In the News - June 2008
Snails slime cotton fields in Jefferson and Desha counties
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Snails are rearing their ugly heads, or whatever they
have, in cotton fields in Jefferson and Desha County. Experts say snails are an
unusual pest in cotton.
Don Plunkett, Jefferson County extension staff chair with the University of
Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said a worried farmer called him recently to
report the problem.
Plunkett and Dr. Scott Akin, extension entomologist, checked the field and
found an infestation of snails under the leaves. Akin said a farm consultant
called him later to report that he found high numbers of snails in a cotton
field in Desha County.
Plunkett said another consultant also found snails in a different part of
Jefferson County.
"Slugs and snails are typically more problematic in no-till fields or cotton
following corn or sorghum the previous year. They can also thrive in wet
planting conditions," Akin said.
"The good news is that snails are rarely known to cause economic damage or
need an insecticide treatment," he said.
Plunkett said nearly every plant in the Jefferson County field had at least
one snail, while some plants had 22 snails on a single leaf. Even with high
numbers of snails, he said, there were few holes in leaves across the entire
field, and economic damage isn't likely to occur.
Akin anticipates warm weather will get the cotton growing again, and it will
outgrow the small amount of injury. "In the coming days, these critters will
eventually be behind us," he added.
Akin said slugs, which don't have shells, can be a more serious threat and
high numbers of them can cut a plant off at the ground.
"For high numbers of slugs or snails, where it's believed yields or stands
are truly threatened, no conventional insecticide would do a good job of
controlling either pest," he said.
Aiken said a bait called Deadline MP (metaldehyde) is labeled for use against
slugs and snails in row crops and seed crops. However, the product is expensive,
and it's only advisable to use it when high numbers of slug populations threaten
to cause stand losses.
For more information about snails or slugs in your county, contact your
county extension agent. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A
Division of Agriculture.
June 6, 2008
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
Related Links
|
