Baldwin County Extension Office
302A Byrne Street
Bay Minette, AL  36507
(251) 937-7176
Richard L. Petcher 
Regional Extension Agronomist for
Southwest Alabama
(251) 847-2295, cell (251) 202-1009, SL 7*145

News Letter July 2006 

To Row Crop Producers in South West Alabama.  Some of this news letter is concerning new information and some of this will serve as a reminder of production practices that you already know, but may serve as a simple check list for your management practices.

The Cotton Pick Sack is also a very good news letter that comes out around the middle of each month.  It is written by the Auburn University Cotton Specialists.  This as well as other Alabama cotton information can be found at:  www.alabamacotton.com

Another website that you may be interested in visiting for weekly crop updates is:

 www.nass.usda.gov/weather/cpcurr/al-crop-weather

This web site includes archives of my past news letters, variety tests, crop information, the IPM Pest Management Handbook and crop publications.  I would like to thank Sandra Walton at the Baldwin County Extension Office for her diligence in compiling this information for the growers in this region. 

http://www.aces.edu/counties/Baldwin/pages/Richard.tmpl

The USDOT Number Requirement for Farmers

Has been postponed until January 1, 2007. The Alabama Dept. of public safety has a web site that tells about the USDOT number and has forms for on line application.

http://www.dps.state.al.us/public/highwaypatrol/mc/pdf/DOTNumbers-FAQ.pdf

UPCOMING PRODUCTION MEETINGS:

Southern Peanut Grower’s Conference:  July 16-18 at Panama City Beach, Florida.

3rd Annual Precision Ag and Field Crops Day

July 19, 2006 at Dee River Ranch in Pickens County

For more information, call Shannon Norwood at 256-412-1696 or hubers@auburn.edu.

Small Grain Production Meeting

July 24, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. at the Fish Camp Restaurant in Summerdale, Baldwin County

Speaker:  Dr. Erick Larson, Grain Crop Specialist with Mississippi State and William Reed with BASF.  This will be an excellent meeting.  Wheat acres are expected to almost double across the South East this next planting season.  Planting the very best variety for this area may easily up a grower’s yield by 20 bushels or more per acre.  Planting dates may also greatly up a grower’s yields.  Topics discussed will be tillage, varieties, fertility, weed control, Hessian fly, aphids and other insects and diseases that affect yield.  This meeting will greatly benefit any grower in South Alabama seriously interested in producing an outstanding grain crop.  Special strategies will also be presented focused on Baldwin County where the climate is more like Southern Louisiana than the rest of Alabama.  Special topics will also include wheat and oat production for straw as well as grain. 

Huxford Cotton and Peanut Field Day

Date:  Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Starting Place: Huxford Baptist Church.  From I-65 at Atmore take Highway 21 North for about 8 miles.  Just past the pole mill take highway 30 going west toward McCullough.  Continue for ½ mile. The Huxford Baptist Church is on the left.  . 

Time: 8:30 a.m.

Topics:  Delta-Pine Variety Test:  Dru Rush, Agronomist for Delta-Pine.

Nematode Tests:  Randy Ackridge, Dr. Kathy Lawrence and Dr. Bill Gazaway with Auburn University.

Cotton Variety Test:  David Womack’s Farm, Cotton Representatives.

Peanuts: Dallas Hartzog, Auburn University Peanut Specialist

Dinner: Sponsored

Wiregrass Crop Field Day

August 17, 2006 at the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center in Headland, Al.

Mariana Florida, Peanut Field Day

August 24th in Mariana, Florida.  I consider this the best meeting of the year where a grower can go for one day and learn in the field all he can about peanuts.  Peanut Specialists from Georgia, Alabama and Florida will be talking about their research.  Dr. Barry Tillman from Fruitdale, Alabama is now the Peanut Plant Breeder for the University of Florida and he will be heading up this day.  A few of us will be eating supper with Dr. Barry Tillman and Dr. Dan Gorbet the night before.  If you are interested in joining, us give me a call at 251-202-1009.    

