The constant word I am hearing from retailers is that many herbicides are in tight or limited supply going into the spring. This all started back in late January when the most commonly used spring wheat herbicide, Axial Bold, sold out quickly and was followed shortly by Osprey. This was followed with reports of 2,4-D being in short supply. Continue reading
Early Burndown. The challenge to burning down grasses before planting has become increasingly difficult in the last half dozen years. There are two reasons for the sketchy grass control with the traditional burndown application of glyphosate + dicamba. First, the continued evolution of glyphosate resistance in ryegrass, junglerice, johnsongrass and goosegrass have made that “go-to” burndown application inconsistent. Second, we have now documented that dicamba is consistently causing glyphosate to provide poor grass control. As such our recommendation has been to change the “go-to” burndown from glyphosate + dicamba to glyphosate + clethodim.
The problem with using glyphosate + clethodim is that the burndown will miss, or be weak on, some broadleaf weeds, most notably glyphosate-resistant horseweed. During the meeting circuit this winter, several have asked “Is there a herbicide that can be added to glyphosate + clethodim that will provide horseweed control while not sacrificing grass control?” This caused me to go back and examine burndown research we conducted 4 and 5 years ago with Elevore and Verdict. Continue reading
If you haven’t noticed, our UTcrops.com website has gotten a facelift. You may not recognize it when you first visit us at https://utcrops.com/. However, it’s organized similarly to the old version. I’m sure there are a few bugs that need to be fixed, but take a look! This site gives you ready access to essentially all UT resources related to row crop production.
Please see the authorization letter linked below which allows the use of Sivanto (flupyradifurone) for control of sugarcane aphids in sweet sorghum. This product is already registered for use in grain sorghum. The authorization letter lists restrictions for the use of this product. Thanks to the EPA for once again granting this section 18 exemption.
20TN01 – Sivanto signed authorization letter
A reminder that moth trapping data are updated weekly at http://www.utcrops.com/BlogStuff/2020MothTrappingData.pdf, and you can also access these data on the Quick Links of this site. Pheromone-baited traps are run for corn earworm (bollworm), tobacco budworm, and southwestern corn borer.
Currently, moth trap catches are generally low, as typically observed this time of year.
There are some basic management practices that can affect, sometimes worsen, and other times be used to reduce risks of insect pest injury. Below, I’ve included some observations and suggestions for your consideration.
As a general rule of thumb (but not universally true), no-till production increases the risk of some problems including pests like cutworm, threecornered alfalfa hopper, slugs, and several below ground pests (e.g., wireworms and white grubs). Of course, tillage is not an option in most areas of Tennessee. Thus, most entomologists suggest Continue reading
The 2020 version of PB 1768, Insect Management Recommendations for Field Crops (and pasture), is now available. The guide has gone through substantial revision this year and closely matches the content on the mobile friendly Disease and Insect Field Guides at https://guide.utcrops.com/. Hard copies will be available soon and distributed through county extension offices and at various educational meetings.
Plant bugs … I’d classify the overall plant bug pressure in cotton as average, although we are seeing a few more clouded plant bugs than in recent years. Until bolls are present, count tarnished and clouded plant bugs the same. Once bolls are present, I suggest counting clouded plant bugs as equivalent to 1.5 tarnished plant bugs when making a treatment decision, primarily because clouded plant bugs are more inclined to feed on bolls. As cotton begins blooming, Continue reading