Plant bug pressure persisted in the Southeast. Aphids gained focus in the South Delta. Harvesting expected soon in the Rio Grande Valley. Increased abandonment reported on irrigated acres north of Lubbock. Stink bugs treated in Arizona. Valley crop made good progress.

Cotton futures settled narrowly mixed in a lackluster session featuring tight trading bands and light volume Monday.

Benchmark December closed down five ticks to 67.69 cents, just below the midpoint of its 74-point range from up 40 points at 68.14 cents to down 34 points at 67.40 cents. It nudged up to a three-session high, slipped to the dayΆs low and bounced slightly to settle near unchanged.

Spot October eased 11 points to close at 68.52 cents and March edged up nine points to settle at 68.48 cents.

Volume crawled up to an estimated 10,200 lots, against a final 9,950 lots the previous session when spreads totaled 2,958 lots or 30%. Options volume totaled 2,736 calls and 1,139 puts.

On the crop scene, mostly hot, dry conditions prevailed early in the reporting period in the Southeast before a frontal system brought slightly cooler temperatures and beneficial rainfall, the cotton division of USDAΆs Agricultural Marketing Service said Friday in a weekly review.

Most of the region received moisture, with South Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina getting half an inch to just under an inch, while North Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina got less than half an inch.

Insect pressure from plant bugs continued, especially in North Carolina and Virginia. Outbreaks have been controlled in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina and plant bug populations have been decreasing.

Overcast skies with below-average temperatures and light showers dominated the weather pattern in the Delta. Temperatures ranged from the high 70 degrees for daytime highs to the low 60s for nighttime lows in the North Delta and from the mid-80s to the low 60s in the South Delta.

Farmers continued to spray for plant bugs in the North Delta and as needed in the South Delta where aphids have gained the most focus. Overall the crop made good progress.

Cotton was a few weeks away from harvesting in the Harlingen area of the Texas Rio Grande Valley. A few producers reported yield potentials of three to four bales per acre. Defoliation was limited in the Corpus Christi area but was expected to gain momentum within the next two weeks.

Recent rainfall accumulations totaled trace amounts to two inches in the Lubbock area. No significant insect pressure was reported. Increased abandonment was reported on irrigated acres north of Lubbock. Previous storms damaged an estimated 20% of the crop.

While the crop overall was progressing well in the Lamesa area, additional moisture was needed. Producers in many areas were concerned about an abundance of weeds. A cool front dropped daytime highs to as low as 73 degrees at Lubbock on Thursday, 20 degrees below normal, with a nighttime low of 62 degrees, two degrees above the record set in 1935. Lows were as low as the high 50s in some northern cotton areas.

The cool, cloudy weather slowed crop progress, but temperatures rebounded into the weekend and now are headed into a range of 98 to 101 degrees forecast through Sunday at Lubbock. The heat likely will increase the need for additional rain.

In the Desert Southwest, monsoonal activity brought a trace to a quarter of an inch of rain to Central and East Arizona. Isolated areas got an inch. Blooming continued in Central Arizona. Treatments were made for stink bugs in western Arizona. The San Joaquin Valley crop overall made good progress.

Futures open interest increased 610 lots Friday to 152,534, with DecemberΆs up 499 lots to 120,136 and MarchΆs up 80 lots to 25,288. Cert stocks fell 16,752 bales to 290,975. There were 24 newly certified bales and 16,776 bales decertified.

World prices as measured by the Cotlook A Index were unchanged Monday morning at 83.05 cents. The premium to FridayΆs October futures settlement narrowed 18 points to 14.42 cents.

Forward A Index values for 2014-15 also were unchanged at 75.55 cents, leaving the discount to the 2013-14 index flat at 7.50 cents and narrowing the premium to FridayΆs December futures close by nine points to 7.81 cents.