Update: Cotton Jassid was found at the plant breeding unit in Tallasse, AL this morning (June 11)
The big update for the week comes out of Georgia. Dr. Phillip Roberts and his team found adult cotton jassids on okra in Tifton yesterday (June 10). No cotton jassids have been observed in cotton in the area. https://www.syngenta-us.com/pest-patrol/georgia
What does this mean for us in Alabama? It means just that.
Cotton jassids were found on okra in Tifton, GA. Last year, in Alabama, we
found cotton jassids on June 17 in Shorter and June 19 in Headland, both in
cotton. However, we did not experience widespread issues in commercial fields until
mid-August. We don’t yet know what this year will look like, but it may be
shaping up to be like last year. As we said over and over in 2025, we will know
a lot more in a month than we do today.
For now, we need to continue observing and looking for
cotton jassids in Alabama. Just like last year, we will monitor the
distribution and movement across the state with the help of our Extension
Agents. If you find any, please contact your local Agent and let them know. As
a refresher, last year we saw reproduction in cotton, okra, sunflowers, egg
plant and hibiscus. We have see adults (two black spots on wings) to confirm we
have cotton jassids.
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| Adult Cotton Jassid (Dr. Isaac Esquivel, UF) |
Yesterday, we commonly found silk tubes and lesser cornstalk
borer (LCB) larvae in peanuts on the research farm in Headland. LCB are worse
in hot, dry weather like we are experiencing in southeast Alabama. To scout,
look in areas of the field that are skippy first. If LCB are in the field, they
will most likely be on plants that have 5 or 6 inches between plants. If you don’t
find any, you likely do not have an infestation. If you do, scout the field as
you normally would, don’t key in on skippy plants. This can cause you to over
estimate the infestation level and bias your count. Look for LCB larvae or
silken tubes at the base of the plant. Or pull up plants and shake them on the
ground to dislodge the larvae then look for silken tubes. Threshold is when
fresh damage or LCB are found at 30% of the sites scouted in the field.
Current management recommendations include products with chlorantraniliprole (Vantacor, Besiege, etc.) or novaluron (Diamond). In theses current conditions,
I would be careful with products that contain pyrethroids as they may flare
spider mites.
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| Lesser Cornstalk Borer larvae and silken tube |
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.
