Category Archives: Insects

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 →

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15 Jun 2018

Herbicide injured cotton: Deciding to keep it and management after

15 Jun 2018
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I’ve received several calls this week requesting information on whether or not to keep injured cotton and management after the injury.  In this brief article, I will cover the ‘keep or discard’ decision and briefly cover best management practices after the decision to keep the crop has been made. Depending on your situation, you may need to document the injury and/or keep a portion of the field to determine the yield penalty. That information is beyond the scope of this article but should be available from your insurance agent or attorney.  Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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.

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22 May 2018

Confusing Cutworm with Armyworms?

22 May 2018
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We’ve had a pretty good run of cutworms in some fields, but we’ve also had some mistaken identity where armyworms have actually been the problem. This has been in situations where wheat cover crop was infested with armyworms. If the cover crop is killed close to or after planting, there is potential for armyworms to feed on emerging seedlings and cause injury similar to cutworms. I’d recommend using a pyrethroid Continue reading →

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03 May 2018

Scout Corn for Cutworms

03 May 2018
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Black cutworm and cut plant

Much of our corn took a long while to emerge, and there has been opportunity for cutworms to infest fields since planting. Hence, make sure to scout for cutworm injury while checking stands. UT recommends treating for cutworms in corn when 5% or more of plants are injured or when you find 2 or more larvae per 100 plants. Synthetic pyrethroids are generally used to control infestations. Recommended insecticides and rates are listed here.

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