Cotton Insect Management During Squaring and Bloom

If you’ve ever looked at a cotton field and thought, “Do I really need to spray again,” this conversation is for you. We sit down with Dr. Jeremy Green (Clemson) and Whitney Crow (Mississippi State) to get real about cotton insect management when the crop is all over the board and the weather is either too wet or too dry. We start with what cotton looks like right now across their regions, then zoom in on the decision that drives everything else: scouting. We talk about why a consultant’s “shadow” can cost less than one insecticide trip, how economic thresholds keep inputs honest, and how missing one timing can turn into expensive resprays. From squaring into bloom, we sort through the usual suspects like plant bugs, stink bugs, aphids, and spider mites, plus the new complications of resistance and secondary pest flare-ups. We also dig into tools and tactics growers are asking about: Diamond timing during peak plant bug migration, what ThryvOn can and cannot do, how longer residual products change your spray schedule, and why stink bug decisions should follow boll injury and week-of-bloom risk instead of a fixed calendar. Then we tackle cotton jassid, why it seems tied to blooming cotton, and what late-season surprises could mean for termination timing. If you care about integrated pest management, cotton scouting, insect thresholds, and protecting yield while cutting costs, you’ll get a lot from this one. Subscribe for more Cotton Specialist Corner conversations, share this episode with a neighbor, and leave a review.