Virginia AG Pest Advisory
| May-20-2013 Soybean (Insect) From Ames Herbert |
Early Season Adult Kudzu Bug Activity is Alarming We are almost certainly going to have some problems with kudzu bug in soybean fields this summer. Why? We have been getting very early reports of adults from several southeastern counties for at the past several weeks (including Suffolk, Isle of Wight, Sussex, Dinwiddie and Prince George). Likely they are much more wide spread. Adults are good fliers and land on clothing, vehicles, houses and other plants. Attached (hit the more button) is an image just forwarded by Scott Reiter in Prince George County of adults that were found on a fig tree. As you may recall, we observed adults in soybean fields in 16 or so Virginia counties last summer but not until well into the season. We reckoned that those adults had migrated from the south. A few nymphs were also found in a couple of locations. No fields became infested at treatable levels. By contrast, this years very early adult activity means fields are at much greater risk. According to the folks in South Carolina and Georgia who have been working with kudzu bug since its first occurrence in soybean in 2009, this very early adult activity means a couple of significant thingsone, the adults we are seeing now overwintered (in the adult stage) locally. This is a much different picture than we had last summer and likely means we are at the beginning of having to manage them in fields. And two, they will begin to invade soybean fields as soon as they start flowering. Fortunately, we do not have to reinvent the wheel in terms of management recommendationsjust stick with what has been developed in those southern states. Infestations are most likely to be encountered in the earliest planted, full season, earliest maturity group soybean fields as those will be the first to flower. And, the threshold is based on numbers of nymphs, NOT adult activity. Basically, we need to key on the nymphal stage of this insect in soybeans. Fields should be treated when the average reaches one nymph per sweep net sweep or if nymphs are easily found on stems, leaf petioles or leaves. Because there are only two complete generations per year, we should be able to control the nymphs for each generation and control population development. These recommendations as well as good images of the different insect stages (egg, nymph, adult) are located in a kudzu bug field guide produced by Clemson University, University of Georgia and United Soybean Board available online at: http://digital.turn-page.com/i/87846 [More] |
| May-15-2013 General Comments (Other) From Sean Malone |
Reminder: Tidewater AREC's Early-Summer Row Crops Tour on morning of Thursday, June 6, 2013 The Virginia Tech Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center will hold an early-summer row crops tour during the morning of Thursday, June 6, 2013. The tour will be held at the Centers Research Farm (1045 Hare Road, Suffolk, VA). Specialists will display field research in progress and will present information for the 2013 crop season. Speakers and topics will include Dr. Ames Herbert (Thrips Management in Cotton/Peanuts and Tour of Research Plots); Dr. Maria Balota (Use of Genomics and Physiology in Crop Improvement); Dr. Hunter Frame (Soil Fertility Research in Virginia Cotton); Dr. Pat Phipps (Fungicides Boost Wheat Yield) (New Tools for Peanut and Cotton Disease Control); and Dr. David Holshouser (Oats as an Alternative Cover Crop). Robert Christian of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will conclude the tour with a pesticide safety review. Commercial pesticide applicator recertification credits will be offered in Categories 1-A (Agricultural Plant Pest Control), 1-C (Fumigation of Soil and Agricultural Products), and 10 (Demonstration & Research Pest Control), and Registered Technician (category 60). We have applied to offer Certified Crop Adviser Continuing Education credits, and plan to apply to offer Private Applicator Recertification Credits. All interested in commercial production of field crops are invited to attend. There is no preregistration and no fee for attending this tour. Arrival is at 8:30 am with the program starting promptly at 9:00 am and running through lunch (courtesy of Berry Lewis with Bayer CropScience). More information is available through local Virginia Cooperative Extension offices or by contacting the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center main office at 757-657-6450. If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center at 757-657-6450 (TDD number is 800-828-1120) during business hours of 8 am and 4:30 pm to discuss accommodations five days prior to the event. |
