Austin, Texas, USA
February 26, 2013

Weed control is becoming a more difficult task in farming cropland in South and Central Texas, but there are alternatives when choosing herbicides, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert said recently.

Dr. Dan Fromme, AgriLife Extension agronomist from Corpus Christi, discussed Huskie, a Bayer CropScience herbicide at the recent Southwest Cotton and Technology Conference in Austin.

“Huskie is a simple, flexible weed control system,” he said. “You can use it at the three-leaf stage all the way the up to 12 inches in plant height.”

Dr. Dan Fromme, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist, discussed weed control in grain sorghum at the recent Southwest Cotton and Technology Conference in Austin. Pictured is a grain sorghum crop at the Stiles Farm Foundation.(Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Blair Fannin)

Fromme discussed the merits of Huskie for grain sorghum crops and how it is nonvolatile in cotton growing regions. He said a rate of 12.8 to 16 ounces of Huskie with a minimum of 10 gallons of water was used to the acre in field trials, but it can be used up to 16 gallons to the acre. Most effective is its broadleaf weed control, he said, tackling common weeds such as waterhemp, Palmer amaranth, horse purselane and devil’s claw.

“Better weed control is achieved through application on 2-inch to 6-inch weeds,” Fromme said. “Weed control obviously translates into higher yields. Overall, it has shown it can be an excellent tool when it comes to managing the ALS-, triazine- and glyphosate-resistant weeds.”

Meanwhile, a number of discussions focused on cotton varieties and the outlook for the overall cotton market. For Texas and the U.S., the outlook for cotton farming is bright, according to Dr. O. A. Cleveland, professor emeritus at Mississippi State University.

Cleveland said demand for cotton is “extremely strong” because U.S. production is projected to be 17 billion bales and domestic consumption 3.4 million bales. World cotton production figures are 117 million bales and consumption of 106 million bales. Carryover is expected to be a record 82 million bales. Cleveland said China owns a large chunk of that carryover, he said, though there’s strong indication for increased consumer demand. That’s evident with strong sales trends at apparel retailers Ralph Lauren and the Gap.

“Don’t sell that cotton picker beyond any stretch of the imagination,” he said.

Cleveland said the lows of 64 cents per pound in 2012 “are long-term lows in the market.” He said prices “have got a lot of time in the 80s and 90s, but will spend a lot of time in the 80s.”
 

Website: http://agrilife.org/

Published: February 26, 2013