ROW CROP INFORMATION

Cotton Insect Outlook for Early-Mid July: by Dr. Ron Smith, Auburn University Cotton Entomologist. Cotton Hot Line: 800-458-3738

2006 has proven to be a challenging year for cotton production this far. Both early season thrips pressure and weather have been less than ideal for cotton. Thrips injury was heavy on cotton that was planted in late April and early May.  This cotton was at the most susceptible thrips injury stage during the cool nights and dry period of mid to late May. As to weather – most of the state went from early May to late June with little or no measurable rainfall and as of this report some areas are still without rains. On the average, our cotton is from 2-3 weeks behind schedule

but this depends greatly from field to field and farm to farm.

Now let’s talk about insects at present and what we might expect in the coming weeks. The primary concern the past couple of weeks and maybe for the first 20 days or so of July is plant bugs. Plant bug populations in cotton vary widely from almost non-detectable in some fields to about 1 adult per 2 feet of row in the heaviest infestations. In spite of high numbers in some fields the expected drop in pin head square retention has not been reported. Under extreme early season drought stress, we were better off using high plant bug injury thresholds anyway. However, where we now have moisture we may want to take the opposite approach and protect as high a percent of the fruit as possible. My concern is that, even though these plant bugs were not causing a high square loss, they were depositing eggs that will hatch into a heavy in-field generation over a several week period in July. If nymphal survival is high in July, multiple applications may be required to control this in-field generation of plant bugs.

Another insect that will be of concern in July will be the BW/TBW complex. Sporadic egg lay from primarily the budworm has been going on since the last week of May. Most of this has occurred in the oldest, most mature cotton. It is not unusual to get budworm egg laying activity the first 10 days of July, which can blend into, or overlap, with the July 15-20 bollworm egg lay from moths that come from corn. However, I should caution that since heat units drive these worm cycles, I would expect July worm activity this year to be 5-10 days early due to the high June temperatures.  Grower should just be aware that we need to know which species we are targeting. If tobacco budworms make up all or a significant part of the population, then pyrethroids will not do the job alone. We will either have to utilize the newer chemistry (Tracer, Steward) or a tank mixture with both pyrethroids and new chemistry. Also, growers need to be aware that there were pockets of high bollworm pressure in 2005 where pyrethroids did not give

adequate control of bollworms. Under high bollworm pressure the cypermethrin pyrethroids  (Ammo or generics) may not give as good control as other pyrethroids. Which ever pyrethroid used, it should be at the mid-high labeled rate for the mid-late July bollworm flights.

Other pests that we will likely encounter during the next 30 days will be aphids and spider mites. Since we are already late, maturity wise, in 2006 we do not need to allow either aphids or mites to put additional stress on the plants.

LAYING THE CROP BY IN JULY: by Mike Patterson, Auburn University Extension Weed Scientist

             July is the month when most of our cotton receives a layby application that will hopefully take the crop clean to harvest. Layby treatments are very important for optimum yield and clean harvests. Several options available to choose from.

            Some new products are available this year for layby and we still have several older ones to choose from.   The new ones include Valor from Valent Company, Suprend from Syngenta, and Layby Pro from Dupont.  Valor is used at the rate of 1 to 2 ounces of product per acre and should be mixed with either MSMA or glyphosate (Roundup Ready cotton only)  Valor should be directed to the base of cotton at least 16 inches tall.  Never use a crop oil concentrate with Valor, only a good quality nonionic surfactant.   Suprend is used at the rate of 1 to 1.5 pounds of product on most of our soils.  One pound of Suprend contains 0.15 ounce of Envoke and 0.8 pounds of prometyrn.  Suprend can be mixed with MSMA or glyphosate and directed to cotton at least 15 inches tall.  Layby Pro is a mixture of diuron and linuron in equal parts.  Using one quart of Layby Pro per acre will give 0.5 pounds each of diuron and linuron.  Layby Pro can also be mixed with MSMA or glyphosate and directed to cotton at least 15 inches tall.  All three of these products will do a good job on small weeds (3 in or less) and provide some residual control to finish the season if activated by rainfall or overhead sprinkler irrigation within a week or so after application.

            Other products that may be used in cotton for layby applications include fluometuron (Cotoran, etc.), diuron (Karmex, etc.), prometryn (Caparol, etc.), Cobra, Harvade, Aim, and ET.  These materials should be mixed either MSMA or glyphosate (RR cotton only).  The duration of residual control will depend on the choice of product and the timeliness of rainfall or irrigation.  Diuron is the most residual while Aim and ET have essentially no residual activity.  Fluometuron and prometryn are in between these extremes.  The choice of whether to use MSMA or glyphosate as a tank mix partner in my opinion depends on the size of annual grass in your cotton.  If annual grasses are over 3 inches tall or if you have bermudagrass in the crop then the best choice for a tank mix partner is glyphosate.  MSMA is effective on nutsedge and small annual grasses and also helps break the cycle of constant glyphosate use (important for delaying the onset of glyphosate resistant weeds).

