REDOUBLING THE EFFORT

Industry Focuses On Prevention To Reduce Growing Plastic Contamination Issue

BY VICKY BOYD MANAGING EDITOR

Plastic contamination has long been the bane of the U.S. cotton industry, which prides itself on producing a clean, quality product. Efforts to reduce the problem have redoubled in the past few years as plastic contamination continues to grow, partly due to new round bale technology.

At the center of industry efforts is educating and training farmers and gin employees about ways to prevent plastic from making it to the gin.

“We need to do a better job from the field to the gin point of trying to eliminate any of this plastic from getting into the gin in the first place,” says Tony Williams, executive director of the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association. “Education I think is the key — not just for us as gin members, but it really has to go back to the guy who’s operating that harvest equipment.”

His comments came during a recent online plastic contamination seminar hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices in Nueces and San Patricio counties.

San Patricio County also is home to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cotton classing office in Corpus Christi, which had the dubious distinction of having nearly 40% — or 1,587 — of all plastic-contaminated bales in the country in 2019. The Lamesa, Texas, classing office, on the other hand, had only 93 plastic calls.

Because each office handles a different amount of cotton, the overall numbers don’t tell the whole story, says Ben Roble, Corpus Christi classing office area director. With the 2019 crop, his office had one plastic call for every 1,348 bales classed. On the other end of the spectrum, the classing office in Florence, South Carolina, had one plastic call for every 16,797 bales classed.

“We’ve stayed like that during the past two years — nothing has changed,” he says. “I was seeing a sample with plastic every hour. In Florence, they were seeing a sample every shift or possibly even longer.”

“We need to do a better job from the field to the gin point of trying to eliminate any of this plastic from getting into the gin in the first place.”

TONY WILLIAMS, executive director of the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association

Oversized Modules Cause Heartburn

The high numbers alarmed Jeff Nunley, executive director of the South Texas Cotton & Grain Association, which represents 33 counties that feed into the Corpus Christi classing office.

“We certainly can’t afford the reputation — that’s my biggest concern — that we become recognized as an area that has a problem with plastic contamination and it affects our ability to market cotton,” Nunley says.

To get to the root of the problem, he surveyed gin members about practices that work and don’t work as well as ideas about how gins and growers could address it.

About 30% of the gins responded, representing about 654,000 bales. The best gin had 1 plastic bale per 5,600 bales ginned with the worst one having 1 plastic bale per 400 bales. The remaining gins averaged 1 plastic bale per 2,100 bales.

The No. 1 complaint from the gin respondents was oversized modules — those exceeding 94 inches in diameter — that don’t fit properly on the module trucks. As a result, the plastic wrap may tear or rip during transport or unloading. When the damaged bales are set on the module feeders at the gin, the plastic pieces flow in with the cotton.

Gin respondents also mentioned plastic tails from end rolls of bale wrap, broken modules in the field and placing modules on shredded cotton stalks in staging areas that could rip the wrap.

Not only does plastic sully the industry’s reputation, but it also can affect producers since they ultimately bear the costs, says John Robinson, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension cotton marketing specialist.

Buyers may discount cotton classed as 71 or 72 by up to 40 cents, paying only 15 to 25 cents per pound. That is if they buy it at all, he says. Some buyers in the past have rejected entire containers because of plastic contamination.

Contamination Summit

For years, the industry had a minor problem with plastic contaminants, averaging less than 100 calls annually for the entire country. In what some called an eye-opener, every classing office in 2017 had calls for what at the time was termed non-plant contaminants. Of those, 91% were plastic comprising mostly yellow, but also with smaller amounts of pink and black.

With the 2018 crop, AMS cotton classing offices began separating out plastic contamination and tagging those bales as 71 (light contamination) or 72 (heavy contamination).

Acting to address the issue, the industry called a contamination summit in May 2018. From that, the National Cotton Council developed a 12-part training video in both English (https://youtu.be/5Pja_HbMElA) and Spanish

Plastic trash along cotton fields still poses a risk of contaminating the crop. VICKY BOYD

(https://youtu.be/3yY10XyF8mc) aimed at farmers, farm employees, ginners and gin employees.

Unfortunately, contamination numbers have not declined, says Bill Norman, NCC vice president of technical services. The 20 million bale crop in 2017 yielded 2,615 plastic calls. Although the 2018 crop was smaller at 18 million bales, it yielded more than 3,000 calls. And in 2019 with a 19 million bale crop, almost 5,000 bales were classed with plastic contamination.

“This is very frustrating for us that work in this area,” Norman says. “We spent a lot of time and effort to educate and spread the word about the seriousness of this, and here we are seeing calls increase.”

Shared Responsibility

Marvin Beyer, a San Patricio County cotton grower, says clean cotton starts with the producer in the field and extends through to the gin and how its employees handle bales. In the field, producers need to remove any plastic before harvest. They also need to create a smooth staging area devoid of cotton stalks that could puncture the wrap.

