Soybean loopers have reared their ugly heads across southeastern and coastal Virginia this week. With many of us busy hauling corn, it is reasonable to ask  – when can we stop spraying beans?

In a normal year, we could safely ignore mid-September infestations. This year, the majority of double crop Virginia fields are completing pod fill. Research indicates that R3-R5 beans benefit from a spray when defoliation reaches 15% and you find more than 1 looper per sweep. I recommend that you at least double, and can safely triple, this threshold in R6 beans (i.e., 35-50% defoliation is acceptable). It benefits you to exercise restraint when treating fields after R5.5. There is no scenario when you need to spray R7 beans for loopers. Cooler evening temperatures will work in our favor when they arrive.

In Virginia, Intrepid Edge and Steward have been our most consistent treatments (see image below from 2017). Looper populations in Virginia have tested diamide resistant the past two years (e.g., Besiege, Prevathon). Spraying pyrethoids  will only make the problem worse.

Plant bugs continue to be a problem in some Virginia fields with ¼ of those scouted by the entomology team above threshold for the first two weeks of bloom. In anticipation of the upcoming bollworm flight, Monsanto sponsored a meeting last week at the TAREC to discuss mid-season insect management in cotton. Here is a summary of our discussion:

1. For 2 gene cotton (Widestrike, Bollgard II, Twinlink): scouting for eggs is recommended. Sample 100 terminals and leaves. Aim for 10 in 10 locations in the field. If you find 25 eggs, spray an insecticide. I recommend Prevathon unless stink bugs or plant bugs are an issue in your field. In that case, use Besiege. Bollworm (Helicoverpa zea aka corn earworm) and tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens) eggs are indistinguishable and budworms are 100% controlled by Bt cotton. There is some risk that you are spraying unnecessarily. Very low numbers (<3%) of larvae sampled in non-Bt cotton were budworms in 2016 and 2017.
2. For 3 gene cotton (Widestrike 3, Bollgard III, and Twinlink Plus): scouting for 2^nd stage larvae  (1/8″ or larger) is recommended. This gives in-plant toxins time to kill small worms. Sample 100 bolls, blooms, and/or squares. Aim for 10 in 10 locations per field. If you find three larvae in one trip, two larvae in two consecutive trips (two larvae in each trip), or one larva in three consecutive trips (one larva in each trip), spray insecticides. I do not anticipate damage in 3 gene cotton unless we have very high pressure.
3. Pyrethroids have performed poorly in cotton in 2016 and 2017 tests (15-50% control). I think that pyrethroids are too risky in cotton. Some growers are satisfied with the control that they have been achieving. Last year, worm specific products ran out in some Virginia locations. I recommend Steward as an alternative to Prevathon and Besiege for bollworm control in cotton.
4. Weekly scouting is recommended for all pests. Bollworm eggs hatch fast (2-3 days) and worms cannot be controlled by any product once they are inside of the boll.
5. Spray bugs only at threshold. Bloom threshold for plant bugs is 2-3 per drop cloth sample. For stink bugs, use damaged fruit thresholds: Week of bloom 1 = 50% internal boll damage; week 2 = 30%; weeks 3, 4 and 5 = 10%; week 6 = 20%; week 7 =30%; week 8 = 50%. About a dozen beneficial insects are common in Virginia cotton. Ambush bugs, big-eyed bugs, minute pirate bugs, green lacewings, two species of ladybird beetles, and several types of spiders are examples. They are of two types: 1) predators that prey upon an insect pest (see examples below), or 2) parasites that live within the host insect. These insects, particularly the predators, reduce the number of eggs and larvae of bollworms, plant bug nymphs and aphids. Because these allies lessen the impact of pest insects, common sense dictates that producers use them as a management tool. Their presence often means that growers can delay and, on occasion, eliminate some insecticide applications. However, the rapid increase in pest populations will often overwhelm the beneficial population and applications become necessary. Do not hesitate to spray pest insects at recommended thresholds.

A big thank you to Seth Dorman and his scouting crew and to Glenn Roundtree for initiating and organizing our recent pest management discussion.

A team led by graduate student Seth Dorman scouted 34 VA fields for plant bugs this week. Plant bugs were found in all but 4 fields, 6 fields were over threshold. Prior to bloom, fields require treatment if you find 8 plant bugs in 100 sweeps AND less than 80% square retention.

Nymphs are increasing in number. Young nymphs are small (aphid-sized) and thus, can be harder to scout for. They will be captured in sweep nets – be mindful when checking the bottom of the net. I recommend sampling with a black beat cloth later in the season to help identify nymphs in blooming cotton.

