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Western corn rootworm adult emergence is underway across east central Illinois. On July 1, Nick Tinsley, Research Specialist in the Department of Crop Sciences, observed his first adult male western corn rootworm of the growing season just south of Urbana within a University of Illinois research plot. Later that day, Joe Spencer, Associate Research Professor, Illinois Natural History Survey, observed five western corn rootworm adults after about 20 minutes of searching in his research plots north of Urbana.…

Preparations are underway for the 32nd Annual University of Illinois’ Northwestern Agricultural Research Center Field Day. The program will begin at 8 am on Wednesday, July 17th.
Buses will carry members of the public to different stops in the research center where specialists from the University of Illinois’ Department of Crop Sciences or Extension personnel will present their most current crop and pest management research and recommendations.
 
Topics and speakers include:
Identification and management of Goss’s wilt of corn –…

The University of Illinois’s Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center will host a summer Agronomy Day Wednesday, July 10. U of I Extension specialists and researchers will address issues that are pertinent to the 2013 growing season. The program will begin at 9 a.m. and finish with a meal provided at noon. Anyone can attend, and there is no registration or fee required. CEUs will be available for certified crop advisers.

A Corn Rootworm Root Rating Field Day will be held in conjunction with Agronomy Day.…

Reports of Japanese beetles are becoming more common across the state of Illinois. On June 19, Ron Hines observed his first Japanese beetles of the season in Massac County. Much further to the north, Angie Peltier, University of Illinois Extension Commercial Agriculture Educator located at the Research and Demonstration Center, Monmouth, Illinois, collected about 1 inch of beetles in a trap from June 20 to 24. These observations confirm that this perennial insect pest of corn and soybeans is present throughout much of  the state.…

In mid-June, Chris DiFonzo, Extension Entomologist at Michigan State University, reported that a soybean field (Saginaw Farm) was infested with soybean aphids (~44% of plants infested).  Chris indicated that none of the plants had received an insecticidal seed treatment. Reports from other entomologists (Iowa and Minnesota) indicate that soybean aphids are being found at more modest levels. At this point, it remains unclear what soybean aphid infestations will look like for much of the Corn Belt.…

Kevin Black, Insect and Plant Disease Technical Manager, Growmark, Inc., recently reported that cereal leaf beetles can be found in low numbers in some wheat fields across southern Illinois. In addition, densities of aphids in these fields were low according to Kevin. He attributed these low pest numbers to the presence of natural enemies hard at work (Figures 1 and 2). Cereal leaf beetles complete one generation per year. The adult is a colorful beetle (3/16 inch long) and has metallic bluish-black wings (elytra) and reddish-orange legs and thorax (Figure 3).…

Each spring as we approach mid-to-late May, questions begin to surface regarding the timing of the annual corn rootworm larval hatch. In general, this yearly event and the Memorial Day Holiday weekend coincide reasonably well for the latitude that cuts across much of central Illinois. As many of us recall, last year shattered this pattern and western corn rootworm adults and severe root damage were observed during the first week of June in western Illinois. Because hatching of larvae is a heat-driven biological event,…

Just recently, the National Water-Quality Assessment Program, United States Geological Survey, released information on the use of agricultural pesticides (459 pesticides) for the period of 1992 to 2009. Provided below are links that can be used to access maps that show pesticide use, methodologies to determine their use, and county level information.
Annual Agricultural Pesticide Use Maps, 1992 to 2009
http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/pnsp/usage/maps/
Methods Used to Estimate Agricultural Pesticide Usage
http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/sir20135009
Agricultural Pesticide Use by County
http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ds752
Data for the primary corn rootworm insecticides (tefluthrin –…

Black cutworm moths continue their northward migration into Illinois and other areas of the Corn Belt. Kelly Estes, Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey Coordinator for the state, shared with me projected cutting dates for the following counties: Fayette – May 27, Pike – May 22, Edgar – May 28, Piatt – May 21, Logan – May 22, Menard – May 22, and Warren – June 6. As corn begins to emerge, producers are encouraged to look for early signs of leaf feeding.…