Sugarcane aphid is here, fall armyworm higher than normal, spider mites on the doorstep

It has been a fairly quiet summer so far in corn and sorghum, but that seems to be changing now. Independent crop consultants reported finding sugarcane aphid colonies in sorghum in southern Hale County earlier in the week, and we had no trouble finding them at the Halfway Experiment Station today. I also found them at the Lubbock Research and Extension Center on the first sorghum leaf I looked at. These were small colonies of 100 or so immature aphids surrounding one adult. At Lubbock we are just now starting to get small amounts of honeydew accumulation. It is time to start scouting your sorghum. 

We had a really big fall armyworm flight five weeks ago as I reported on June 16. The next generation is more numerous than average as well according to the pheromone trap data from Lubbock this week.

Of course we need to scout sorghum for headworms and non-Bt corn setting ears, but this big flight might also be a problem for hay production, and in fact I got a call from a Lubbock County producer yesterday. This is the first such Lubbock County call I have had in several years. The southern and central parts of Texas got slammed by FAW this year, but such high numbers are not as common here. In response to the slamming downstate, my colleagues produced a quick guide to fall armyworm control in pastures. 

The wet, cool and humid conditions have been good for corn and sorghum and bad for spider mites. However, as the temperatures rise and humidity drops now, spider mite populations are beginning to recover. These populations increase rapidly as corn enters tasseling, and all corn fields should be scouted. 

Things are happening fast in all of our crops. If you want the latest news then consider signing up for our weekly Southern High Plains Pest Management Audio Updates. Area IPM Agents record and distribute this 7-8 minute news report on Wednesday afternoon after they have been scouting, and you will have a text link to the audio file within 30 minutes of finishing the recording. You can sign up here. We don't track you, won't try to sell you an extended warranty on your vehicle, and you can opt out at any time just by sending a text with the with the word "STOP". Relevant news with no commitments. 

About those seed treatments .... A really good and balanced article

We live in a time of fake news; coverage designed to mislead and advocate one viewpoint. No, I don't need any scientific citations to back this claim up; we all know it is true. I'm writing tonight to bring a very balanced and well-referenced article to your attention, one that deals with the benefits and downsides of the seed treatments put on our corn, cotton, soybean and other seed. 

Beginning around 15 years ago, seed treatments became commonplace on corn seed, and it is now virtually impossible for High Plains growers to buy any seed without these treatments. Research has shown that the treatments often provide little if any benefit, but sometimes they do, like in our corn that has corn rootworms resistant to Bt toxins. But without the rootworm threat the value of seed treatments is far more questionable. On the other hand, cotton often benefits because of the near-constant thrips pressure early in the year, and the fact that aldicarb is not routinely used at planting anymore. Today we buy a whole package in a bag; crop genetics, Bts, insecticides, fungicides, and more. It is no longer a simple choice, and in most cases there is no longer a choice to buy one component without all of the others. 

In what I consider to be a rare moment of good journalism these days, a writer at Progressive Farmer DTN has written a thoroughly documented article on the issues around seed treatments. She provides web links to many reputable sources that either support seed treatments or argue against them. Spend some time and read it; you will both agree and disagree, but remember that long ago that is what good journalism used to be like: https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2021/07/13/seed-treatment-overload-unintended. I have suggested to TAMU that this article become required reading for Integrated Pest Management on campus; farming is a complicated business and we have choices, some of which serve us well, and some of which do not, and the difference may depend on whether one is looking at the short term or long term. It is complicated. I am grateful that a real journalist did the hard work to examine all sides of an issue, provide evidence each way, and let the reader decide. 

Cotton fleahoppers in South Plains cotton

There have been several reports of treatable levels of cotton fleahoppers in cotton. Herbicide applications and destruction of weed hosts is likely behind increased fleahopper activity in cotton at some locations. Cotton fleahoppers can cause substantial square loss if present in sufficient numbers especially during the first three weeks of squaring. They are much smaller in size than the lygus bug and are pale green in color. Both adults and immatures feed on small squares, causing them to shed. When scouting it is important to visually examine the terminal of plants which is where fleahoppers normally concentrate, watch any adults taking flight and monitor square retention. Include both adults and immatures in the count. The economic threshold for South Plains cotton is 25-30 fleahoppers per 100 terminals. Cotton fleahopper is relatively easy to control with insecticides. Insecticides that are commonly used include Carbine, Centric, imidacloprid, Intruder Max, acephate, and dicrotophos.

Scouting video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epVctkRkTHs&ab_channel=TexasA%26MAgriLifeExtensionEntomology

Cotton fleahopper immature (pic: Xandra Morris)

Cotton fleahopper adult (pic: Salvador Vitanza)