The northern 2/3rds of Alabama has gotten much needed rain over the past couple of days. Thankfully, in most places rains have been somewhat slow and steady. We needed it to soak in as much as possible. According to James Spann (link), relief for south Alabama is expected tonight and through Friday. In addition to the rain, we have also seen a good couple of weeks run in the markets. December 26 cotton has been trading in the $0.80 range for the last few days. Hopefully this trend continues to go up.
More good news: After the recent rains, the Thrips Model has totally
shifted. For the majority of the state, VERY LOW thrips pressure is expected
for anything planted from now through basically all of May. This is a complete
180 from our last report (link).
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| The highlighted area is predicted to have high pressure through the first few days of May. Model Run: 4.29.26 |
North Alabama (highlighted part of map in image) is the only
part of the state is still predicted to have high pressure through the first couple
days of May, then falling off after about the 7th. Why the change
just for this one area? Great question. We don’t exactly know. Either way, this
highlights the importance of running the model consistently to see what the
pressure looks like as you begin planting and a few days after planting too.
With the now predicted lower pressure, I would expect seed
treatments to give us a good chance at outrunning thrips, assuming nighttime
temperatures are high enough to keep the cotton growing. Time will tell how
things will change.
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 to your local Extension Agent or myself (Scott Graham: 662-809-3368)
and 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 Podcast,
and the Syngenta Pest Patrol Hotline.
