The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service announced that southwestern cotton rust disease has been spotted in fields in western and southern Gaines County and along the county line between Cochran and Hockley counties. AgriLife Extension specialists say the severity of the disease is still low, and fungicide application is not yet necessary – but producers should be aware of the symptoms. Southwestern cotton rust, caused by the fungus Puccinia cacabat, only affects cotton and grama grasses. “Cotton rust symptoms were intermediately prevalent across the fields; however, disease severity was very low,” said Cecilia Monclova-Santana, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension cotton specialist, Lubbock. “About one to ...