                           PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON COTTON

The main purpose for using Plant Growth Regulators (PGR) on cotton is to control height and vegetative growth on cotton.  The purpose of this is to give you a manageable plant to harvest.  It also helps on boll retention, especially on the first and second bolls, or the main money crop of your cotton.  The growth control helps in having a more uniform field.  Rank cotton has many problems, from boll rot to huge problems at defoliation time and harvest.  Research by Delta Pine Agronomist have proven the perfect height for a cotton plant to be 45 inches.  Early maturity is another factor.  If used properly PGRs  may decrease growing time by two weeks. 

Many of our new cotton varieties especially Delta Pine 555 are very aggressive in their growth habit.  These varieties especially need PGRs.  So far this has been an extremely dry year.  Once the rains start and hopefully continue the cotton will grow very rapidly increasing the need for PGR.  Since the invention of Pix there are several products on the market. The only new one this year that I am aware of is Stance from Bayer Crop Science.  The active ingredients are Cyclanilide and Mepiquat chloride.  The rate is 2 ounces per acre to control moderate vegetative growth and 3 ounces to control high vegetative vigorous growth.

The most important thing with PGRs is to spray “on time”.  Don’t wait too late to get started.  The first two applications are the most critical for successful cotton management.  Begin PGR applications at pinhead to matchhead square.  The use rate for most PGRs is a minimum of 1 ounce/A per main stem node per application not to exceed 16 oz per application.  Make a second application 2 weeks after the first application.  Continue applications as needed on 7-14 day intervals.  Aggressive varieties need two applications by early bloom.          

                                               CORN: GRAIN SORGHUM

A few growers are planting corn.  The Topical Bt corn would be the best choice of corn to plant from now until August 1.  July 15 is the last recommended planting date for grain sorghum.  

MAKING SILAGE FROM DROUGHT-STRESSED CORN*

*Prepared by Dr. Don Ball (Extension Agronomist/Professor, Dept. of Agronomy and Soils) and Dr. Darrell Rankins (Extension Animal Scientist/Professor, Dept. of Animal and Dairy Sciences), Auburn University.

            In Alabama, dry weather sometimes severely stunts the growth of corn.  Some producers who recognize that they are not likely to produce any significant amount of corn grain often consider the possibility of harvesting corn as silage.   This information sheet provides some discussion of key points that relate to this decision.

            The forage quality of corn is good, whether drought-stressed or not.  The crude protein content and sugar content of drought-stressed corn is likely to be higher than non stressed corn, but the crude fiber and digestible fiber may also be higher than normal corn silage.  The result is that on a dry matter basis, animal performance may be somewhat lower with drought-stressed than it would have been on non stressed corn, but the main impact on forage production by drought is reduced dry matter yield.

            The idea of using what was intended to be a grain crop for forage can make sense in many situations.  It actually is a better option to make silage from such corn than to use it for green chop or grazing.  The primary reason for this is that the nitrate levels in drought-stressed corn are often dangerously high.  However, when corn is ensiled, the nitrate level will usually be reduced by at least 20%.  This makes nitrate poisoning somewhat less likely.  In addition, the highest concentration of nitrates is in the base of the cornstalks.   Thus, when corn is harvested for silage, some of the plant part containing the highest concentrations of nitrates is not included in the chopped material harvested for silage.

            One of the challenges associated with harvesting drought-stressed corn for silage is determining when the plants are at the proper moisture content.  The correct moisture content to harvest corn for silage is the same for drought-stressed and normal corn.  Normally good preservation and storage will occur when corn chopped for silage is at 65 to 70% in horizontal (trench or bunker) silos, 60 to 70% in bags, 60 to 65% in upright silos, and 50 to 60% in upright oxygen limiting structures. 

