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

11 Jul 2018

Cotton – Crunch Time for Plant Bugs and Stink Bugs

11 Jul 2018
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Now through the end of July is the critical time to manage infestations of plant bugs and stink bugs. Of course it varies considerably, but we are seeing more consistent infestations of plant bugs. Stink bugs have made a come back after very low populations last year. Clouded plant bugs are also a bigger part of the mix this year in some areas. I prefer the drop cloth during this time frame, using a threshold of 3 tarnished plant bugs on a drop cloth as the treatment threshold. As a rule of thumb, Continue reading →


11 Jul 2018

Soybean Insect Update

11 Jul 2018
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Green stink bug nymph

Having done several scout schools this past week and spending some time on the phone, there doesn’t appear to be any major insect pest problems in soybean at this time. However, it is also clear that stink bug populations have rebounded from last year. Some early maturing fields are above the suggested treatment threshold of 9 stink bugs per 25 sweeps. Most are green stink bugs, and Continue reading →


05 Jul 2018

Updates – UT Soybean Scout School on July 6, 9 and 10

05 Jul 2018
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UT Extension will be hosting three Soybean Scout Schools during July. Final details will be announced later, but these field-side programs last approximately 2.5 hours and cover the basics of soybean growth, scouting, pest identification, and general management.  Pesticide recertification and CCA CEU points will be available. Scout Schools are offered free of charge with sponsorship from the Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board. Registration is not required. Participants will receive a scouting notebook and a sweep net while supplies last.

  • Friday, July 6 – 9:00 AM at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center, 605 Airways Blvd, Jackson, TN
  • Monday, July 9 – 12:30 PM – Beginning with a lunch at Wales Station Farms shop located at 540 Little Dry Creek Road Pulaski, TN …… and the Scout School will be held field side at 1:30 PM at 18498 Hwy 64 W, Pulaski, TN
  • Tuesday, July 10 – 9:00 AM at 8303 Clay Gregory Road, Orlinda, TN

03 Jul 2018

Managing Plant Bugs in Blooming Cotton

03 Jul 2018
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Reports of increasing plant bug pressure in cotton is not unexpected as we move into July. I’ve fielded a lot of questions about what to treat with, and it is hard to get very inventive when there are only a few ‘got to’ insecticides. Acephate/Orthene and Transform are the backbone of our plant bug management program in blooming cotton. Getting Bidrin into the mix is another option. I encourage everyone to try to work in Diamond and Transform (or both) into their insecticide program. Overreliance on OP insecticides such as Continue reading →


21 Jun 2018

Cotton Insect Situation

21 Jun 2018
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Tarnished plant bug infestations are sporadic and variable, mostly a scout a spray scenario. I’ve had a number of comments, especially from the Mississippi River Bottoms, about seeing more clouded plant bugs than usual. Prior to bloom, I count them as equivalent to tarnished plant bug when sampling and making treatment decisions. Once bolls are present, I suggest counting them as equivalent to 1.5 tarnished plant bugs because they are more inclined to injure bolls. Don’t forget to monitor square retention. The goal is to reach first bloom with at least 80% retention Continue reading →


13 Jun 2018

Section 18 Approved for Sivanto in Sweet Sorghum

13 Jun 2018
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The EPA has approved Tennessee’s Section 18 request for Sivanto (a.k.a. Sivanto prime) in sweet sorghum for control of sugarcane aphid. This product is already fully labeled on grain sorghum, but requires an emergency use exemption is sweet sorghum. Sivanto is the only insecticide labeled in sweet sorghum for control of the sugarcane aphid. Specific use requirements are listed below. Continue reading →


08 Jun 2018

My Plans for Plant Bugs in Cotton during 2018

08 Jun 2018
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As often happens, there is a flurry of activity in early planted cotton. Plant bugs often stack up there first until other cotton starts squaring. I’ve also had reports of more clouded plant bugs in some areas than we’ve been seeing recently.

Pretty much every year I start the season my suggesting the use of Centric and full-labeled rates of imidacloprid prior to flowerin. I’m sticking to the plan for the first spray or two, but Continue reading →


08 Jun 2018

Moth Trapping Results and Other Reminders

08 Jun 2018
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A reminder that weekly moth tap catches for corn earworm (bollworm), tobacco budworm, and southwestern corn borer can be found under the quick links menu under Moth Trapping Data.

With the exception of southwestern corn borers (SWCB) in some locations , we’ve not been catching many moths. Now would be a good time to scout the whorls of any non-Bt corn for the presence of corn borers. Remember that the treatment threshold during the whorl stage is when 5% of plants are infested with SWCB.

Also remember that UT Pest Guides are available at http://guide.utcrops.com/. They provide the latest information of pest identification, sampling, and management in a mobile-friendly, app-like format.