I am pleased to announce the fast action of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the EPA in approving a specific exemption allowing the use of Transform WG for the control of sugarcane aphids in sorghum. Some specific label requirements are below. You may view the complete authorization letter here. Continue reading
Insect infestations have been generally mild in soybean fields thus far, but as usual, I am starting to get more calls about stink bugs and a few other pests. As other crops mature, including early maturing soybean fields, late season insect populations often concentrate in the remaining soybean fields. Let’s not forget to keep our eyes open. This may include corn earworm infestation in our latest maturing fields. Continue reading
The bollworm flight has begun in many areas. A general decline in plant bug populations is being observed, but stink bugs continue to linger. Some fields of cotton have now reached a maturity where we should and have terminated insecticide applications for plant bugs, stink bugs and bollworms. For later maturing fields, it may still be necessary to manage pest infestations for a Continue reading
I wrote an article last week about a find of white sugarcane aphids in Madison County. Aphids have now also been found in Shelby and Dyer Counties, so it seems likley they could be found in any sorghum field in west Tennessee. I must emphasis that overall populations are very low and don’t appear to Continue reading
Don’t forget the UT corn and soybean field day today at the Research and Education Center in Milan (3 Ledbetter Rd, Milan, TN 38358). Registration opens at 9:00 and tour will be begin at 9:30 a.m and will conclude with lunch.
Information on corn and soybean diseases, insects, and weed management, as well as agronomic information will be presented. Pesticide re-certification and CCA CEUs will be available.
The white sugarcane aphid (WSCA) has made it well into Tennessee. On August 5th, I found relatively low populations on heading grain sorghum within the city limits of Jackson. The previous nearest find to Tennessee was in northern Mississippi and across the river from Memphis (Crittenden Co., AR). Thus, it is conceivable this insect could show up in any sorghum field in West Tennessee. It is important that everyone start scouting for this insect and report suspected infestations. Continue reading
I did a pretty through job in last week’s article about addressing insecticide treatment options in cotton. We’ve been collecting a lot of data this week in our trials, primarily targeting plant bugs, and I’ve seen nothing to change my opinions. The top performers list include Acephate/Orthene, Transform and Bidrin in tests with many tarnished plant bug nymphs. Various mixes of these products with each other or with a pyrethroid insecticide are also performing well. When you start with the top performing insecticides, it is often the timing and interval of applications that makes the biggest difference in insect control. Continue reading
There are several things to be scouting for in grain sorghum. Below are some suggestions and management considerations. Typically, later maturing fields will be at higher risk to head feeding caterpillars and sorghum midge, so be especially mindful if your fields are just now or not yet heading. Continue reading