Description of Insect & Damage Although some soybean fields have already been harvested, there are still fields with some maturing pods, and other double crop fields have developing pods. Although not reported in commercial fields this year, the soybean podworm…

Tar spot on corn was confirmed by the University of Kentucky Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (PDDL) from samples collected in Lincoln County. This is our first confirmation of tar spot for 2022, after finding it in Ohio and Todd counties…

The most consistent, problematic disease of wheat in Kentucky and the surrounding region is Fusarium head blight (FHB; also known as scab), caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum (Figure 1).  This disease can cause reduced grain yield, test weight, and…

Reports in Soybean & Mine Description In Québec (Canada), white-colored blotch-type leaf mines have been observed in soybean fields since August 2016, whereas, in Minnesota (United States), leaf mines similar to those in Québec were observed in soybean fields in…

Scouting reports across Kentucky have indicated that farmers need to be aware of potential lodging issues as corn harvest gets underway. Pockets of fields scouted across the state show pre-harvest lodging and/or stalk strength tests have indicated a high potential…

As corn and soybean harvests approach, stored grain managers on farms, elevators, and warehouses are preparing different types of structures for service. This may include applying approved insecticides or grain protectants to guard against damage caused by insects during storage.…

Problem and Damage During the last week of August, I received a corn sample that had an infestation of whitish colored larvae on the ears. These larvae were feeding on the ears and making holes into intact kernels, as shown…

Description of the Problem Last Thursday (9/1/22), I received a series of pictures showing a soybean field with small plants, and blank patches, plants with stems severed by apparent feeding by deer, and stripped blister beetles feeding on the leaves…

Symptoms of soybean leaves with interveinal chlorosis and interveinal necrosis have been observed in several fields across Kentucky recently. Interveinal chlorosis/necrosis is when the leaf tissue between the main leaf veins turns chlorotic (yellow) or necrotic (brown/dead), but the main…

I had believed that major pest insect populations could increase after the rains that occurred during the last week of July and first weeks of August 2022; however, major pest insects have remained at very low numbers. The drought during…

Usually, 180-degree net sweeps are conducted to tally the presence of some insects in the field. Sometimes these sweep-nets capture frogs, lizard, or any other organism that is not the main target of this procedure. This is a report of…

Origin, Damage & Natural Enemies The kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae), is an invasive insect pest of legumes (Fabaceae) in the southeastern United States, including Kentucky. Kudzu bug originated from Asia and was first detected in the U.S. in…

The corn leaf aphid, Rhopalosiphum maidis (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a native insect and present across the entire United States and in Canada. This insect feeds on corn, sorghum, small grains, and several grasses. Population outbreaks occurred during some years, but…

Velvetleaf History in the U.S. Among the invasive plants in the United States, the velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti, (Figure 1) is perhaps one of the toughest species to eradicate. This plant is known as wild cotton, buttonweed, Indian mallow, butterprint, or…