Figure 1. Rye cover crop planted in small sections of field for erosion control. Center photo shows a section of ground where cover crop did not establish with normally developing plants. Damaged corn plants were primarily restricted to areas where cover crop was present.
Wheat stem maggots were an issue for some eastern and southern Nebraska farmers planting corn directly into a growing cover crop, leading to questions about how to best manage this scenario in 2018. Learn why entomologists don't recommend adding an insecticide to the herbicide when terminating the cover crop.
The Handy Bt Trait Table, which lists the types of Bt hybrids present for all commercialized corn, has been updated for 2018. Now in its 15th year, the table has become the standard authoritative reference to Bt toxins in corn.
When it comes to buying corn seed, avoid investing in GMO insect protection you don't need. This guide looks at available traits and which proteins are effective on which pest species to help growers select the product best suited to their fields.
The western bean cutworm is an important pest of corn and dry beans in Nebraska and is a major focus of research at the Agroecosystems Entomology Laboratory at the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte. Because WBC has only one generation per year, researchers are now growing their own population to use in laboratory and field studies.
The sugarcane aphid has been detected in a Nebraska grain sorghum field near Pawnee City, according to the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board. This is the first time this pest has been reported on Nebraska sorghum.
Figure 1. Counties with confirmed sugarcane aphids. Sorghum growers in southeast Nebraska are encouraged to scout for this pest. (Source: http://www.myfields.info)
Reports of painted lady butterflys have been numerous in rural areas, including in soybeans, causing growers to ask if there's likely to be an increase in their soybean leaf-eating caterpillars. Entomologists discuss this question and the insect's life cycle, and offer a "how-to" on estimating leaf defoliation.
