as an at-plant option for thrips. This is a new Bt trait that will be commercially available in limited quantities in 2023. ThryvOn is also highly effective against thrips and is not expected to need supplemental foliar treatments. Additionally, ThryvOn also has efficacy against tarnished plant bugs, however less impacts than thrips. For more information on ThryvOn cotton and how to best manage it in the Southeast, checkout this Extension publication (ANR-2984).

If supplemental foliar insecticides are needed to manage thrips, there are a few options to consider:

·       Acephate (3 oz/A) is an effective and relatively inexpensive option, however it has the potential to flare secondary pests such as spider mites and is the least rainfast of the available recommended options.

·       Bidrin (3.2 oz/A) is another option that is effective and less likely to flare spider mites and is more rainfast than acephate, however it is more likely to cause crop injury when tank-mixed with herbicides.

·       Dimethoate (6.4 oz/A) is another cost effective and efficacious product with good rainfastness, however it is the most likely to cause crop injury when tank-mixed with herbicides.

·       Intrepid Edge (3 oz/A) is another effective option. Intrepid Edge is less likely to flare secondary pests but may need the addition of a surfactant to help with efficacy.

·        Pyrethroids are not effective and should not be used to manage thrips.

In summary, effective thrips management is important to get the crop off to a fast, vigorous start. The best way to manage thrips is to use a recommended insecticide at-plant insecticide (IST or in-furrow) or ThryvOn cotton. Foliar insecticides are meant to supplement at-plant treatments, not replace them. We will be updating the blog soon with the results from the Thrips Infestation Predictor Model for Cotton. For more information on thresholds and insecticide recommendations, visit the Alabama Cotton IPM Guide (IPM-0415). To stay up-to-date on the Alabama cotton insect situation, subscribe to the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter, Alabama Crops Report Newsletter and Podcast, and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.