This is a rerun of an article from last year in response to several calls about slugs in cotton and soybean. No-till, high residue, and mysterious holes in leaves should make you think slugs. They will be hiding under debris during the day. Please read below if this rings a bell! Continue reading
With a substantial increase in sorghum acres, there are a lot of questions about managing insect pests. Sorghum will typically require more insect management then corn, especially in the Bt corn era. This means we are more likely to need one or more foliar insecticide applications. Below are some steps you should be thinking about for managing insects in grain sorghum. Continue reading
That’s kind of a dramatic title, but it is true that thrips are always present on seedling cotton at some level. We’ve finally have some cotton getting out of the ground. It is almost a given that this cotton was treated with imidacloprid (e.g., Gaucho, Aeris, Acceleron FI). Thiamethoxam-based seed treatments such as Cruiser or Avicta are no longer recommended in cotton because Continue reading
In my mind, the past winter was similar to last, with some colder than average conditions. Below is a repeat of an article last year discussing how winter weather affects insect populations. I added some comments, scoring my predictions. Continue reading
It seems inevitable that cotton acres will drop in 2015, perhaps to a record low. I believe the number one factor causing increased plant bug pressure is reduced cotton acres, concentrating similar numbers of plant bugs in fewer acres. Thus, I suspect tarnished plant bugs will continue to be a major factor in cotton. Plant bugs are an important but manageable problem. Below are a few bullet points to think about in advance of planting. Continue reading
The comments below were posted sometime ago, but with corn planting time upon us, I’ve updated some take home points. Continue reading
A new pest, the sugarcane aphid, made its first appearance in Tennessee sorghum in 2014. I’m hearing a lot of interest about increasing sorghum acreage this year, and this is a pest we need to think about in advance. Continue reading
Make sure you take advantage of the upcoming crop production meetings scheduled over the next few weeks. Pesticide re-certification and CCA CEU points are available at all of these meetings. Follow the links below for more information about each program and other details. Continue reading