            For drought-stressed corn that has no ears or very poor ear development, the normal approaches to determine the proper harvest stage usually do not apply.  Therefore, chopping some material and determining moisture content in a microwave oven or with a moisture tester is advisable.  Simply looking at plants and trying to assess the moisture content does not work well because even though some leaves are beginning to brown, there may be enough moisture in the stalks to cause the silage moisture to be too high, thus resulting in poor fermentation and/or excessive seepage.  On the other hand, if corn is too dry, packing and excessive oxygen may result in poor fermentation.

            In some cases it may be advisable to raise the cutter bar on the silage chopper when harvesting drought stressed corn, as this may result in more desirable moisture content for ensiling the forage.  In addition, since stems contain higher levels of nitrates than leaves, a higher cutting height may reduce the likelihood of nitrate poisoning danger. 

            It is also worthy of mention that dangers of nitrous oxide poising to humans is increased on drought-stressed corn due to the higher nitrate levels in corn plants.  Thus, it is advisable to use extreme caution when filling silos, especially with drought-stressed plant material.  Running the blower for 15 minutes or so is always a good idea before entering a silo, but especially when drought-stressed material is ensiled.

            In some cases, the decision as to weather to harvest corn for silage may be influenced by the expected grain yield versus the expected silage yield.  A rule of thumb is that for drought-stressed corn usually about one ton of silage per acre can be produced for each 5 bushels of corn grain that might have otherwise been produced.  If there is no grain present, a rule of thumb is that about one ton of silage can be produced for each foot of plant height (excluding the tassel). 

            Making hay from corn usually does not work well.  Corn plants are difficult to bale, and are especially difficult to dry enough for storage as hay.  Furthermore, curing corn plants for hay does not reduce nitrate levels, while the nitrate levels of corn silage are often reduced by as much as 35 to 50%.  If any forage is suspected of having potentially dangerous levels of nitrate, it makes sense to have the forage tested before feeding it to livestock. 

                                                     Soybean Update

On June 27, 2006 soybean rust was found on any soybeans in Alabama.  The disease was found on the sentinel plot in Fairhope.  Only 5 soybean rust pustules were found on three leaves.  Leaves were also collected from three commercial soybean fields in Baldwin County but no rust was found.  Asian rust was found on soybeans in the West Palm Beach area of Florida on June 15th.  Since there are no soybeans produced any where near there “no alert” has gone forth.  There are four soybean sentinel plots in Southwest Al and twenty across the state.  They are being monitored once a week.  Dr. Ed Sikora updates the Soybean Rust Hotline (1-800-446-0388) for any new information. This is very helpful to growers.  Florida recently set-up their own toll-free rust hotline (866-361-9942).  This would be a good source of information especially for Alabama growers located near the panhandle of Florida.  

July 15 is the last recommended planting date for soybeans.  At this time the group VII is the bean of choice. 

Winter Cover Crops: With the high costs of fuel and Nitrogen there is renewed interest in conservation tillage and cover crops that supply Nitrogen and organic matter.  Because of this interest I plan to include several articles on cover crops discussing the management as well as the benefits and deficits of cover crops.  This month is Lupins.

                                                          LUPINS

     Homer AU Lupins is a new variety of Lupins developed at Auburn University that is now available for planting.   The main use for this crop is to increase organic matter and supply nitrogen to next springs crops.  There are challenges and a lot to learn in managing a new crop. 

     Lupin is a legume crop that is well known for adding organic matter and nitrogen to the soil.  Lupins have not been grown in this area for the last 40 to 50 years.  In the late 40’s farmers grew it but the bottom fell out in the early 50’s.  Some of the reasons for this included (1) for two consecutive years there were very early freezes around Thanksgiving and they killed the seedlings.  (2) Chemical industry was changing from a war time economy to peacetime.  A lot of chemical plants were built to produce ammonia for explosives and this was not needed any more.  Nitrogen became available and farmers used more and more of it.  (3) USDA discontinued supporting conservation practices for cotton production.  All this has changed.  New types of lupin are being developed for winter growth.  The costs of Nitrogen have skyrocketed and USDA is supporting conservation tillage.

     The benefits of lupin in a rotation are:  (1) They add organic matter to the soil.  Our soils tend to be low in organic matter because of temperatures and humidity.  The advantages of organic matter are that it increases soil tilth and increases water absorption and the soil does not crust as badly.  (2)  A further benefit is the Nitrogen.  Most people think of Nitrogen contribution first and the organic matter second, but in our conditions the organic matter contribution is very important.  In terms of Nitrogen contribution, it can go up in ideal situations to 200 pounds per acre.  Auburn University and USDA have been studying the use of cover crops in cotton rotations for a number of years.  In all of these studies lupin comes out ahead. 

