Having done several scout schools this past week and spending some time on the phone, there doesn’t appear to be any major insect pest problems in soybean at this time. However, it is also clear that stink bug populations have rebounded from last year. Some early maturing fields are above the suggested treatment threshold of 9 stink bugs per 25 sweeps. Most are green stink bugs, and Continue reading
UT Extension will be hosting three Soybean Scout Schools during July. Final details will be announced later, but these field-side programs last approximately 2.5 hours and cover the basics of soybean growth, scouting, pest identification, and general management. Pesticide recertification and CCA CEU points will be available. Scout Schools are offered free of charge with sponsorship from the Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board. Registration is not required. Participants will receive a scouting notebook and a sweep net while supplies last.
As we announced in February we have confirmed glyphosate-resistant barnyardgrass in Tennessee. Continue reading
Seems like producers in West Tennessee are interested in microbiomes and how bacterial seed coating could help plants to be more drought tolerant later in the growing season. Continue reading
I’ve received several calls this week requesting information on whether or not to keep injured cotton and management after the injury. In this brief article, I will cover the ‘keep or discard’ decision and briefly cover best management practices after the decision to keep the crop has been made. Depending on your situation, you may need to document the injury and/or keep a portion of the field to determine the yield penalty. That information is beyond the scope of this article but should be available from your insurance agent or attorney. Continue reading
Soybeans lose gallons of water daily during hot, dry conditions through transpiration. Plants transpire, or lose more than 98% of water taken up by the roots, through leaf tissue. Evapotranspiration (ET) describes the movement of water through evaporation from the soil and transpiration through plant surfaces, which is the movement of water from the soil into plant roots, through plant stems and leaves, and back out into the atmosphere. The rate of ET depends upon the soybean growth stage and the time of the year (Fig 1.) Both transpiration and evaporation need to be Continue reading
A reminder that weekly moth tap catches for corn earworm (bollworm), tobacco budworm, and southwestern corn borer can be found under the quick links menu under Moth Trapping Data.
With the exception of southwestern corn borers (SWCB) in some locations , we’ve not been catching many moths. Now would be a good time to scout the whorls of any non-Bt corn for the presence of corn borers. Remember that the treatment threshold during the whorl stage is when 5% of plants are infested with SWCB.
Also remember that UT Pest Guides are available at http://guide.utcrops.com/. They provide the latest information of pest identification, sampling, and management in a mobile-friendly, app-like format.
Although most of Tennessee was blessed with an overabundance of rain this spring, warmer than average temperatures have increased water use by the corn crop and fields should be monitored now if irrigation is an option. Continue reading