Trap Counts, June 20, 2014
Bollworm trap catches were up in the Delta region this week to levels about normal for this time of year. Most bollworm eggs will be laid in corn at this time when many corn fields are at silk stage. University research
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Importance of Monitoring Square Retention in Young Cotton
Square retention is a critical component of early season plant bug management. I would strongly encourage you to take square retention counts along with your sweep net counts prior to bloom. Not only does this help in the decision making process of treating plant bugs, but it also helps you to get a better idea of how the products you are applying are working. Numbers alone can be deceiving when adults are steady moving into the field. When large numbers of adults are migrating into a field it is not uncommon to have as many or more plant bugs 4-5 days after a spray than you did before you sprayed and it still would not equate to a control failure.
Diagnosing Nutrient Deficiencies in Mississippi Soybeans
Diagnosing nutrient deficiencies is not rocket science, but can be cumbersome. Many nutrient related issues occur early in season and can sometimes mimic herbicide injury in appearance. In many instances it is difficult to tell the two apart. Most often
Corn disease update June 13, 2014
To date this has been a fairly light corn disease year. However, some lesser observed diseases, such as anthracnose leaf blight can be observed on the lowest leaves in some corn fields. Common rust, northern corn leaf blight, and to a much lesser extent southern corn leaf blight can also be observed in some corn fields.
Mississippi State University/Monsanto Company Field Day – July 10, 2014 – Robinsonville, MS
Mississippi State University and Monsanto Company will be conducting a field day in Robinsonville, MS on Thursday, July 10, 2014. The field day will focus on the Roundup Ready(R) Xtend Crop System in cotton and soybeans. Field demonstrations will include cotton and soybean germplasm
Mississippi State University/Dow AgroSciences Field Day – Dundee, MS – July 2, 2014
Mississippi State University and Dow AgroSciences will be conducting a field day at the farm of Douglas and Chris Hood on Wednesday, July 2, 2014. The field day will begin at 9 a.m. and will focus on Enlist(TM) Weed Control System in
Caterpillars Infesting Mississippi Field Corn
There are several caterpillar pests that commonly infest field corn in Mississippi. These include corn earworm, fall armyworm, and southwestern corn borer.
Insect Trap Counts, June 13, 2014
Bollworm trap counts were higher in Lowndes county this week, but all other locations were similar to the previous week. Tobacco budworm catches remain at very low levels throughout the state. Southwestern corn borer counts were also very low throughout
Soybean Crop Update and Replant Decisions
According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service in Mississippi, 89% of the soybean acreage is planted as of the week ending June 8, 2014. At this time, 82% of the crop is emerged. The remaining acres to be planted
Delta Area “Turn Row Talks” on Water Conservation Announced
On June 9, leaders from the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board, key personnel from the Mississippi State University Extension Service, and stakeholder organizations a part of the Delta Sustainable Water Resources Task Force formally announced a series of summer irrigation “Turn Row Talks†to be held across the Delta during the month of July for producers to attend local, on-farm demonstrations of water conservation efforts being implemented and utilized by growers in their respective areas.
Delayed Weed Control Options in Cotton
Rainfall throughout the state has delayed weed control applications resulting in weeds that have become larger than desired and more difficult to control. Several calls have come in regarding sequential application options for management of glyphosate-resistant pigweeds and other species.
Green Stink Bugs in Non-Podding Soybeans: What to Do?
I have had numerous calls recently on green stink bugs in beans that are either vegetative or at R1-R2 stage with no pods. Numbers have ranged from 4-5 to 8-12 per 25 sweeps depending on the field. It is not uncommon to have a field or two on occasion to have threshold numbers of stink bugs before soybeans put on pods, but the number of fields this year being reported is certainly unusual.
Tarnished Plant Bug Nymphs Showing Up in Pre-Bloom Cotton
The tarnished plant bug calls have started to come in on small cotton already. In some cases, consultants and growers are finding nymphs on very young cotton with only 1-2 squares. Similarly, some are reporting plant bug flagged terminals in pre-square cotton. We rarely have to spray pre-square cotton for plant bugs, but our threshold is 1 flagged plant per 10 row feet with bugs present. Although tarnished plant bugs are our most important and most consistent pest of cotton in the Delta, we usually don’t start finding nymphs until closer to first flower.
Armyworms Showing up in Grassy Fields Moving to Soybeans
Over the last few days I have started getting calls about fall armyworms showing up in soybeans. We see some of this every year, and it is primarily related to larvae moving off of a grass host after a Roundup application
Trap Counts, June 6, 2014
Bollworm catches were lower in the Delta this week but steady in Northeast MS. Tobacco budworm catches were negligible in all areas (Table 1). Southwestern corn borer counts were also low throughout the state, so early corn that is now
The Tassel Shot: When is the Best Time?
More and more corn growers are applying various management inputs around tassel stage in order to improve efficiency and corn productivity. This article discusses how crop physiology affects the appropriate timing and crop response.
Influence of Rainfall on Insecticide Efficacy
Every year at some point during the season we seem to hit a rainy spell where it seems to rain at some point every day and we have showers widely scattered across the state. It started raining last Wednesday and we have had some rain everyday since then and it is currently raining in Stoneville right now (Monday morning). With that, the questions start about how long you need to spray before a rain to get acceptable control.
Delta Research and Extension Center’s Agronomic Crops Field Day, June 17, 2014
A corn, cotton, peanut, and soybean field day is scheduled for June 17th at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, MS. The general theme of the field day will include pertinent information for mid-season row crop issues.
Mixing Thrips Insecticides With Post Herbicides: Yes or No?
We have been getting a lot of questions the last 7 to 10 days about potential injury or problems associated with mixing thrips insecticides with POST herbicides over cotton. This will no doubt be controversial, but we are going to lay it out like we would if you called.
Pheromone Trap Counts, May 29, 2014
Bollworm trap catches were down in the Delta region this week from last week, while tobacco budworm catches were higher in the Delta (Table 1). There was minimal change for catches of either species in Northeastern MS. This is the
Armyworms in Rice
Similar to most years when we have armyworms in wheat, there is the threat of having armyworms in seedling rice. We know of at least one rice field in Mississippi that was sprayed earlier this week. In general, damage from armyworms will not impact rice yields at this time of year unless they are beginning to reduce plant stand. This is especially true in hybrid rice planted at low seeding rates.
Simultaneous Cotton and Pigweed Emergence Issues
Planting progress on the 2014 cotton crop has certainly been more timely than in 2013; however, we still lag somewhat being a “normal” planting window. An issue that seems to be occurring on numerous farms this year is simultaneous cotton
Pheromone Trap Counts, May 23, 2014
Bollworm trap catches were average this past week. While most traps caught 10-50 moths during the week, one trap near Indianola had 505 moths this past week. Tobacco budworm catches remain very low in both the Delta and NE Mississippi regions.
Should You Ever Treat Thrips in Soybeans?
I have had several folks asking if there is a time when thrips should be treated in soybeans. Ordinarily thrips are not a problem in soybeans. Cotton and soybeans are completely different when it comes to how the plant can tolerate thrips. Soybeans are not nearly as sensitive to thrips as cotton and therefore can tolerate high numbers of thrips without yield loss.
Slugs – A Persistent Problem in Cool Years
I have gotten numerous calls about slugs this year in all crops but lately in cotton and soybean. Slug problems usually start on corn then soybeans then cotton in our area. This is only because we typically plant in this order. We have had isolated problems with slugs since 2004, some years worse than others.
