Insects

Field Observations Thru May 26

Alfalfa

Most of our first cutting is complete.  If you have not mowed yet continue to monitor for alfalfa weevil.  As regrowth starts begin to monitor for potato leafhopper.

Corn

What a difference a week makes.  Most of our corn is now planted and about 50% has emerged.

 

Soil Crusting

Soil crusting is still an issue.  Continue to scout for emergence problems.  A few fields saw a return of the rotary hoe to help break the crust and aid in crop emergence.

Beans

Like corn, bean planting is coming to an end.  Soil crusting is also an issue in many of our bean fields. Continue to scout these fields for emergence problems.  Read more here.

Slugs

Slug damage was a problem early in a few fields.  The forecasted warm and dry weather should help to eliminate this problem.

 

Wheat

Scout for disease and insects:

Cereal Leaf Beetle Scouting Information

Powdery Mildew Scouting information

Head Scab Scouting Information

Most of our wheat is nearing a time when a decision must be made.  All of the wheat fields that I have looked at are showing no signs of disease pressure.  Here are some factors to consider

  1. No existing disease pressure
  2. The head scab forecast system is showing a very low chance of scab
  3. Fungicide cost can range from $12 – $18/acre plus application charges
  4. New crop wheat price is hovering around $6.20/bushel
  5. The 6 – 10 day precipitation outlook is for below normal rainfall and mild temperatures.

READ MORE HERE

To Spray Or Not To Spray?

Head Scab Forecasting System Click here to enlarge

Most of our wheat is nearing a time when a decision must be made –

To spray or not to spray?!  

Fungicide costs can range from $12 to $18 per acre plus application cost.  Today’s new crop wheat is hovering around $6.20 per bushel.

All of the wheat fields that I have looked at are showing no signs of disease pressure.  The head scab forecast system is showing a very low chance of scab and the 6 – 10 day precipitation outlook is for below normal rainfall and mild temperatures.  These factors are not conducive to disease development.

Below are additional thoughts from Dr. Pierce Paul and Dr. Kelley Tillman from this week’s C.O.R.N. Newsletter.

Fungicide and Insecticide at Flowering: Is This Really Warranted?

The wheat crop is flowering or will soon begin to flower in southern and central Ohio. Flowering will continue in the northern half of the state over the next two weeks. This is the growth stage as which the crop is most susceptible to infection by Fusarium graminearum, the fungus that causes head scab. Consequently, questions are being asked about applying a fungicide at flowering to control head scab, and at the same time, mixing in an insecticide to control cereal leaf beetle. According to the scab forecasting system (https://www.wheatscab.psu.edu/), the risk for head scab development has been low across the state over the past week. This is likely due, at least in part, to the cool, relatively dry conditions we have experienced across most of the state. The extended forecast suggests that dry (rain-free) conditions will persist over the next week or so.

Warm and consistently wet or humid conditions are required for head scab to develop. In fact, humid/wet conditions are also necessary for the development of most of the other economically important diseases of wheat such as Septoria, Stagonospora, and rust. When conditions are as consistently dry as they have been over the last few weeks, fungicides are not warranted. However, do continue to monitor the weather, and if it begins to rain, use the scab forecasting system to determine if the risk for scab is increasing as the crop continues to flower in the northern half of the state.

We specifically do not recommend tank-mixing an insecticide with a fungicide application if the insect populations do not legitimately warrant it.  Not only will it kill pollinators, but it also can eliminate the beneficial parasitic insects that attack cereal leaf beetle.  Insecticide is warranted for cereal leaf beetle control if there are 3 larvae per stem up to the boot stage, followed by a threshold of 1 larva per stem or flag leaf at boot stage and thereafter.  As the wheat begins to mature and grain fill has progressed, the need for spraying diminishes as it will not provide a return on investment.

Field Observations Thru May 5

Throughout the growing season I will post information on different pests or issues I am seeing in our fields in Knox County.  This week, not much happening in our fields due to the cold, wet weather. Below are a some to observations to keep an eye on.

Alfalfa Weevil

 Even with the chilly weather we have experienced the last 2 weeks,  we have accumulated enough growing degree days for alfalfa weevils to be active. These cold temperatures may have slowed feeding but the temperatures haven’t been cold enough to kill the weevil larvae.  We are concerned that as soon as it warms they will speed up their feeding again with a vengeance.  Scout your fields now, not when excessive feeding grabs your attention.  Keep in mind that at a certain point, early harvest is preferable to treatment.

Click here for Alfalfa Weevil Scouting Guide

Here is a video about scouting weevils in alfalfa:  https://forages.osu.edu/video

Alfalfa Weevil Update  – C.O.R.N. Newsletter

Wheat 

Even with chilly temps wheat is growing at a good pace.  Most of our week is passing through Feekes 7 and is in (or soon will be ) in Feekes 8.  As our wheat approaches Feekes 9 it is time to scout your fields and evaluate your stand/yield potential and determine if fungicide applications are warranted.  2023 Wheat Fungicide Ratings can be found in this post from earlier this week.

