Each year the LSU AgCenter tests commercial cotton hybrids entered in the state yield tests by private seed companies. From these, a grower should choose several that are adapted to an individual farm. Information in the tables should help you make these important decisions.

This 2013 guide was compiled by LSU AgCenter experts and includes regulations, precautions and suggestions for pest control in Louisiana. Detailed topics include drift of pesticides, hazards of pesticides to beneficial insects and wildlife, phytotoxicity and use of beneficial insects to control pest populations. A section on organic gardening also is included.

The cotton industry in Louisiana has seen major structural changes in a short time. Total cotton production was reduced by almost 75 percent between 2005 and 2008. This article explores the future of the cotton industry.

(Distributed03/27/03) Rice planting has begun in South Louisiana, but many farmers in the central and northern parts of the state are looking for options because they’ve been delayed by persistent rains and wet field conditions. That’s where the state’s aerial applicators – pilots with specially equipped aircraft – come in. And many of those aerial applicators take advantage of LSU AgCenter services that help them check their equipment.

Recent rains have drenched Louisiana, and the outlook is not good for the state’s rice crop. Corn and wheat also have taken a beating – but specialists believe the Louisiana cotton crop may have weathered the storm. Double-digit rainfall was recorded in many areas of the state over the past couple of weeks, and totals exceeding 20 inches were seen in some places. Observers even reported as much as 24-27 inches in spots.

Producers heard a variety of experts at the Louisiana Cotton Forum in Monroe.

Louisiana farmers will plant more acreage in rice, soybeans and cotton but less in corn.

Cotton farmers who have access to the Internet can find a lot of information they need on planting and managing their crops, according to an LSU AgCenter expert.

Stressing that production agriculture alone is not enough to sustain rural economies, a leading food science expert said farm productivity needs to be converted to consumer-ready products.

(Distributed 06/20/01) According to figures released by the Louisiana Boll Weevil Eradication Commission, the parishes with the state's highest cotton acreage figures are Tensas Parish with 115,000 acres and Morehouse with 104,000 acres. Dr. John Barnett, cotton specialist with the LSU AgCenter, said cotton farmers across the state are reporting about 896,000 acres.

Irrigation ponds can irrigate fields during the summer without resorting to pumping water from wells.

This guide for 2013 contains suggestions for management of the most important or more prevalent diseases of Louisiana plants. It includes information on fungicides, bactericides and nematicides, as well as safety precautions for using them.

This 2013 guide includes helpful information on herbicides and weed control with detailed suggestions for aquatics, commercial nursery stock, field crops, forestry, fruit crops, home gardens, lawns and many other Louisiana crops. It includes information on different types of herbicide registrations, as well as information on herbicide labels and restricted uses. Also included are sprayer calibration techniques, suggestions for reducing herbicide drift and a guide to proper spray tip selection.

(Distrubuted 02/07/11) Roger Leonard explains the advantages and proper techniques for using a shake sheet in cotton. (Runtime: 5:16)

(Distrubuted 02/07/11) Roger Leonard explains the stages of cotton on which the tarnished plant bug prefers to feed. (Runtime :54)

(Distrubuted 02/07/11) Roger Leonard explains the advantages of using a shake sheet in scouting a cotton field. (Runtime: 2:11)

Information on application timings, weed control, tank-mixing herbicides with Roundup Ultra, tillage systems and selecting varieties included. (PDF format only)

2010; 2006-2007; 2001; 1999

Root-knot nematode is the second most important nematode that damages cotton in Louisiana.

Wheat acreage in Louisiana has increased significantly because of higher wheat prices. With the increase in wheat acreage, interest has risen considerably in double-cropping cotton after wheat is harvested. Recommendations for growing cotton in a double-cropped production system with wheat in 2007 are included. (PDF format only)

Each year, the LSU AgCenter conducts a number of on-farm cotton variety trials. These trials can be a useful supplement to Official Variety Trial (OVT) information as well as other sources of data on which to base cotton variety selection decisions.

Results from the LSU AgCenter cotton variety trials. These trials test commercially available cotton varieties and measure their performance across a wide range of conditions in Louisiana. Contains recommendations to aid cotton producers in choosing high yielding, good quality cotton varieties for planting in 2004.

Results from the LSU AgCenter cotton variety trials. These trials test commercially available cotton varieties and measure their performance across a wide range of conditions in Louisiana. Contains recommendations to aid cotton producers in choosing high yielding, good quality cotton varieties for planting in 2003.

Each year, scientists with the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station evaluate cotton varieties at the Dean Lee Research Station at Alexandria, Red River Research Station at Bossier City, Northeast Research Station at St. Joseph and Macon Ridge Research Station at Winnsboro. Varieties are grown only using practices recommended for producing nontransgenic varieties.Data from this research are used to determine recommended varieties based primarily on yield.

Information on the Louisiana Cotton Variety Testing Program is given.Attached are entry forms for the 2009 Cotton OVT and the Commercial Strain Tests for Louisiana. Please review the instructions and return the application by March 1, 2009.

Research-based newsletter on everything cotton. Articles in this issue include information on Cotton IPM and insecticide termination timing

2012 Recommendations. One of the last, but most important, steps in producing a cotton crop is harvest preparation. Successful preparation includes scheduling for defoliation and harvest operations, removing foliage and facilitating boll opening. Use these recommendations for a successful cotton harvest. (PDF Format Only)

2007 pre-emergence and post-emergence chemical recommendations for controlling weeds in cotton. (PDF Format Only)

Information for cotton seed quality and burndown options.

Discussion of early-season weed control and weed-free periods.

This publication includes information on updating base acreage and yield using cotton as an example and includes examples from the 2002 Farm Bill.

In Louisiana, southern green stink bugs and brown stink bugs (Figures 1, 2 and 3) have become common pests of corn, cotton, grain sorghum, soybean and wheat. In corn, an infestation can cause injury to the plant from seedling emergence through ear formation and grain development. Seedlings punctured by stink bugs exhibit small holes surrounded by localized dead tissue.