Author: ruff.72

Watch for Spider Mites in Dry Areas

Spider mite stippling damage in soybean (bugwood.org)

By: Andy Michel and Kelley Tilmon, OSU Extension

Hot, dry weather encourages certain pests in field crops, in particular spider mites in soybean and occasionally corn.  Spider mites are a sporadic problem that most often occurs in August, but infestations in July are possible with sustained periods of hot, dry weather like some parts of Ohio are experiencing.  Crop scouts in areas that have not received rain recently should be on the lookout for this problem; spider mites are easy to miss in early stages and can build quickly.

Look for light-colored stippling damage which is easier to spot than the mites themselves.  In areas with heavy stippling you can confirm the presence of mites by tapping vegetation over a black piece of construction paper.  [Many sources will say to use white paper; but insider tip:  they are actually easier to see against a dark background].  The mites will look like specks of dust that move.

Stippling is common in the lower canopy even in non-outbreak situations.  When the stippling extends up into the middle canopy and is common, treatment is recommended.  We do not recommend edge treatments for this particular pest.  Make the decision for the whole field.  Most pyrethroid products with the exception of bifenthrin are not effective against spider mites and may even flare them.  Lorsban and generics have been popular choices against mites but may be less available now.  Check the field five days after application for resurgence because these products do not kill mite eggs.

There are specific miticide products that are particularly effective because they also kill mite eggs, eliminating the next generation.  Two such products are abamectin (Agri-Mek SC), labeled for use on soybeans, and etoxazole (Zeal), labeled for use on corn and soybeans.

A resurgence of moisture will go a long way to reducing spider mite populations.  Mites are particularly susceptible to fungal insect/mite killing pathogens which are favored by moist conditions (one of the reasons dry weather encourages mite outbreaks).

 

 

 

Summer Planted Annual “Cover Crops” for Forage, a study conducted in 2019

Source: Ohio Beef Letter

2019 was certainly a challenging year in Ohio in terms of both row crop and forage production. However, many of the acres left vacant due to prevented planting of corn and soybeans were available to be planted to annual forages that are often more commonly called ‘cover crops.’ This allowed OSU Extension Educators Al Gahler, Jason Hartschuh and Garth Ruff to take a close look at the productivity and feed quality of several different late planted annual forages throughout 2019.

They presented their findings at both the 2020 Ohio Beef Cow/Calf Workshop and again at the Ag Madness presentations during the COVID-19 quarantine earlier this spring. This video exhibits what they found while exploring those late planted annual forages.

Cucumber Downy Mildew Confirmed in Medina County, OH

By: Sally Miller, OSU Extension

Downy mildew was confirmed today in a 3 acre cucumber field in Medina County, OH. Given the outbreaks reported in Michigan in June and an outbreak confirmed in Kent County,
Ontario this week, this was expected. Although recent weather has been hot and dry, there have been localized intermittent rainstorms that favor downy mildew spread, and nighttime temperatures are usually cool enough for infection.

Growers in northern Ohio should protect cucumbers and melons with fungicides. Recommendations can be found here.

Thanks to Frank Becker, OSU Extension Wayne County IPM Program Coordinator, for bringing us the sample.

Pasture Management in Dry Weather

By: Dr. David Barker, Professor – Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University

Dry weather in recent weeks throughout Ohio has raised several questions about how pastures should be managed during drought. Although the experts don’t all agree if this period of dry weather meets the definition of a drought (yet), there is no doubt that pasture growth will slow to zero. How should we be grazing our pastures in mid-summer?

Avoid over-grazing
Unfortunately, without rain or irrigation pastures will not grow, and close grazing will exaggerate this effect. Leaf removal by grazing (or mowing) results in a roughly similar proportion of root death. During moist conditions, roots can recover quite quickly, however, grazing during drought will reduce water uptake due to root loss. As a general rule of thumb, grazing below 2 or 3 inches will accelerate drought effects on pastures, and also, slow recovery once rain does come. Of course, optimum grazing height and management varies with pasture species. As summer progresses into fall we will increase pasture grazing heights and leave more residual, while increasing resting periods. More leaf means less water runoff.

Watch for endophyte poisoning on tall fescue and perennial ryegrass. Drought can result in a triple whammy in respect to endophyte i) ergovaline (the toxic alkaloid) levels are elevated compared to spring, ii) livestock graze nearer the base of plants where endophyte and alkaloids are the most concentrated, and iii) seed-heads typically have higher alkaloid levels than leaves. It would be best to utilize other forages during this period of growth, such as annual warm-season grasses or legumes where possible. You might also consider feeding hay or grain. Continue reading →

From Across the Field 7-2-2020

Wheat Harvest Begins

Another week of hot weather has sped up dry down of the winter wheat crop across the state. It’s not too often that we have a July 4th holiday harvest in Northern Ohio.

