Alabama Crops Report
December 15, 2020
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Although we are unable to host the Alabama Row Crops Short Course in person this year, the ACES Crops Team has worked to create a video series to prepare producers for the upcoming growing season. Videos focus on timely topics for improving profitability and feature expert speakers from Auburn and other land-grant universities. Videos are now available.
Topics for the 2020 Alabama Row Crops Short Course Video Series include:
• Farmer Panel on Cover Crop Management—Annie Dee, Matt Haney, and Myron Johnson
• Crop Market Outlook—Dr. Adam Rabinowitz and Dr. Wendiam Sawadgo, Auburn University
• Herbicide Applications in a World with Dicamba—Dr. Greg Kruger, University of Nebraska
• Wild Hog Management—Dr. Mark Smith, Auburn University
• Weed Control in Xtendflex Soybean—Dr. Connor Ferguson, Mississippi State University
• Nematode Resistant Cotton Varieties—Dr. Kathy Lawrence, Auburn University
• Cotton Leaf Roll Dwarf Virus Update—Dr. Amanda Scherer, Auburn University
• Potassium Management for High-Yielding Cotton—Dr. Glen Harris, University of Georgia
• Redbanded Stink Bug Management in Soybean—Dr. Tyler Towles, Louisiana State University
• Seed Quality Issues in Peanut—Dr. Scott Monfort, University of Georgia
Contact Audrey Gamble for more information.
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Cotton Situation
The December USDA estimate for Alabama cotton production is 852 lb/A from 445,000 acres for a total production of 790,000 bales. We’ve seen a sizeable decline since August, which started at 981 lb/A and 950,000 total bales, and hope the numbers do not slip further. As of December 1, the state had reported ginned bales at 452,800. This is similar to ginnings to date from 2017 and 2018 but almost 240,000 bales behind the number from this time last year.
Fiber quality data are tabulated below.
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Unquestionably, late season weather seriously affected both yield and quality. From a fiber quality standpoint, the most glaring, painful aspect is the Extraneous Matter call of seed coat fragments (SCF). The various Extraneous Matter categories and codes are listed in the table below. General deductions in loan value for Level 1 Extraneous Matter is 4.45 cents per pound.
| Extraneous Matter |
Code |
Comment |
| Bark |
11 |
Shredded stalk, stem material |
| Grass |
21 |
Grass, nutsedge vegetative material |
| Seed Coat Fragment |
31 |
Seed ground into lint |
| Prep |
01 |
Rough appearance |
| Other |
61 |
Oil, etc. |
| Plastic |
71 |
Shopping bags, bale wrap |
| Listed codes are for Level 1; more severe is Level 2 in each category |
According to one engineer at the USDA Cotton Ginning Research in Stoneville, MS, “There has never been a year even close to these SCF numbers.” Unfortunately, the primary affected areas are the Lower Southeast; specifically, the cotton classed through the Macon Office. Note the DRAMATIC differences in EM / SCF in Macon versus Memphis. The obvious, easy answer for this is weather. Much of the crop in the southern half of Alabama had 20 inches of rain or more on open cotton, with relatively warm temperatures. Seed sprouted and generally degraded. There’s also evidence of immature seed passing through to the lint fraction. Rainfall, warm temperatures, and weather are the probable cause. Late season regrowth and the thrashing action of Hurricane Sally also may have adversely affected seed development and boll fill.
Contact Steve Brown for more information.
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Summary of 2020 Alabama Soybean Insect Losses
Since 2011, Extension entomologists in Alabama have participated in the Soybean Insect Losses Report published annually in the Midsouth Entomologist. These estimates are based on the observations of Extension entomologists and informal surveys of other Extension personnel, growers, crop consultants and industry professionals that are involved in soybean production in Alabama. Estimates are meant to encompass the entire state, so they may not exactly reflect the soybean insect situation at a specific location or individual farm.
According to the USDA-FSA, Alabama growers planted 266,818 acres of soybeans in 2020. The majority of the state’s acres were planted in the Tennessee Valley (=65.5%). On average, growers made 1.44 insecticide applications per acre, costing $7.92 per application. The total cost of insect control in 2020 (foliar application cost + seed treatment cost + scouting fees) was $17.85 per acre. When accounting for yield losses to insects ($27.85/A) and total cost of controls, 2020 soybean insect management cost Alabama growers $45.70 per acre ($12M statewide).
The stink bug complex was the dominate pest in 2020. Nearly 75% of the acres were treated an average of 1.25 times for stink bugs. The southern green stink bug was the dominate species statewide (=60% of complex), followed by the brown stink bug (=20%), redbanded stink bug (=10%), green stink bug (=5%) and brown marmorated stink bug (=5%). Although not distributed everywhere, the redbanded stink bug was a major factor in the Blackbelt and Gulf Coast regions. In some instances, growers made up to 3 applications to control this pest. Velvetbean caterpillars (=35%) and soybean loopers (=8%) also required treatments statewide. The velvetbean caterpillar is normally a pest of south Alabama, however in 2020 it migrated north, requiring treatment in the Sand Mountain region. Other pests that required treatments were kudzu bugs (=5%) and green cloverworms (=2%).
Overall, insects were not a major yield limiting factor this season. When looking forward to 2021, growers in the Black Belt and Gulf Coast should consider budgeting an extra insecticide application or two for redbanded stink bugs (RBSB). With the projected La Nina winter bringing warm, dry conditions to the south, this pest is likely to survive the winter in Alabama. This spring, we found adults as far north as Prattville in early April. The RBSB was readily established in the I-20 Corridor in the western part of the state during the growing season. If they overwinter around I-20 this year, we may have the potential to find some in the TN Valley late in the season next year. Dr. Tyler Towles from LSU gave a presentation on RBSB for the 2020 Alabama Row Crop Short Course. You can find that video here.
Contact Scott Graham or Ron Smith for more information.
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