Blog Archives

2023 Corn & Soybean Fungicide Efficacy Guides Now Available

The 2023 fungicide efficacy tables for foliar diseases of corn and soybean, and for soybean seedling diseases have been updated, and are now available through the Crop Protection Network website. These tables are updated annually based on data provided by

Posted in Grains

Scout for Aphids Before Conducting an Early Spray in Winter Wheat

Aphids in Wheat The bird cherry oat (Rhopalosiphum padi), English grain (Sitobion avenae), greenbug (Schizaphis graminum), and corn leaf (Rhopalosiphum maidis) aphids are key pest species in small grains (wheat, barley, and cereal rye) in Kentucky for their role as

Posted in Grains

Stink Bug Pests: When Should We Expect Their Appearance in Kentucky Soybeans?

Stink bugs are one of the most common insect pest groups attacking soybeans worldwide and probably the most important pest of soybeans in the USA. Given their economic damage, many aspects of the life history, management methods, and distribution of

Posted in Grains

What Bugs You About Using Certain Pest Management Methods? We Need to Know!

The University of Kentucky Grain Crops IPM Group is inviting you to take part in a survey of current grain crop pest management practices that you use on your farm or recommend to others. Although you may not get personal

Posted in Grains

Is Fungicide Resistance an Issue?  Let Us Know!

The University of Kentucky is inviting you to take part in a survey of current understanding of fungicide resistance issues. Fungicide resistance is a growing concern in agriculture and also in human fungal pathogens. Improving our understanding of knowledge gaps

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Management of Soybean Cyst Nematode Starts with Soil Sampling this Fall

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) (Figure 1) causes greater annual yield losses in Kentucky than any other pathogen of soybean.  Preliminary results from an on-going SCN survey initiated in 2019 show that approximately 80% of Kentucky fields are infested with

Posted in Grains

The Broad-Headed Sharpshooter, an Insect of Vibrant Colors

I observed a colorful large-sized leafhopper while working in North Carolina, Texas, and Kentucky. The bright colors of this insect caught the attention of students, the public, and personnel that work in my program, and I was asked on repeated

Posted in Grains

Presence of Soybean Podworm Seen on Maturing Soybeans

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

Posted in Grains

Tar Spot on Corn Confirmed In 2022

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

Posted in Grains

The Best Management of Fusarium Head Blight of Wheat Starts with the Selection of Varieties with Resistance

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

Posted in Grains

A New Pest for Soybeans Reported in Minnesota and Quebec, the Leafminer Macrosaccus morrisella

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

Posted in Grains

Potential for Lodged Corn in 2022

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

Posted in Grains

Calculator for Stored Grain Capacity, Bin Sub-floor Volume and Wall and Grain Surface Areas

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.

Posted in Grains

Sap Beetles, Opportunistic Secondary Pests on Field Corn

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

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Deer, Slugs, Voles, Blister Beetles, and What Else Is Damaging Soybeans?

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

Posted in Grains