In addition, producers need to train tractor drivers who move the bales to ensure they line them up straight, don’t manhandle them and load them carefully onto trucks.

“We have a shared responsibility in this problem and we’re all going to share the consequences as well,” he says.

Be Diligent On All Fronts

ALABAMA Steve M. Brown

The hummingbirds that appeared in our backyard in March developed goose down to survive April and early May. Cotton seed planted in early May in North Alabama needed jackets and waders, while further south, they desperately thirsted for water. Spring finally turned the corner to warmer temperatures on May 12.

In Central and South Alabama, soil moisture became extremely limited as we missed rainfall from multiple fronts. Dry weather is scary, especially during planting. So it’s been a tough start in much of Alabama. Where do we go from here?

In June, it’s usually best to live with less-than-ideal stands in fields with questionable plant populations, unless they are clearly unworkable. June replanting is often risky because of elevated temperatures and fleeting moisture.

One measure of acceptability in marginal stands is, “If you can step in any direction and land on a healthy cotton plant, you’ve got enough to make a crop.” Skips of 3 feet or more are cause for concern. But if a stand is borderline between leaving or replanting, the recommendation is, “If in doubt, leave it.” What’s too thin in June can look pretty good in late August.

Sucking pests warrant attention. Thrips should be gone, but if they are lingering on late emerging cotton, deal with them. In most situations, cotton beyond the fourth leaf is past the window for significant thrips injury. If aphids appear on pre-squaring, late-planted cotton, treatments may be needed to minimize stress. You can’t stand delays on really young cotton.

Of course, June is time for weed management and sidedress nitrogen applications. Busy days. cottonbrown@auburn.edu

ARKANSAS Bill Robertson

The National Agricultural Statistics Service recently updated our 2019 crop summary. Our final lint yield of 1,185 pounds per harvested acre for the state of Arkansas is a new record, surpassing the previous high of 1,177 pounds set in 2017. Arkansas ranked fourth in harvested acres and third in total production for the 2019 season.

A small percentage of our cotton was planted in April this year in Arkansas. Our planting progress mirrors that of 2019. We could still have some very late-May planted cotton. Our old rule of thumb that up to a 2% loss of yield potential may be experienced for every day planting occurs after May 20 still has merit.

The first 40 days in the life of a cotton plant set the foundation for yield and fiber quality potential for the season. Pest management issues are generally the greatest concerns for our young crop. However, as we move into the next few weeks in June, other factors, including fertility and soil moisture stress, become more critical.

Research demonstrates the importance of avoiding stress once squaring begins. Irrigation water management is our next big challenge. There are many programs, tools and practices available that producers can use to help improve irrigation water-use efficiency. Everyone who uses poly irrigation tubing should be using Delta Plastics' Pipe Planner — a computerized hole-selection tool.

We want to go into squaring with the plant developing a new node every 2.5 to three days. This will put us on track to having nine to 10

nodes above white flower at first flower. Contact your local county Extension agent for more information. brobertson@uaex.edu

FLORIDA David Wright

Cotton was planted on time despite some delays from dry weather and cooler-than-normal May temperatures. Stands look adequate, and June is always the month to fight weeds since early weed control is better and cheaper. Make timely sidedress nitrogen applications for early vegetative growth, usually from squaring to early bloom.

It is normal for our growers to battle weeds in June as cotton often grows off slowly, and these pests can get ahead of critical herbicide applications. Start with the right combination of over-the-top and residual herbicides at the proper timing. Weeds can get taller than is optimal for certain herbicides due to rain, equipment delays or even dry weather. This makes them harder to control, and higher rates are often needed with less efficacy.

Use growth regulators when cotton is growing faster than desired. First applications are often made in June. By the second or third week of July, cotton reaches maximum leaf area and is able to compete with weeds more effectively than in June.

In addition to applying PGRs, which are critical to cotton growth and yield, insects also should be scouted for damage to squares and young bolls. Treat as needed. The timing of every June input is crucial to making high yields, which is even more important during periods of low prices. wright@ufl.edu

LOUISIANA Dan Fromme

As of May 18, cotton planting in the state is only about 80% complete. In Louisiana, peak yields can be expected from cotton planted no later than the second week of May. Cotton planted in past years after the middle of May until June 1 has seen lint yields reduced as much as 20% to 25%. Cotton planted in early June can experience even greater yield reductions, and soybeans become a better option. This year, it appears that cotton acres will be down significantly across Louisiana.

During June, fields will be squaring, which means fleahoppers and tarnished plant bug numbers will need to be monitored. Scout cotton for fleahoppers during the first three weeks of squaring. Detection can be difficult due to the flighty nature of these pests. Our entomologists recommend treating when 10-25 of the insects per 100 plants are found. Treatment levels may be adjusted to maintain between 70% and 85% first position square retention.

For tarnished plant bug control, prebloom threshold levels are 10- 25 plant bugs per 100 sweeps. Adjust prebloom treatment levels to maintain between 70% and 85% first position square retention. The Louisiana threshold for the bloom to harvest period is two to three tarnished plant bugs per 5 feet of black drop cloth, 10 plant bugs per 100 sweeps or 10% dirty squares.

Occasionally, clouded plant bugs are found in Louisiana cotton. Prebloom and bloom threshold levels are the same for tarnished plant bugs; however, each clouded plant bug should be counted as the equivalent to 1.5 tarnished plant bugs when making a treatment decision. dfromme@agcenter.lsu.edu

MISSISSIPPI Brian Pieralisi

Cotton planting in Mississippi is progressing quickly for most farmers. I can think of one exception in south Mississippi where the soil is too dry; unfortunately, this region missed the rain that passed through the state the week of May 8. The recent rainfall was significant for two reasons:  It provided 1-inch precipitation.  It brought near-record-low temperatures.

Most farmers were getting to a stopping point to wait until the week of May 11 to resume planting. Primarily, the calls I have received regarded soil moisture and “What do you think about the cold weather?”

Fine-textured soil that tends to be “cloddy,” especially if tilled this spring, is where most of the moisture issues are occurring. In some situations, we have been successful using no-till row cleaners to push the clods aside and plant into adequate moisture. I have been optimistic about escaping the cold temperatures with only the loss of a couple days of seedling vigor. Based on the sunny days surrounding the cool nights we experienced and knowing the soil is a good insulator, I feel confident most cotton will achieve a good stand.

As we move into late May and early June, weed control is a primary concern. Preemergence herbicides lose effectiveness if not activated by at least .25 inch rainfall. Fortunately, most areas received adequate moisture to activate these applications. But it’s still important to remain diligent and apply the necessary herbicide regiment for your operation to stay as weed free as possible, especially as this crop establishes itself. bkp4@msstate.edu

MISSOURI Calvin Meeks

Cotton planting season in the Bootheel has been wet, and fieldwork has been slowed by rainfall and cool weather. Some cotton was planted earlier in April in less-than-ideal conditions. This cotton should be observed closely, especially if it received hail damage in early May.

Later plantings toward the end of April into the first of May look quite soggy with flooding in many fields and cool weather to top it all off. Stand issues need to be caught early since seed supplies are tight. Otherwise, seed may not be available for a replant situation.

With seed treatment issues surrounding thrips control, Missouri producers with early planted cotton should keep an eye out for slippage and be prepared to make foliar applications if thrips populations exceed thresholds. With cool, wet weather occurring for the first 15 days of May, thrips damage would be best avoided. Cotton growing in these conditions will be slow enough developing. Adequate scouting is especially critical if seed was planted with just a base seed treatment.

Regardless if planting took place in April or May, early season management is crucial for Missouri cotton growers. Prompt, early season insect control, such as for thrips, as well as later applications of plant growth regulators will be needed to ensure the crop is timely.

Apply residual herbicides to prevent an early season onset of weed pressure. Even with auxin herbicides, residual herbicide applications are needed to reduce early season pressure and help preserve the technologies.

This is especially important based on data from surrounding states indicating that dicamba could be in the initial stages of failure against Palmer amaranth. Enlist growers should also incorporate residual herbicides. Farmers must be mindful of off-target movement and complete mandatory training. Because of wet, cool April weather, cotton acreage may decrease due to delayed planting. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture crop progress report on May 17 has the Bootheel at only 20% planted for 2020 compared to the five-year average of 70% by mid-May.

There is a lot of optimism for Missouri cotton after coming off a good year in 2019. We’re all hoping for a successful and safe start to the 2020 growing season with more cooperative weather.

meeksc@missouri.edu

NORTH CAROLINA Keith Edmisten

The 2020 North Carolina cotton crop is later than normal due to challenging weather during most of our optimum planting season. This makes management timeliness more important, particularly for growth regulator, nitrogen fertilization and insect control decisions.

Mepiquat can increase boll retention on the bottom of the plant, which in turn can make the cotton mature earlier. The earliness advantage that comes from mepiquat use may be more important this year than in years where planting was not delayed.

Growers should avoid excess nitrogen fertilization. A shorter season allows less time to use or lose nitrogen and a greater chance that residual nitrogen can increase regrowth pressure at defoliation and harvest. Excess nitrogen can also make cotton more attractive to insects.

