As cotton growers are preparing to plant, proper planning and management strategies are necessary for optimal stand establishment. Poor soil temperatures and moisture levels, as well as heavy insect pressure, will adversely affect plant population, and ultimately crop yield and quality. Scouting cotton in the early stages of development can help identify fields where plants may be under adverse stress.

According to the Cotton Grower and entomologists at the Mississippi State University Extension, cotton seed treatments may be more important to utilize in 2017 with the threat of thrips looming. Severe thrips infestations can cause stunting, maturity delays and yield losses. Because the severity of thrips cannot be predicted, insecticide seed treatments and foliar insecticide applications are recommended to reduce the risk of thrips damage.

Using a seed treatment like Avicta^® Elite Cotton Plus with Vibrance^® can help protect against early-season diseases, nematodes and difficult insects. An early foliar application of an insecticide with an alternate mode of action, from the neonicotinoid class of insecticides, at the one true leaf stage can also help.

A proactive, season-long approach to weed management can help growers keep potential issues in check. With weeds exhibiting resistance to several chemistries, growers need to diversify their programs and include herbicides with different modes of action, like Dual Magnum^® and Caparol^®. Dual Magnum can be used pre-plant surface-applied, pre-plant incorporated or as a pre-emergence application, while Caparol provides foliar knockdown of emerged weeds and residual control of later-germinating weeds for even greater flexibility.

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