We will finish our final installment on cowpeas in this week’s column with a discussion on pest management.

As with any cultivated crop, pests such as weeds, insects, and diseases could be a problem without proper attention.

For weed control, farmers in Kleberg and surrounding counties usually apply a pre-emerge yellow herbicide before planting and may also use a burndown herbicide to get existing weeds.

Of course, tillage is an option to clean up the field before planting but moisture conservation in the soil is a must to plant and produce any crop.

There are a few overthe tip herbicides that are available after the peas are growing to keep the weeds controlled.

Some parts of the country a cover crop of rye is planted before planting the peas to control weeds.

However, a number of diseases and pests can be a problem in peas and active breeding has taken place for resistant varieties. In southeastern production areas, the major insect pest is cowpea curculio, and the major disease is root-knot, a severe root disease induced by root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.).

Cowpeas do attract an unusual number of pollinating insects when flowering.

Possible diseases are fusarium wilt, bacterial canker, southern stem blight, cowpea mosaic virus (and several other less prominent viruses), cercospora leaf spot, rust and powdery mildew. There are fungicides registered for cowpeas

Possible insects are Mexican bean beetle, bean leaf beetles, cowpea curculio, aphids, green stink bug, lesser cornstalk borer and pea weevil.

There are several insecticides registered for cowpeas. Proper scouting is essential for an integrated pest management program on peas as it is on other crops.

For the cowpea seed market, quality of seed is important, so care in harvest and post-harvest handling may be important to avoid cracked or split seed.

Cowpea grown as a dried pea product can be direct combined using a platform head or a row crop head.

Adjustments to combine settings, and possibly screen/sieve sizes, should be made for the cowpea seed. It is slightly larger than soybeans and kidney shaped.

The grain can be stored short term at around 12 percent moisture or less, with 8 to 9 percent recommended for long term storage.

Since the pods are relatively long, some will touch the ground or be close to it, making it important to run the grain table close to the ground.

The peas in Kleberg county are harvested and trucked to a canning facility in Arkansas or sent to a facility in Texas.

Everyone should enjoy their peas on New Year’s Day.

For more information on crops and how they relate to conservation, contact the local Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Kingsville at 401 East King Avenue, Suite 100 or call at 592-0309 Ext. 3 in Kingsville.