Soybean rust has not been detected infecting soybeans or kudzu in Tennessee as of this date. However, extremely small amounts of soybean rust have been confirmed in several counties in central Mississippi and some in Alabama and Arkansas. This is in the delta about 60 to 70 miles from the border of Tennessee. The amount of rust found was small but active. We are continuing to monitor for soybean rust in 12 soybean sentinel plot locations across Tennessee. Continue reading
I’ve had the first report of treatment level infestations of soybean loopers in West Tennessee, and I’ve also seen an upsurge in larval numbers this past week. I am not surprised Continue reading
Another bug identification quiz for you. These are the eggs of a predator which is sometimes mistaken for a pest. This species lays its eggs in a cluster. A crown of spines around the top of each egg is a good hint. Both the nymphs and adults will attack may different kinds of prey, but they are commonly seen feeding on caterpillars. They are often found in soybean and cotton. The scientific name for this species is Podisus maculiventris (Order Hemiptera; Family Pentatomidae). Still don’t know? Continue reading
Week Ending August 16 – Corn earworm (bollworm) moth catches remained relatively high this week. As I said last week, we should have heightened awareness for this pest, especially in late maturing fields of soybean and susceptible cotton fields. Beet armyworm moth catches were well up Continue reading
The primary call this week has been about whether to treat for threecornered alfalfa hoppers or not. Reports of 1-3 hoppers per sweep are pretty common. The short answer is Continue reading
For those still intending to apply a foliar fungicide to soybean, if you are using a triazole or triazole-containing product please be careful about the additives you include. Some folks are reporting foliar leaf burn very similar in appearance to Sudden Death Syndrome (yellow to brown areas between leaf veins). Injury seems to be the result of adding additional products (crop oil, glyphosate, micronutrients, some insecticides) not required on the fungicide label, to a triazole product. The hot weather we have been experiencing may be making the situation worse. Continue reading
Meet the caterpillar stage of the silver spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus). It is not uncommon to catch a few of these while sweeping soybean fields for insects. Although the larva is a foliage feeder, it is not really considered a pest because it rarely, if ever, occurs in numbers high enough to cause Continue reading
EARLY CORN HARVEST UNDERWAY ON LIMITED BASIS
Corn for grain harvest has begun and roughly a third of the corn crop is physiologically mature. Except for corn, all crops remain in fair-to-good condition. A few parts of the state, especially West Tennessee still need a soaking rain. Soybeans have begun to drop leaves but most of the crop is blooming and setting pods. Even though dry conditions have persevered in some areas of the state, pastures continued to green-up and rebound. Continue reading