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Field and Forage Crops |
Widely variable light trap counts, variable cotton and corn attractiveness, difficulty in getting into wet fields with ground equipment, and hard-to-control tobacco budworms has resulted in difficult insect control decisions for cotton growers. Tobacco budworms seem to be part of the bollworm mix this year in some fields. Budworm escapes are almost impossible to control, with no insecticides that are very effective in controlling these pests. Both Tracer and Steward are active against hatching and small tobacco budworms, but ineffective against budworms that have become established (escapes).
As is often the case at this time of year, cotton cutout and the increasing attractiveness of blooming soybeans fields over the next few weeks will be our best help in getting this bollworm year behind us.
With bug pests in Bollgard cotton, it seems difficult get the best of both worlds. Plant bugs are still causing dirty bloom and damaged small bolls in some cotton, while stink bugs are generally light. Even in conventional cotton, if more that about 8 to 10 days has elapsed since the last insecticide application, these fields should be periodically checked for bugs and their damage (dirty blooms and internally damaged quarter-sized bolls for the most part, along with observations of live plant bugs and their associated blackened squares and stink bug adults).
Although entomologists have reported some soybean loppers in Georgia and scattered fall armyworms in South Carolina, we seem to have been spared soybean loopers and beet and fall armyworms so far this year. However, soybean loopers can come on late in the season at our latitude, even into mid and late September, and fall armyworms in the past have been able to damage bolls until about September 1.
As mentioned in last week's issue of the North Carolina Pest News, the European corn borers may damage bolls in conventional cotton fields over the next 3 weeks or so. Therefore cotton fields with signs of petiole and/or main stem tunneling should be checked further for the beginning of European corn borer establishment in small bolls. This may justify extending the pyrethroid insecticide protection window. This is more an attempt to control future European corn borer larvae hatching from egg masses than to control larvae which have already entered bolls.
Employment and program opportunities are offered to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.
Last modified on August 18, 2003 by Stephen J. Toth, Jr.