High Plains - Dr. Terry A. Wheeler, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Route 3, Box 219, Lubbock, TX 79401-9757, Phone (806) 746-6101, FAX (806) 746-6528
email: ta-wheeler@tamu.edu
South Texas and Coastal Bend - Dr. Thomas Isakeit, Texas A&M University, Department of Plant Pathology, Room 120 L.F. Peterson Building, College Station, TX 77843-2132, Phone (409) 862-1340, FAX (409) 845-6483
email: t-isakeit@tamu.edu
Predominant Seedling Disease Complex of Soil Fungi: Rhizoctonia solani., Pythium spp., and Fusarium spp., and Thielaviopsis basicola.
1998 Yield Loss Estimate valued at $390/Bale: 1.5% of the cotton crop was lost to cotton seedling dieases damage ... 50,505 bales ... valued at $19,696,950.
Seven-Year Average Yield Loss Estimate from 1992 through 1998: Annual average of 3.43% of the crop was lost to damage from cotton seedling diseases ... 177,143 bales ... valued at $65,951,717.
1998 Research Activity: (High Plains - Dr. Terry Wheeler) -- Three in-furrow fungicide tests were conducted in Brownfield, Sundown, and Tulia, TX to evaluate various fungicides for control of seedling diseases. The weather was hot (90-100+F) and dry for all sites during planting, and for the month after planting. Seedling disease was not a factor at any of the sites. Any poor emergence was due most likely to soil drying out around the seed rather than disease. In terms of the rating scale, the weather related terms were 0, so that none of the other terms were important.
For details of test results, contact Jennifer Gimpert.