Category Archives: Insect

New miticide Kanemite labeled for vegetables

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Vegetable growers now have another new miticide to combat spider mites and other pest mites. Kanemite, Arysta LifeScience’s premium miticide now has fruiting vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc.) and edible podded beans also. Kanemite is labeled on grapes, pome fruit, and strawberries. It controls all life stages of the labeled mites, and it has a short PHI and REI. Kanemite is easy on beneficial species as well. I’ve attached a current specimen label for your update and information. For more information please contact:

Frank Donohue
Northeast Territory Manager
Arysta LifeScience Company
215-370-2540
Frank.donohue@arystalifescience.com
Additional information: kanemite-label-2011-2-pdf

Second DD update for billbugs in orchardgrass

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The number of accumulated degree-days (DD) for bluegrass and hunting billbugs in orchardgrass since 1/1/11 are starting to move. As of 4/6/11, 214 DD have accumulated. Model forecast for 4/13/11 is 284 DD. Recall that at least 280 DD are needed before taking any action. Within the next week or so you need to start checking your field borders for paired-field holes. My contact information is, 540-231-9118 (office), 540-357-2558 (cell), youngman@vt.edu. Thank you.

Poncho/VOTiVO seed treatment registered for cotton

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Bayer CropScience announces the registration of Poncho®/VOTiVO” seed treatment for use on cotton. Following are quotes from the release statement. Note that this treatment is not a stand-alone for thrips control, but must be used in conjunction with an additional insecticide (e.g., Aeris, Gaucho, or other).

“To control early season insect pests such as thrips, aphids and others, Poncho/VOTiVO should be paired with additional seed-applied insecticides (Gaucho® or Aeris®) from Bayer CropScience.”

“Poncho/VOTiVO protects against damage from a broad range of nematode species, including reniform and root-knot. It provides a new biological mode of action that introduces revolutionary living-barrier science.”

“Employing a new biological mode of action with a unique bacteria strain that lives and grows with young roots, Poncho/VOTiVO creates a living barrier that grows with and protects early season seedlings and roots,” explained product development manager Louis Holloway. “The result means higher cotton yields through a healthier root system and a more vigorous and uniform crop.”

“According to the Cotton Disease Loss Estimate Committee, nematodes remain a major yield-reducing pest of cotton with more than 500,000 bales of yield potential lost to nematode damage in 2009. Poncho/VOTiVO protects against multiple types of nematodes, making it the perfect partner for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.”

For more information, contact your Bayer CropScience field representative or visit: http://www.bayercropscience.us/products/seed-treatments/poncho-votivo/

Orchardgrass: First update on billbug degree-days

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Greetings
According to the Agmaster degree-day collection service – same
company we’ve been using. Given a Jan. 1, 2011 start date, and as of
Mar. 23, 172 DD have accumulated. Model predictions for April 2, are
195 DD.

Recall, 280 DD represents the start of billbug adult activity moving
back into orchardgrass. At this point and beyond you need to start
monitoring field edges for the paired-feeding holes that adults make.
This is a presence/absence sample that gives you an idea on whether
or not they’re in a field. There are no thresholds for spraying or
not spraying – personal judgement call.

As always, if you need more information, contact your local extension
agent or me. My office number is 540-231-9118, cell 540-357-2558, email youngman@vt.edu

Section 18 for Avipel use in Virginia – APPROVED by EPA

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It’s official. EPA has approved the Section 18 for Avipel use on field and sweet corn planted in Virginia. Recall that birds need to feed on a few Avipel treated seeds before they will move on. Avipel does not kill birds. As always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me. Rod Youngman: youngman@vt.edu; office 540-231-9118; cell 540-357-2558; FAX 540-231-9131.

Fall Armyworm Feeding and Small Grain Regrowth

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The following comments were provided by Dr. Wade Thomason, the Virginia Tech Small Grains Specilist.

A number of fields have experienced minor to severe armyworm feeding this fall resulting in almost complete defoliation in some cases. Now the question is how much damage has been done and whether or not the small grain crop should be replanted.
The growing point for the small grains is below the soil surface at this time (and will be until spring) so the crop can tolerate defoliation without damage to the growing point. When the worm feeding ceases, these plants should begin to regrow so replanting should not be necessary. The only case that would be different would be if the worms fed on the same plants again and again, which could ultimately use up the plant root reserves. Finally the tillers we produce in the fall are very important to grain yield and how many tillers we get depends a lot on how many heat units the crop is exposed to. A clipped plant that begins to regrow tomorrow stands to benefit from better fall conditions (warmer temperatures) than a replant situation which would likely take 10 days to emerge.

Late season fall armyworm outbreak

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I started getting calls and visits yesterday from homeowners and growers with complaints about ‘worm’ infestations. