A relatively new insect in soybean, the orange gall midge has now been confirmed in 15 eastern Nebraska counties.Growers and consultants are invited to submit reports of orange gall midge in counties where it hasn't previously been identified.
High populations of soybean stem borers may predispose your field to lodging and complicate harvest. Fields with higher levels of injury should be harvested first to minimize lodging losses.
Reports of orange gall midge in soybean increased in Nebraska this year and researchers have initiated in-field and laboratory studies to help learn more about its potential to reduce yield as well as best practices for its management.
Defoliation injury is being reported in soybeans and often can look worse than it is. This illustrated guide to assessing injury can help you get reliable scouting numbers on which to base sound treatment decisions.
Western bean cutworm egg masses have been reported on field corn in a number of locations across the state this week. Here's what to look for in the field, treatment thresholds and recommendations.
Corn rootworm beetles started emerging in southeast and south central Nebraska and scouting is recommended. An average of 5-10 beetles per ear usually can seriously affect pollination.
Figure 1. Japanese beetles will first feed on the leaves of soybean (left) and corn. In corn they'll move to the silks (right) when they become available. (Photos by Justin McMechan)
Japanese beetles are emerging in eastern Nebraska and will continue to emerge for the next couple of weeks. As numbers will be highest in field margins, growers are advised to scout across the whole field before determining the need for treatment.
While European corn borer numbers have greatly decreased regionally since the introduction of the first Bt corns, local populations may still cause damage on untraited corn such as popcorn or white corn or in field planted to non-BT corn to take advantage of lower seed costs. These fields should be scouted now.
