Dr. Gabe Sciumbato, Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station, Delta Branch, P.O. Box 197, Stoneville, MS 38776
email: gabe@drec.msstate.edu.
Predominant Seedling Disease Complex of Soil Fungi: Rhizoctonia solani., and Pythium spp..
1998 Yield Loss Estimate valued at $390/Bale: 3.0% of the cotton crop was lost to cotton seedling disease damage ... 49,224 bales ... valued at $19,197,360.
Seven-Year Average Yield Loss Estimate from 1992 through 1998: Annual average of 3.4% of the crop was lost to damage from cotton seedling diseases ... 70,302 bales ... valued at $26,414,678.
1997 Research Activity: Cotton seed discussion -- A bag of cotton seed usually weighs 50 pounds with an average of 5,000 seeds per pound. Farmers usually plant 10 to 12 pounds of seed per acre. A 50-pound bag will plant between four and five acres (with five seed per foot). A stand of three plants per foot, or 40,000 plants per acre on forty-inch cotton is considered ideal. Stands less than three, or more than five seedlings per foot can reduce yields and delay maturity.
Percent of planted acreage receiving:
- seed treatment only = 20 to 40%
- seed treatment + hopper box = 20 to 40%
- seed treatment + in-furrow = 40 to 60%
- percent of in-furrow applied as a granule = 60 to 65%
- percent on in-furrow applied as a liquid = 30 to 35%
Two nematicide trials were conducted in 1997 at the Dealta Research and Extension Center. For the Rhone-Poulenc Cotton Trial, one field with high disease pressure was inoculated with fall panicum and a second field with medium disease pressure was inoculated with oats. For the Uniroyal cotton trial, one field with high disease pressure was inoculated with fall panicum and a second field with medium disease pressure was inoculated with oats.
For details of test results, contact Jennifer Gimpert.