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
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
Corn harvest will likely start toward the end of this month. As the corn dries down the next couple weeks expect a new flush of Palmer amaranth. Moreover, with all the rain the first week of August any thin corn stand areas will likely have a new heavy flush of Palmer amaranth. Though no one wants to spend more money with corn commodity price so low, it will pay off next spring to have less Palmer amaranth to mange in soybean or cotton. Continue reading
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
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
By request, I am providing a list of active ingredients and trade names (see below). This does not include all examples. Feel free to make comments about other “generic” trade names you may be using. Please keep in mind that formulations may vary considerably, and thus, rates may need to be adjusted accordingly. Also, not all products be labeled for the same crops. It is your responsibility to follow instructions on the insecticide label. The information below is also available in UT’s insect control recommendations for field crops. Continue reading
As we get further into the year, bugs begin to enter our fields, disease onset starts to occur, and weeds continue to flourish, our chances of making tank-mixed applications increase. This ultimately makes spray nozzle selection more challenging as most products require different droplet sizes. Continue reading
These are a couple of new pests we need to be on the lookout for. Let’s start with the good news. Continue reading