Dr. Sandy Stewart, an LSU AgCenter cotton specialist, said one piece of the latest information is an addition to the LSU AgCenter’s Central Louisiana Cotton Notes Web page on "Burndown Considerations for a Wet Spring."

This addition can be found at: http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/Inst/Research/
Stations/DeanLee/Cotton/clcn-03-01.htm. Links to a variety of additional cotton information offered by the LSU AgCenter also are provided on that page.

Burndown is a process that uses herbicides to remove winter vegetation, Stewart explained, adding it is crucial in preparing land for cotton planting – particularly in reduced tillage systems. In addition to removing winter vegetation, burndown also facilitates seedbed preparation and can help conserve moisture, as well as control insect pests, he said.

"More and more producers are getting hooked up to things like the Internet and e-mail," Stewart said. "Because of this, we recognize that Web sites can be a vehicle for posting information that can help producers in a very timely manner."

Stewart said computer-generated material does not replace printed information that can be obtained through a local LSU AgCenter office or research station, but is simply another way LSU AgCenter faculty can deliver information to producers quickly.

In addition to the new burndown information, the LSU AgCenter Web sites also offer information on a variety of other topics from "Controlling Weeds in Cotton" to "Converting Fertilizer Rates" to "Cotton Insect Control." But the choices don’t stop there. There’s also information on cotton variety trials, federal farm bill provisions on base acreage and payment yield update options, the state’s Master Farmer program and a variety of other topics.

Another computer program used by area cotton farmers is the CotMan program. This is a plant-mapping program developed by researchers in Arkansas. Bill Robertson, an extension specialist with the University of Arkansas, said the program is a "Cotton Management Program" that is easy to use.

"CotMan is a shortening of the words ‘cotton management,’" Robertson explained. "It’s used in helping manage cotton plants. One thing it does in particular is identify stress."

Stresses that can be identified by using the CotMan program include boll load, which is a good stress, and bad stresses caused by aphids or spider mites and too much or too little moisture, Robertson said. These stresses are identified from information the producer gathers from his fields and feeds into the computer, Robertson said.

Glen Daniels, an LSU AgCenter agent from Concordia Parish, has been using this program for about 10 years.

"We have some producers who won’t farm without it," Daniels said. "It’s a very good program that helps producers decide what needs to be done in their fields so that they can get the most profit from their crops."