Cotton Update

The area cotton crop is extremely variable ranging from very good, to beat up but beginning to turn the corner, to just emerged due to late rains. The larger cotton is squaring, the square sets have been near 100% in observed fields. Squaring cotton should be closely monitored for square robbing pests. The cotton fleahopper can be a significant pest from 1st square to first bloom in Texas High Plains cotton.  Fleahoppers can easily disperse from wild hosts to cotton by flight.  The good news at this point is very few have been collected in local surveys sampling weeds growing in ditches and uncultivated land. Adult fleahoppers are yellowish green to almost off white and approximately 1/8 inch long with an oval flattened shaped body.  They have piercing and sucking mouthparts.  Nymphs, the immature stage, look similar to the adult but smaller and without wings.  Cotton fleahoppers, especially nymphs, have a somewhat translucent appearance.  Small black spots may also be present on the back, legs, and antennae.  Fleahoppers are very flighty and will rapidly move when disturbed. Both adult and immature cotton fleahoppers will feed on tender vegetation including terminal growth, leaf buds and small squares.  Pinhead sized squares are most vulnerable and will take on a blasted appearance 1 to 3 days after the feeding occurs.  High populations of fleahoppers may cause excessive square shed. Twenty five to thirty cotton fleahoppers per 100 plants and unacceptable square shed (90% square set during the 1st  week of squaring and 85% the 2nd week) is the established action threshold.

Adult cotton fleahopper, Monti Vandiver