I will continue to provide updates and recommendations as cotton begins to bloom in our area. My thanks to Seth Dorman and team for their continued effort.

Black squares and missing squares are a sign that plant bugs have fed in your field. Scout to determine if they are still active.

Tarnished plant bug (TPB) has begun its annual migration into Virginia cotton. PhD student Seth Dorman scouted VA cotton fields this week (image below) that were over pre-bloom thresholds (indicated in red).

Plant bugs can be found in every VA cotton field from the first square on, but it does not pay to spray unless they are causing damage. Use thresholds when determining what fields to treat and use a sweep net to sample multiple places in a field since populations are not evenly distributed. Prior to bloom, fields require treatment if you find 8 plant bugs in 100 sweeps AND less than 80% square retention. Adults are highly mobile and can reinfest quickly following applications. It may be tempting to spray only later in the season. If you are above threshold, this decision will lower your yield.

Impact of different spray timings on yield. Spraying at any point in the season yielded higher than unsprayed cotton. Thresholds are as effective as weekly sprays and will save you money. The damage potential in late-plated cotton is higher.

Important considerations for this season include:

1) Late-planted cotton is at higher risk. This picture from last season shows that losses in late-planted cotton (Jun 1) are much greater than in early-planted cotton (May 1).

Effects of different spray timings on lint yield are much more apparent in late-planted cotton. Spraying for plant bugs at threshold will save money and increase yield regardless of planting date.

2) Spraying at threshold is as effective as weekly sprays and costs less money. Spraying only early (pre-bloom) or only late (>5^th week of bloom) are the least effective spray timings.

3) Rotate insectides. Some populations in the Suffolk area are surviving high doses of acephate and bifenthrin. If your cotton is squaring, thrips treatments are no longer needed and acephate should be left out of the tank. I recommend using a neonicotinoid product pre-bloom (clothianidin, thiamethoxam, or imidacloprid). Check the label and use the highest allowable rate. Neonicotinoids will not provide adequate control after cotton has bloomed.

Seth’s team will continue to scout VA cotton counties and we will post distribution updates and management recommendations as the season progresses. I would like to thank Seth for his hard work on this problem. If you have concerns, please contact me.

If blacklight traps at the Tidewater AREC in Suffolk are any indication, we are currently experiencing an unusually large and early bollworm (aka corn earworm) moth flight this year. Average trap catches over the past 4 nights have averaged 70 moths per night. I have included 2016 season-long catches below for comparison.

We have additionally scouted for, and found, eggs in cotton and on silks of late-planted corn. I have included pictures below to help with identification. Our ongoing corn earworm survey has revealed large numbers of worms completing development on Bt corn in multiple counties. I strongly encourage cotton growers who planted Widestrike or Bollgard II this year to be vigilant when scouting fields. In agreement with Dominic Reisig’s (North Carolina State University) 2016 recommendations, entomologists in the Mid-South (Angus Catchot – Mississippi State University) have suggested egg thresholds broken-down by trait package:

WideStrike Cotton: Treat on 10-15% egg lays on bloom tags

BG2 cotton: Treat on 25-30% egg lay on bloom tags.

These thresholds are supported by observations made across the Southeast last year, including in North Carolina and Virginia, that worms have a higher chance of surviving on blooms than on any other part of the plant. These thresholds have not been established through experimentation and I consider them to be extra protective. Budworm eggs are identical to bollworm eggs and this species is controlled by Bt toxins. I have seen both budworm and bollworm moths in cotton this year.

Some growers have planted conventional cotton this year. We have established egg and larval thresholds in Virginia for non-Bt varities:

Eggs: 10 eggs per 100 terminals or 2 eggs per 100 fruiting forms (most cotton we have scouted has reached this threshold)

Larvae: 3 live worms per 100 terminals or 3% damage to squares, blooms, bolls

Currently, we have experienced no unexpected injury to Widestrike III or TwinLink technologies. I would not assume these varieties to be bulletproof in a high pressure year, but I do think that these technologies offer good protection in our area.

I recommend spending the extra money on a worm-specific product instead of relying on pyrethroids. Vial tests in Suffolk have indicated a trend towards resistance for several years and there have been field failures reported south of us this season. Besiege and Prevathon are good choices because they offer residual control. Besiege targets sucking-bug pests in addition to worms. I have had inquiries about Intrepid Edge. Virginia Tech has not tested this product in cotton. It has performed well in soybean tests and in cotton tests in other regions (Jeremy Greene- Clemson University, South Carolina). Keep in mind that no product works well against large larvae. Due to the early nature of this year’s flight, we may experience additional pressure later this season. I will keep you updated on what’s happening in Virginia. Please call if you have anything to report.

Sally 919-801-5366