     Lupin is a new crop with a few management tips a grower should know before planting it.

     Lupin grows best on light textured soils.  It will not work on heavy clay soils.  It is very sensitive to water logged soils.  Lupin is adapted to acid soils.  You will hurt other crops before lupin.  It is fairly efficient at extracting phosphorous out of the soil.  It produces very tiny roots and they produce citric acid that buffers the immediate environment on the roots and they actually raise the pH and make phosphorus available.  They also have a deep taproot that mines for Potash that is in the subsoil.  Bad fertility does not hurt this crop. 

     The ideal time to plant lupin is four weeks prior to the first killing frost.  October 15 would be the starting date.  Following  peanuts and cotton, of course, you can’t always do this.  If you delay planting, increase seeding rate to compensate for later planting.  December 7 would be the absolute latest planting date.  Lupins really start fixing Nitrogen when they start to bloom.  It is a Legume and the seed are high in protein.  So the plant’s Nitrogen fixation starts just as that plant starts to produce seed.  Prior to that time you will not receive the benefit of added Nitrogen to your soil.  Killing the crop after bloom when the plant is 2 feet tall will release about 200 units of Nitrogen.  Waiting until the crop is 4 feet tall can release as much as 375 units.  That is why lupin is primarily used in a cotton rotation.  Corn is planted earlier and usually would not allow enough time for Nitrogen fixation.  A grower may consider it with a later planted corn crop.  Plant the lupin early and plant the corn late or plant corn and plan on side dressing it with additional Nitrogen.

     Seed can be purchased from local farm stores.  The distributor is Plantation Seed Conditioners, Inc. in Newton, Georgia. 

     The seeding rate is one bushel per acre.  If you increase to 1 ½ bushels, you will get higher mass for weed kill.  One bushel weighs 58 pounds, so 60 pounds per acre is a good seeding rate with 90 pounds per acre if you want to get complete suppression of winter weeds.

     The cost is about $20 per bushel.  It is a cheap source of organic matter and Nitrogen. 

     Seeding depth is critical.  You can seed it too deep.  Plant ¼ to ¾ inches deep and closer to ¼.  The cotyledons actually emerge underneath the soil and the plant tries to push those first leaves out through the soil.  If they are too deep, the plant does not have enough energy to do this.  The plant will emerge readily when planted shallow.  It will actually germinate and emerge if the seed is flooded by soil on three sides.

     You can plant with a grain drill, but plant as shallow as possible.  With 36-inch rows you have better control over depth.  Either method is acceptable. 

     No weed or pest management is required for this cover crop.  Nematodes do not appear to be a major problem with this crop.  Nematodes are a problem with clovers and vetches.   However, if you already have a problem with nematodes, lupins would probably aggravate that problem.  Rotation is a must, as this crop has diseases as most crops do.  A three-year rotation is recommended.

     For conservation tillage, you can kill it with Round-up or Paraquat.  One quart of Round-up works great.  Lower or increase the rate according to mass.  After application of Round-up you have to wait two weeks to give the plant a chance to die.  Then you roll it to firm up the soil.  It works best to have a roller the same width as your planters.  Plant in the same direction as the roller.  You need to wait three weeks from Round-up application to planting for decay organisms to not affect your next crop. 

     Can lupin be cut for hay?  The variety we have now is NOT suitable for hay.  This type contains alkaloid which is toxic to animals.  Auburn University is now working on varieties with no alkaloids.  It will make hay and a high quality silage that will rival excellent alfalfa.  You can get 12–14 tons of 65% moisture silage per acre.  It will ensile very well.  Livestock love it.  The AU Homer White Lupin variety being grown now is not suitable for feeding purposes. 

     Lupin is excellent for wildlife.  Deer will walk a mile for it.  In fact if you have lupin with deer in the area, you will not be able to keep them out of it.  If the deer do not eat it all, the turkeys will finish it off.  Make sure it is SWEET LUPIN.

     I received the primary information for this article from Dr. Edzard van Santen, the scientist involved in lupin research at Auburn University and the plant breeder who developed the AU Homer White Lupin variety.

Again, I hope this letter is helpful to you.