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Wheat scab rearing its ugly “head”

  • June 10, 2013
  • Aaron Hager

Head scab of wheat (a.k.a. Fusarium head blight) is showing up in Illinois wheat fields.  Incidence is ranging from low (less than 10% of the heads affected) to moderately high (over 25% of the heads affected).  Affected wheat heads will appear “bleached” in color.  Heads often are partially affected, with both healthy green and affected bleached areas being present in the same head.  Although I have not been in all wheat production areas in the state,…

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Western Corn Rootworm Hatch Confirmed in West Central Indiana

  • June 10, 2013
  • Michael Gray

Entomologists (Christian Krupke, John Obermeyer, and Larry Bledsoe) at Purdue University have confirmed that the annual larval hatch of western corn rootworms is underway. They found the first corn rootworm larva on June 6 and believe that hatch was initiated on June 4. This event was a little later than heat-unit totals predicted. I suspect that the drought of 2012 forced much deeper egg laying in the soil contributing to the slightly later hatch this spring.…

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Early Season Soybean Aphid Observations

  • June 10, 2013
  • Michael Gray

On May 15-19, 2013, Drs. David Voegtlin (retired entomologist, Illinois Natural History Survey) and Dave Hogg (Professor, University of Wisconsin, Madison), surveyed the overwintering hosts of soybean aphids — the common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus). Their 2,000 + mile survey of these primary hosts took them across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. A synopsis of their observations by state are provided below.…

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Armyworms Reach Impressive Levels in Southwestern Illinois Wheat

  • June 7, 2013
  • Michael Gray

Wheat producers, especially in southwestern Illinois, should be scouting their fields for armyworms and considering the need to apply a rescue treatment. Kevin Black, Insect and Plant Disease Technical Manager, Growmark, Inc., reported on June 7 that large numbers of armyworms were leaving roadside ditches, moving into adjacent wheat fields, and inflicting heavy damage. Armyworm densities and damage in one wheat field located northeast of St. Louis was particularly impressive. Because of the heavy rains this spring and the lack of mowing,…

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New Mobile Corn Replant Decision Aid

  • June 7, 2013
  • Dennis Bowman


Deciding on whether or not to replant can be a difficult decision. Cutworm, compaction and seedling blight are some of the problems that can lead to reduced plant populations. The sight of an uneven reduced stand is often more than many farmers can take, but the desire to “fix-it” may not make sense agronomically or economically.
For fields where the stand has been relatively evenly thinned out the following advice is most relevant.…

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Potato Leafhoppers Active in Central Illinois

  • June 6, 2013
  • Michael Gray

On June 5, I sampled an alfalfa field in Champaign County and found potato leafhoppers by using a sweep net. These small insects have the potential to cause injury to subsequent cuttings of alfalfa. Typically, the first cutting across much of Illinois is not at economic risk to this migratory pest. Producers are encouraged to scout their fields for potato leafhoppers and recognize that very low densities of these insects equipped with piercing and sucking mouthparts can cause economic losses to alfalfa soon after the first cutting.…

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Is it Waterhemp or Palmer Amaranth?

  • June 5, 2013
  • Aaron Hager

Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) is a summer annual broadleaf weed species taxonomically related to other pigweed species (waterhemp, smooth, redroot) common in Illinois agronomic cropping systems.  Palmer amaranth is not indigenous to Illinois, but rather evolved as a desert-dwelling species in the southwestern United States including areas of the Sonoran Desert.  Genotypic and phenotypic adaptability have allowed Palmer amaranth to expand its distribution and colonize the vastly different agricultural landscapes across much of the eastern half of the United States,…

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Controlling Horseweed (Marestail) after Crop Emergence

  • June 4, 2013
  • Aaron Hager

The past several days have experienced a noticeable increase in questions about options to control marestail after crop emergence.  Many have reported poor marestail control from herbicides applied prior to planting (primarily no-till soybean), especially when these burndown applications contained only glyphosate or glyphosate and 2,4-D.  The increasing frequency of glyphosate-resistant marestail populations, the rush to plant whenever field conditions were conducive, and the less-than-ideal environmental conditions when many burndown applications were made, have contributed to a challenging situation for which a good solution might not be available. …

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Armyworm Activity Reported in Corn and Wheat

  • May 31, 2013
  • Michael Gray

Producers are encouraged to scout both corn and wheat for armyworms and potential feeding. Kevin Black, Insect and Plant Disease Technical Manager with Growmark Inc., reported that a field of corn (Putnam County) planted into a rye cover crop had received some defoliation by armyworms. Kelli Bassett, a Field Agronomist with DuPont Pioneer, observed (May 30) some armyworm feeding in scattered wheat fields across Macoupin and Montgomery counties.
For more information about the biology, life cycle,…

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Delayed Soybean Planting: Prospects for Insect Injury

  • May 31, 2013
  • Michael Gray

The stormy spring weather across much of the nation’s mid-section continues to cause planting delays. Planting estimates (USDA NASS, May 28, 2013) indicate that approximately 40% of Illinois soybean acres have been planted. Roughly 12% of the soybean crop has emerged across the state. These percentages are well below the five-year averages for Illinois by this date – 53% planted and 28% emerged. As overwintering bean leaf beetles break dormancy and begin to seek out soybean fields,…

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