Late-planted cotton has less time to compensate for insect damage. Growers should make sure they are scouting the crop in a timely manner and reacting quickly when thresholds occur. Being late on an insect control application in a short season could result in greater yield loss than in full-season years when the plant can better compensate with later developing bolls. keith_edmisten@ncsu.edu

OKLAHOMA Seth Byrd

By the time this issue of Cotton Farming reaches you, we’ll likely be close to having 100% of Oklahoma’s irrigated crop in the ground. Excluding the Panhandle, much of the western part of the state received significant precipitation during mid-May, allowing for favorable planting conditions.

A large portion of the dryland crop may be planted in some parts of the state as well, including the west and north central areas. The dryland crop in the southwest area traditionally goes in during early June. The Oklahoma Panhandle region saw much of its cotton planted in late April due to favorable moisture and temperatures.

Hopefully, this crop has continued its fast start. Late May moisture hasn’t been abundant, but temperatures generally have been favorable for early season growth. However, we haven’t reached the extreme highs we did just two seasons earlier.

As we enter June, producers are encouraged to diligently scout for insects and weeds and have a plan in place to address historical problem species. If favorable conditions continue to persist, much of the crop may reach squaring by mid- to late June. During this time, watch for pests, such as fleahoppers and plant bugs. Remember that the squaring period is a good time to apply the second half of fertilizer should you be following a split application program.

Squaring also will signal an increase in crop water use and water stress sensitivity. Have an irrigation plan in place and be mindful of the crop water demand curve as we initiate reproductive growth.

seth.byrd@okstate.edu

TENNESSEE Tyson Raper

As I write this on May 19, the majority of our acres are still unplanted. I’m hopeful we will fi nd a window in the next few days to plant and, just maybe, by the time you read this your crop will be up. Still, the 2020 crop will generally be a late one. As such, we need to make every effort to push earliness.

I would seriously consider cutting the nitrogen rate, closely monitoring plant growth and paying close attention to plant bugs as we enter the fl owering window. We need the fi rst fruiting branch low on the plant and must protect fi rst position fruit to make the most of a late-planted crop.

Unfortunately, we will likely not have the heat units late in the year to compensate for missed sprays early in the season. Additionally, setting early fruit will help naturally regulate plant growth and reduce overall management costs. Keep an eye on our UT blog (news. utcrops.com) as we try to help you navigate this challenging year. Please reach out if we can help. traper@utk.edu

TEXAS Ben McKnight

As of mid-May, the average cotton stage in the Texas Coastal Bend is near fl owering. This area has been extremely dry but recently received some much-needed rainfall. If this region continues to get timely moisture in June, growers will be on track for above-average yields.

While the rainfall was greatly needed for the cotton crop, expect to see a new fl ush of weed pressure, including pigweeds and grasses. Timely herbicide applications targeting small, actively growing weeds can optimize control in postemergence herbicide programs. Including additional residuals into our herbicide programs at this point in the season can be benefi cial as well.

The cotton crop is progressing in the Upper Coastal Bend and the Texas Blacklands. I anticipate any remaining acres in the northern Blacklands to be completely planted within the next few weeks. Planting in the Rolling Plains continues, and I expect to see many more acres planted following the recent rainfall. Insect pressure is increasing across the state’s planted acres. Thrips have been reported in Central Texas, and fl eahoppers have been found in the Coastal Bend. Moving into June, scouting for insects will become increasingly important.

Insect pests can vary widely over a growing season, and every year is different. Being familiar with economic threshold levels for each individual pest can assist in making timely management decisions. For more information on cotton insect control, visit cottonbugs.tamu. edu. bmcknight@tamu.edu

TEXAS Murilo Maeda

Planting was slowly progressing in the Southern High Plains of Texas as of the second week in May. While some farmers have underground moisture, it continues to be scarce for most. The second half of May brought spotty showers that favored mostly the eastern side of the region. The moisture situation is now forcing growers to make the hard decision between delayed planting or dry planting while hoping for a timely shower.

Following some hailstorms came reports of scattered spots where replanting might be needed. Unfortunately, that is not uncommon around here this time of year. In the northern Panhandle, cotton planting is well ahead in terms of planted acreage during the third week of May.

This is important because the northern region has a shorter growing season that growers must contend with. In fact, on average, Amarillo sees about 500 fewer heat units than Lubbock in any given year.

Regardless, by the time this issue of Cotton Farming gets to you, Lubbock will be just a few days away from its June 5 insurance deadline, so planting will no doubt ramp up in the coming weeks. For those south of Lubbock who still have time to plant in June, keep your planting capacity in mind but strive for good planting conditions. It can make a difference.

As the cotton crop comes up, keep an eye on the early season insects to make sure they are kept in check. mmaeda@ag.tamu.edu

Texas cotton specialist Murilo Maeda says, “We planted one of our Replicated Agronomic Cotton Evaluation (RACE) Trials on May 13 at Dale Wilhelm’s farm near Nazareth, Texas, in Castro County.”