True Armyworms: I’ve had no reports of any significant true armyworm infestations. UT recommends treatment when 6-8 larvae are present per square foot. You must look on the ground to get an accurate count. Once past the milk stage, wheat can tolerate Continue reading
I’ve had several reports of an unusual number of stink bugs in wheat. Most people are indicating that brown stink bug is what they are seeing, but rice stink bugs and green stink bugs will also often be present. Rather than reinventing the wheel, I will refer you to the comments by my colleague in Mississippi who beat me to the punch (see below). Continue reading
Another title for this article might be “It’s hard to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” This doesn’t affect everyone, but I have had enough calls this spring from folks who are looking at commodity prices and have already started the process or are thinking about taking an old pasture or sod field and converting it into either corn or soybeans. Well maintained ‘new ground’ can yield very well and often has less disease and nematode pressure. However, it may be impossible to make poor ground into a productive field if compaction or low soil pH cannot be corrected in time for the cropping season or at all. Input costs must be weighed against realistic yield potential– particularly in fields that have not been limed or fertilized regularly for years. Continue reading
Although a sporadic pest, sugarcane beetle caused significant losses in some corn fields last year. In the worst cases, fields had to be replanted. Thus, I’ve had a number of growers ask about how to prevent this problem again. One problem is that it is very difficult to predict when and where infestations will occur. Sugarcane beetles are in the same family as June beetles. However, they are fairly easy to identify by the jet black color and fossorial (digging-type) front legs. Overwintering beetles become active during the Continue reading
Aphid populations are starting to rise on wheat, but there have not been any reports of necessary treatments. The primary aphid being found is bird cherry-oat aphid. A few English grain aphids and greenbugs are also in the mix. Bird cherry-oat aphid is generally not a serious threat to cause direct damage unless populations are very high. Seed treatment applications and foliar applications to very small wheat are typically intended to prevent aphid transmission of barley yellow dwarf virus, and insecticide applications at this late date would not provide this benefit. I don’t think any state in the Midsouth has a specific treatment threshold for bird cherry-oat aphids or English grain aphids. Continue reading
Bayer CropScience announced last week that they are discontinuing any plans for production of Temik 15G. They had not manufactured any Temik since July 2010. Thus, only Temik that is currently in the supply chain Continue reading
I’ve gotten several calls about a source of pheromone and moth traps for southwestern corn borer (SWCB). Below is the source where we get our traps, and this is also our source for sweep nets. I strongly recommend that anyone who grows non-Bt corn invest in moth traps Continue reading
Based on comments made to me by growers in Tennessee, the enforcement of non-Bt corn refuge requirements appeared to increase in 2010. The update below is the better part of an article written by David Bennett of the Delta Farm Press. This may be a hint of things to come. The entire article can be found at http://deltafarmpress.com/corn/bt-corn-refuge-requirements-tightened (March 1, 2011). Last fall, in an attempt to tighten up Bt corn refuge requirements and oversight, the EPA imposed new Continue reading