This is a reminder that moth trapping data for corn earworm (bollworm), tobacco budworm, and southwestern corn borer will be posted weekly during the summer. You can open the Excel file under the Quick Link menu on the left or directly at this link – http://www.utcrops.com/BlogStuff/2017MothTrappingData.xls. A few southwestern corn borers were caught this week, indicating the first generation is starting, perhaps just a little earlier than usual. Generally low numbers of corn earworm and tobacco budworm moths were also caught last week.

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 →