This is a repeat of an older article … as a reminder. There have been a couple of reports of armyworms in wheat. Nothing crazy but much of the wheat is still in the milk stage and would be susceptible to excessive defoliation. Occasionally, armyworms may even cut the heads, typically when populations are high. Yield loss is most likley if Continue reading
The University of Tennessee Cotton Insect Scout School is scheduled for Friday, May 26 at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center in Jackson. Registration begins at 8:00 AM with the program starting at 8:30. Content will include hands-on training with an optional ‘go-to-the-field session’ after a box lunch. No fee of preregistration is required.
A new web-based, mobile friendly Cotton Insect Field Guide is now available. Add this to the home page of your phone or tablet for app-like access to information on insect management including sampling methods, treatment thresholds, and insecticide selection. There are some also some good pictures. This guide (and others) can also be accessed from this news site. I hope add a similar resource for soybean by mid-summer.
Tarnished plant bugs are the #1 insect pest of cotton in Tennessee. In the fall of the year, tarnished plant bug (TPB) nymphs develop into adults on weedy hosts, and these adults overwinter on these hosts or plant debris. Previous studies have found that overwintered populations of tarnished plant bugs emerge from diapause in late winter or early spring, triggered by a combination of cues including a good food source and warm temperatures. Continue reading
The new publication, “W 403: Verticillium Wilt in Tennessee Valley Cotton” provides background on Verticillium wilt, summarizes recent variety trial results, and highlights other practices that can reduce the impact of the disease. Continue reading
There is growing discussion and interest in the use of cover crops, mostly commonly in soybean but also in corn and cotton. Some of the benefits seem pretty intuitive and include improved control of erosion and the buildup of organic matter. Another obvious benefit is NRCS programs which pay growers to plant specified cover crops. Dr. Larry Steckel and his students have also shown benefits of cover crops in reducing the emergence of Palmer pigweed and some other weeds. However, having said all that, there are some concerns and unknowns about how cover crops might affect populations of soil and seedling pests. Continue reading
Although it appears grain sorghum acres will be quite low in Tennessee during 2017, a list of sorghum hybrids with tolerance to sugarcane aphid have been developed. You can access this list on the United Sorghum Checkoff Program website at the link below.
http://www.sorghumcheckoff.com/farmer-resources/grain-production/hybrid-selection Continue reading
As almost everyone knows, there are concerns about the consistency of neonicotinoid seed treatments in cotton because of resistance in populations of tobacco thrips. Also, label restrictions prevent tank mixing any insecticides with dicamba on XtendFlex cotton. Thus, those planning on growing dicamba tolerant varieties and spraying Engenia or XtendiMax (dicamba) will be especially concerned with at-planting thrips treatments that reduce the chances of needing a foliar application. Continue reading
Ryan Blair, County Variety Testing Coordinator
The 2016 TN Cotton Variety Trial Results Publication (PB1742) is now available online. This document contains detailed results from all harvested trails in the 2016 University of Tennessee Cotton Variety Testing Program. Continue reading