All posts by Scott Stewart, West TN Research & Education Center

03 Jan 2020

2020 Middle Tennessee Grain Conference (Feb. 4, Tullahoma)

03 Jan 2020
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The 2020 Middle Tennessee Grain Conference will be held at the UT Space Institute in Tullahoma, TN on February 4th. Registration begins at 7:30 AM with the program starting at 8:30 AM.  Participants are asked to pre-register at their local UT Extension Office until noon on January 31. Payment will also be accepted at the door. The $10 registration fee includes the program, refreshments, lunch, a conference cap, and a proceeding notebook.

Pesticide/dicamba re-certification will also be offered at 2:30 PM.  Additional details, including the registration form are available at Middle TN Grain Conference Flyer.

 


29 Aug 2019

Insect Control … last week for cotton … not so much for soybean

29 Aug 2019
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Cotton – Even for our latest cotton, given an average frost date of around October 15, this is the last week you can likely justify insecticide applications to cotton. Based on average historical temperatures, the last effective bloom date was two week ago.  A late flurry of bollworm moth activity has forced some sprays this week, and most folks are electing to Continue reading →


01 Aug 2019

Insect Calls of the Week (August 1, 2019)

01 Aug 2019
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I don’t think I have had a call about soybean all week, but my observations suggest we need to be scouting for stink bugs in our earliest beans, and in some areas, kudzu bugs. Thus far, caterpillar infestations have been very light. As the bollworm flight increases, closely scout for corn earworm in Continue reading →


25 Jul 2019

Thinking About Bollworm Management in Cotton

25 Jul 2019
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As of this today (July 24), the bollworm moth flight has not kicked off.  Traditionally, we will start seeing a significant increase next week or the first week of August. This year, I expect to see a gradual increase but an extended flight because of the wide range of corn planting dates.

Bollworm resistance to some Bt toxins (Cry1 and Cry2) in Bt cotton is now well documented Continue reading →


19 Jul 2019

Crunch Time for Cotton Insects

19 Jul 2019
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The 3-4 weeks after first bloom, and typically the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August, is a critical window to scout and manage insect pests. This is when we are setting the bolls that will contribute most to yield, and it’s also a time insects are most attracted to the crop (with plenty of susceptible fruiting structures to feed on). Most of the comments in this article will focus on plant bug and stink bug management. However, bollworm management will become a bigger factor by the end of the month. I’ll hit on that topic Continue reading →