REMINDER: Join Us for the 2nd Annual Virtual Corn College and Soybean School

By: Laura Lindsey

The AgCrops Team will host the 2nd annual virtual Corn College and Soybean School on February 15, 2022 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM featuring your OSU Extension state specialists, including the new corn agronomist, Dr. Osler Ortez, and new soybean pathologist, Dr. Horacio Lopez-Nicora. CCA CEUs will be available during the live presentations (2.0 CM, 5.0 IPM, and 1.0 NM).

To register, please go to: http://go.osu.edu/cornsoy There is a $10 registration fee for this event, which goes directly to support OSU AgCrops Team activities. Presentations will be recorded and uploaded to the AgCrops Team YouTube channel after the event (https://www.youtube.com/c/OSUAgronomicCrops).

MORNING SESSION 9:00-noon

9:00-9:40              Laura Lindsey

Soybean Management for 2022

9:50-10:30           Osler Ortez

Corn Management for 2022

10:40-11:20         Horacio Lopez-Nicora

Soybean Disease Management

11:20-noon         Pierce Paul

Corn Disease Management

AFTERNOON SESSION 1:00-4:00

1:00-1:40              Kelley Tilmon

Soybean Insect Management

1:50-2:30              Andy Michel

Corn Insect Management

2:40-3:20              Mark Loux

Weed Management for Corn and Soybean

3:20-4:00              Steve Culman

Meeting Nutrient Needs for Corn and Soybean

Are Periodical Cicadas a Threat to Field Crops?

Source: Curtis Young, OSU Extension

 

OK, let’s dispel any of the wild rumors right now!

 

 

Are periodical cicadas a threat to field crops? The quick and dirty answer to this question is NO!  Are they a threat to the health and welfare of anything? There is no quick and dirty answer to this question.

The best way to answer the second question is to start by looking at what the periodical cicada is, what it feeds on, where one would expect to find them, and its life cycle.

The periodical cicada or 17-year cicada is an insect with an extremely long life cycle that takes 17 years to get from the egg stage to the adult stage. Some people mistakenly refer to this insect as a locust. Unfortunately, locusts and cicadas are not one-in-the-same.  Locusts are a type of grasshopper (Order Orthoptera).  Cicadas (Order Hemiptera) are not grasshoppers. And the 2 look nothing like one another.

The periodical cicada feed mostly in their nymphal stages and are hosted by trees of many species. And since it takes 17 years of feeding by the nymphs, the trees have to be old and well established, minimally 20+ years old.

Therefore, periodical cicadas are going to be found in and around long-standing woodlots, forests and landscapes (homes, parks, and cemeteries), especially those that have been established in or next to woodlots. What does this preclude? We will not find periodical cicadas in crop fields, pastures, landscapes recently established on field crop ground, housing developments where all of the ground was excavated, or basically anywhere where there isn’t long established trees. There are also northern limits to their natural range (e.g. they do not exist very far into the state of Michigan).

Continue reading →

Roundup vs. Roundup vs. Roundup – REALLY??!

 

From a consumer standpoint this could quite possibly be the worst product marketing of ALL TIME!

 

 

Roundup has been around for a long time.  The active ingredient in “Roundup” is glyphosate.  Many of us know “Roundup” as a non-selective herbicide – i.e. it will kill all plants it contacts.

So what’s the problem?  With these products having a similar name, it’s quite possible to grab the wrong product from the shelf and thus risk harming or destroying the wrong (or all) plants.

The Solution.  Always read the label!  Products with similar names may have different active ingredients and therefore may not have the have the desired outcome.

Below is a general guide to the different Roundup products available to consumers.  Note that for many of these products there may be ready to use (RTU) and/or concentrate formulations available with different ratios or percentages of the same active ingredients.  Additional products are marketed for use in southern turfgrass.

Don’t be fooled by products that have a similar name . . . read the label!

 

Corn College and Soybean School

The Agronomic Crops Team will host a virtual Corn College and Soybean School on February 11, 2021. Corn College is in the morning, from 9:00 – 12:00pm, with Soybean School in the afternoon from 1:00-4:00pm. Each program will feature updates from OSU Specialists. CCA CEUs are available. The schedule for the day is as follows:

 

Corn College, 9:00am-12:00pm

  • Corn Management for 2021, Peter Thomison, 1.0 CM CCA CEUs
  • Meeting Nutrient Needs in Corn, Steve Culman, 1.0 NM CCA CEUs
  • Disease Management, Pierce Paul, 1.0 PM CCA CEUs
  • Insect Management, Andy Michel, 1.0 PM CCA CEUs

Soybean School, 1:00-4:00pm

  • Soybean Management for 2021, Laura Lindsey, 1.0 CM CCA CEUs
  • Weed Management, Mark Loux, 1.0 PM CCA CEUs
  • Disease Management, Anne Dorrance, 1.0 PM CCA CEUs
  • Insect Management, Kelley Tilmon, 1.0 PM CCA CEUs

This program is free to attend. Register at www.go.osu.edu/agronomyschools.