6/6/2012 Ditchbank Survey
Plant bug sprays are going out this week but overall numbers have not been as high as expected to date. This can change rapidly as plant bugs begin to move into fields from wild host plants. Click to Enlarge
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Insect Trap Counts, June 6, 2012
Bollworm and budworm pheromone trap catches are up some from last week, but bollworm catches are still far below typical catches for this time of year. Some sampling of corn and sweet corn has confirmed the low pressure. Once corn
Corn Disease Update: June 7, 2012
Over the past few days reports of northern corn leaf blight and gray leaf spot have increased in the MS corn crop. However, common rust is still the only rust that has been observed in MS. Keep in mind that in some cases common rust, on the lowest leaves in the corn canopy, can take on the appearance of southern rust.
Peanut Disease Update: week of May 27 – June 1.
Before getting to the state disease summary, a quick note on two diseases common at this time of year, Pepper Spot/Leaf Scorch and funky leaf spot (FLS). Funky Leaf Spot is important because the early symptoms can be confused with
Corn Fields Having Sustained Hail Injury May not Benefit from a Foliar Fungicide
Over the past several weeks we’ve encountered tremendous hail damage in corn fields. Leaf shredding is one of the more common symptoms associated with hail injury and the greatest source of yield loss as a result of hail injury (see:
Mississippi Receives Section 18 on Sulfoxaflor (Transform WG) for Tarnished Plant Bugs
Transform, a new insecticide containing the active ingredient sulfoxaflor, has received an emergency use exemption for Delta counties in Mississippi for the control of tarnished plant bug in cotton. This product represents a new mode of action and has excellent
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: Disregard those Purple to Black Spots Against the Corn Stalk at the Base of the Leaf Collar
Over the past few weeks numerous maladies have been observed in corn that don’t require a management decision. One of our more common issues, purple leaf sheath, is simply present under the right environmental conditions and when nutrients become available for the organisms that produce the minor staining on the corn plant.
Ditch Bank Survey 5/30/2012
Plant bug numbers are picking up this week in the Delta areas in the ditch banks. Click to enlarge
Insect Trap Counts, May 30, 2012
For the second week in a row, bollworm counts were very low in all regions. In the chart below you can see that Delta counts this week averaged less than 10 moths/trap for the week, while they averaged about 300 per
Soybean Hail Damage
Several soybean fields around the state have unfortunately been impacted from hail associated with recent storms. The big question in these cases is whether or not to replant. This is always a difficult question to answer. Several things need to
Cotton Hail Damage
Hail damage has occurred in scattered areas over the past week to ten days. Areas around Clarksdale, Sledge, and Yazoo City as well as others have been affected by hail. Deciding whether or not to replant following hail damage can
Cotton Seedling Disease
Seedling disease has been making an appearance in isolated pockets over the past week to ten days. Primarily we have been observing Rhizoctonia, also known as soreshin, on cotton in the north Delta. Seedling disease, caused by Rhizoctonia solani, is
Weed Control to Weed Management
When glyphosate was effective on most weeds, we were in a period of “weed controlâ€. However, over the last few years since glyphosate-resistant weeds have become so prevalent, we have entered a period of “weed managementâ€.
Corn Diseases to Watch for While Scouting Corn
Scouting corn can be especially challenging. Looking for disease within the corn canopy can take a tremendous amount of time and should be done a little different depending on the particular crop stage encountered. Once an ear has set (post-tassel) focusing on the ear leaf and above is generally the best scouting method since protecting the ear leaf is important. I’ve included several descriptions and pertinenent information regarding some of the more commonly encountered diseases in our corn production system.
What Bugs are in the Ditches? Wild Host Survey 5/23/2012
Plant bugs are still the predominant pest we are finding on wild hosts at this time. Click on to Enlarge
Insect Trap Counts, May 23, 2012
Pheromone trap counts for bollworm and tobacco budworm for the week are much lower than last week or than last year at this time, particularly in the Delta. Therefore, corn that is now silking may not have as much corn earworm
Cleaning Spray Tanks Is Critical
Sprayer cleanout after a herbicide application is a critical component to a successful herbicide application.
Southern Blight of Soybean Observed in a Few Isolated Fields
Over the past week a few soybean fields in the Delta have been observed with the characteristic symptoms and signs of southern blight. Typically, southern blight is a disease of rare occurrence; however, the prevailing environmental conditions seem to be causing added stress and increasing the incidence of this particular disease.
Herbicide Drift Is Not What It Use Be
Over last week or so, calls have become to trickle in on sick rice after the flood has been established. In most of these cases, the rice does not want to grow with the fertilizer and a flood on it. After inspecting these fields, signs of herbicide damage are evident on the foliage. When most of the calls come in, the producers believe that it is either a fertility, insect or disease issue. However, those issues generally occur in patches or spots where some areas are worse than others. Herbicide drift usually occurs across the whole field with one side being worse than the other. Also, rice that is on the levee can give you a general direction in where it came from.
Insect Trap Counts, May 18, 2012
Pheromone trap counts for bollworm were steady to lower this week in most areas. Tobacco budworm counts were steady to higher. Compared to last year at this time, counts are similar or lower for both pests.
What Bugs Are In The Ditches? Wild Host Survey 5/17/2012
From time to time we send crews out to survey insect pest populations in ditchbanks adjacent to agricultural fields. This gives us an idea of what to expect later in the season based on what and how many pests we
Early Season Caterpillar Complex Requiring Treatments in Some MS Soybeans
Over the last couple of weeks I have had numerous calls about caterpillar pest in young soybeans. Most of these have been concerning beans that are still in the vegetative stages (V2-V5). The species that are being found are bollworm, yellowstriped armyworm, green
Corn Disease Update and Tassel Fungicide Decisions: May 15, 2012
The corn crop appears to be much earlier this year than it has over the recent past. I’ve driven by numerous fields from south Washington County to north Bolivar County where almost 100% of the field has reached the tasseling
2012 Insect Scout School Dates Set
The insect scout schools for 2012 have been set. At each scout school we will go over biology, thresholds, and scouting techniques for each of the major pests of cotton, soybean, and corn. This is a great refresher for the