This is quite a bit different that last year for sure, where I wrote “The old saying about corn being knee high by the 4th of July might be a stretch in many cases here in Henry County.” This year there are many fields of corn that are waist high and a few closer to chest high. Amazing what can change in a year’s time.

After harvesting barley in the county last week, I am curious to see how wheat yields look given the severity of the Army Worm damage to the barley crop. Across Fulton, Henry, and Wood counties, I’ve heard a range of 20-40 percent yield loss in barley due to clipped heads. This has been an interesting wheat crop, one that had high yield potential until a few nights of cold weather this spring, coupled with the Army Worm pressure. Continue reading →

Drought Projections Do Not Go Well With Fungicide Applications

By: Anne Dorrance and Pierce Paul, OSU Extension

Several calls this past week for fungicide applications on corn and soybean at all different growth stages.  So let’s review what might be at stake here.

Soybeans.  Frogeye leaf spot and white mold on susceptible varieties when the environment is favorable for disease easily pay the cost of application plus save yield losses.  Let’s dig a bit deeper.  Both of these diseases are caused by fungi but frogeye leaf spot is a polycyclic disease, meaning that multiple infections occur on new leaves through the season while white mold is monocyclic and the plant is really only susceptible during the flowering stage.  Both of these diseases are also limited geographically in the state.  White mold is favored in North East Ohio and down through the central region where fields are smaller and air flow can be an issue.  Frogeye has been found on highly susceptible varieties south of 70, but it is moving a bit north so it is one that I am watching. Continue reading →

Corn Growth in Hot and Dry Conditions

By: Alex Lindsey and Peter Thomison, OSU Extension

In recent days we have been experiencing 90 degree F days with limited precipitation, and so we are starting to see some leaf rolling in corn. Some of this may be related to reductions in soil moisture, but may be related to restricted root systems as well. Depending on the stage of corn at the time of these conditions, different effects on yield may be expected. Corn ear development occurs throughout the growing season, and extreme temperature or moisture stress at different growth stages will decrease different aspects of grain yield. Below is a quick summary of the yield component most affected by environmental stress at different growth stages: Continue reading →

Emergency Forages to Plant Mid-Summer

By: Marck Sulc, OSU Extension

First and second cutting hay yields are being reported as lower than usual in many areas of Ohio this year. Forages took a hit from the late freezes and cold weather this spring, followed by dry weather after first cutting. Fortunately, hay quality is much better than usual.

If forage inventories are going to be short, emergency forages that can still be planted this summer include the warm-season annual grasses planted by mid-July as well as oat, spring triticale, and Italian ryegrass planted during the last week of July into early August. All those forages will be best harvested as silage/haylage or grazed. Brassica crops (turnip, turnip hybrids, rape) can be planted in early August for grazing in late autumn.

Soil moisture is the big concern for any forage planting now. Much of the state is already seeing dry soils and temperatures are high, so the general outlook for seed germination of any kind is not promising right now. The decision to plant or not will have to be made for each individual field, considering soil moisture and the rain forecast. Rainfall/soil moisture in the few weeks immediately after seeding is the primary factor affecting successful establishment of any crop. Continue reading →

Bunk Management; Impacts Animal Performance and Health

Feed bunk management plays an important role in both animal performance and preventing acidosis in the feedyard.

During the first session of the 2020 Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management School that was hosted by the OSU Extension Beef Team,  Dr. Francis Fluharty, Ohio State University Professor Emeritus and current Professor and Head of the Department of Animal and Dairy Science at The University of Georgia, focused a portion of his presentation on the significant impact that proper feed bunk management has on feed conversion, prevention of acidosis, and overall profitability. Here, in less than 8 minutes, Dr. Fluharty explains why bunk management is so important, nearly doubling the rate of gain and improving feed conversion by greater than 40% in one study.

From Across the Field – 6/25/2020

Dealing with Landscape Pests

Had a chance to go back to southern Ohio for Father’s Day and I can report that it is just as hot and humid down there as it is here other than the have had about an inch more rain in the past month. I spent Saturday with my brother at a large farm machinery consignment sale. The used equipment market has appeared to gain some strength as things sold very well, and higher than I would have anticipated.

Here locally everyone is dealing with dry conditions. I was in a barley field where the cracks in the ground were large enough to swallow a cell phone. After a week with many calls regarding Army Worm, it appears that they are on the tail end of the caterpillar cycle. I have set Western Bean Cut Worm traps across the county and will begin monitoring the flight of adult moths this week. Continue reading →