Grasshoppers

I am starting to get reports of grasshoppers in some early planted soybean fields. We are starting to see this now that rye is being harvested. Some of these soybean fields can be susceptible to feeding from grasshoppers. The feeding can result in stand loss. When stand losses occurr from emergence to the second trifoliate a treatment might be necessary. It is difficult to find exact treatment thresholds for grasshoppers. Guidelines often used for treatment are 30% or more defoliation with one or more grasshoppers per sweep with a net. It is generally not too difficult to tell if grasshoppers are abundant, so don't worry if you do not have a net. This guideline is used from emergence to the pre-bloom stage. Many times grasshoppers are concentrated along field edges or ditches, so it may be possible to only treat the areas where grasshoppers are found.

Bill Bamka

Pest Alert: European Corn Borer (ECB) in Sweet Corn

For more than a decade, a general decline in ECB adult moth populations and larval infestation rates have been seen in most crops. Generally entomologists in the eastern US are attributing this long decline in ECB to increased production of Bt field corn which would be a dead end host for the pest. An adult moth population bucking this trend is widely observed this spring 2011. The reasons are unclear but it is a fact. Growers are advised to scout all whorl and pre-tassel fields.

Two New Sources of Information about BMSB

The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is expected to inflict serious crop damage again this year. Brown Marmorated Stink Bug has a wide host range including soybean and field corn. Two new sources providing timely information about this pest can be found on the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug page, Rutgers NJAES Snyder Research & Extension Farm Website. 

• IPM Update: BMSB Activity for the Week Ending May 23, 2011. Kris Holmstrom, Vegetable IPM Program, has reported the first capture data of the season in the Plant & Pest Advisory.
• Penn State Extension has gathered information about the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in a special issue of the Fruit Times.

-Rabin

Sidedress Nitrogen on Corn?

Late April /early May planted corn is now reaching the growth stage V-6 ( 6 fully developed leaves-canopy about 12-18 inches high) where the crop begins to take up significant amounts of Nitrogen(N) which is critical to reaching full yield potential. With N fertilizer prices rising, it is important to use N efficiently.
Zane Helsel

Keep watch for armyworms

Our wheat fields are beginning to dry down. Watch for clipping of heads from armyworms. Also watch for armyworms moving from small grain fields into corn fields. It seems every year we have local hot spots of armyworm infestations. Unfortunately, growers are caught off guard many times and realize they have a problem when it is too late. I have not seen any problems yet, but this is prime time for a problem to occur. Often a big clue that you may have a problem is if you see birds diving into your wheat field. The birds are generally feeding on the worms when this is happening. If you find armyworms they must be less than one inch to achieve effective control.

Bill Bamka