Southwestern Corn Borer Trap Counts, July 9, 2016
Southwestern corn borer trap counts remained very high in some areas this week. The highest counts reported were in Sunflower, Quitman, and Coahoma counties.
Back to homepage
Posts From Angus Catchot, Extension Entomologist
Southwestern Corn Borer Trap Counts: July 2, 2016
Southwestern corn borer trap catches appear to be peaking this week. Several counties had individual traps with numbers at or near the current threshold and a couple well above threshold. As a reminder, the current threshold is 50 per trap
Southwestern Corn Borer Trap Counts: June 25, 2016
Southwestern corn borer numbers increased significantly in some areas this week. The highest numbers were 377 caught in Leflore County and 450 caught in Coahoma County. The current threshold in the 2016 Insect Control Guide suggests spraying when 50 moths are caught
Caterpillars Infesting Field Corn
Much of the corn has reached the reproductive stages, while some is still in the vegetative stages. Several caterpillars, including fall armyworm and corn earworm, can infest corn, especially non-Bt corn, during both stages of development.
Southwestern Corn Borer Trap Counts: June 18, 2016
Overall, southwestern corn borer traps remained low throughout the state. However, one trap in Leflore county captured 178 moths over a 7 day period. Although they do not appear to be widespread, this indicates that there may be pockets with
Southwestern Corn Borer Trap Counts: June 11, 2016
All southwestern corn borer trapping locations did not report this week, but numbers were very low across the state. The highest numbers were in the south Delta, but still well below threshold with the highest number being 22 in one trap
Transform Section 18 Approved for Use in Mississippi Cotton
The Environmental Protection Agency has now authorized the use of Transform WG (sulfoxaflor) in Mississippi for control of tarnished plant bugs in cotton. For specific details see below.
Spider Mites Showing up in Small Cotton in MS
Spider mites have been becoming more widespread over the last two weeks. Currently we have quite a few acres requiring treatment for spider mites and several that have already received an application. The hot dry weather we have been dealing with
Thrips Pressure Starting off Heavy in MS Cotton
Calls about thrips treatments in seedling cotton have been picking up substantially this week. As ryegrass and other ditchbank hosts begin to dry down, thrips numbers will likely increase in the next couple weeks. The 100% chance of rain today (5/20) now
Comment Period is Open for Transform Section 18
In March, the Mississippi Bureau of Plant Industries and other states in the Mid-South submitted Emergency Exemption (Section 18) requests to use Transform for tarnished plant bug control in cotton. The reason for this request is that the original registration
Cutworms Showing Up in Mississippi Crops
We have had several calls over the last week about cutworms reducing plant densities in cotton, soybean, and non-Bt corn. Based on the number of calls, it appears that cutworm populations are much higher than they have been the last several
2016 Scout Schools
Mississippi State University will be hosting 5 scout schools this year. We have transitioned over the years to make these trainings much more diverse than insect pest alone. This year we will be including insects, disease, fertility, and herbicide symptomology.
Seed Treatments and Thrips 2016: Expectations
Although commodity prices have not been exciting for any crop we grow, Mississippi is expected to see cotton acres increase as much as 40% this year. As we have been traveling the meeting circuit, the common denominator has been, “What inputs can we cut in an off year?” This has been asked of all crops lately, not just cotton. It seems that seed treatments are the first thing that comes up during this conversation in every crop; however, this is not a viable option in cotton.
Tarnished Plant Bug IPM and Impact of the Transform Label Cancellation
We posted an article last spring about utilizing several best management practices in an overall IPM program to manage tarnished plant bug in cotton. We included a pdf that highlights all of the research we have conducted over the last
2016 Insect Control Guide Now Available
The 2016 Insect Control Guide for Agronomic Crops is now available online. Hard copies will be available in January. Notable changes this year include the removal of pyrethroid insecticides for bollworm control in all crops due to resistance and poor
EPA Orders Cancellation of Dow’s Sulfoxaflor (Transform)
By now many of you may have heard that Sulfoxaflor, the active ingredient in Transform, recently lost a major court decision in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The suit was led by the Pollinator Stewardship Council, beekeepers, and other bee
New Program App Available for the 2015 MS Row Crop Short Course
We had an App created that will allow you to review the program and register straight from your Smart Phone for the 2015 Mississippi Row Crop Short Course Nov. 30th – Dec. 2, 2015 at the Cotton Mill District in
Importance of Managing Sugarcane Aphids in Grain Sorghum at Harvest
Some grain sorghum still remains to be harvested around the state and sugarcane aphid populations have remained high in a lot of areas. We had a post by Erick Larson and Angus Catchot a couple of weeks ago here about use of harvest
Sugarcane Aphid Control with Falling Temperatures
In 2014 we saw two brief time periods of less than satisfactory control with Transform on sugarcane aphids in grain sorghum across a broad geography. At the time we were mixing a lot of pyrethroids with Transform, so initial thoughts were that
Sugarcane Aphids Building on Flag Leaf of Mature Grain Sorghum: Video
The following is a short video clip showing sugarcane aphids building on the flag leaf of mature grain sorghum. This will have to be addressed in this field to avoid complications with harvest equipment. Options are Transform at .75 –
Mississippi State University Turn Row Talk – Clarksdale, August 25, 2015
An agronomic crops field day will be held at Stovall farms, west and north of Clarksdale on Oakhurst Stovall Road. The field day will be held at Mr. Pete Hunter’s farm shop beginning at 10 am. MSU Extension Specialists will be present to discuss topics in corn, cotton, grain sorghum, peanut, rice and soybean.
Timing, Sugarcane Aphids and other Harvest Aid Considerations for Sorghum
Many growers in the Mid-South apply a harvest aid to sorghum to facilitate combine efficiency. Although it is possible to harvest sorghum without using a harvest aid, understanding the benefits of usage, along with adverse consequences, will help you implement a practical plan that will enhance your sorghum harvest.
Terminating Spider Mite Sprays in Mid-South Cotton
There has always been a struggle with properly defining the correct cutoff for spider mites in cotton in the Mid-South region. For years we always loosely considered Node Above White Flower 5 (NAWF5 = Cutout) and 650 heat units the
Dectes Stem Borer: Biology, Damage, and Management in Soybeans
There have been numerous calls and questions about Dectes Stem Borer over the last few years. It seems that numbers are increasing each year. This is not surprising when you consider the biology of the insect coupled with an increase in soybean acres in MS.
Soybean Loopers and the Effect of Defoliation on Yield
We have been getting calls on loopers showing up in soybean for about 2 weeks. In recent days there have been reports of defoliation exceeding 20% or numbers exceeding threshold in some areas in the central to southern part of the state. The bulk of our soybean loopers typically show mid to late August or even into September so this is a little early but certainly not unusual. Soybean loopers are migratory and work their way north each year from southern latitudes. Early arrival could be due to a number of reasons.
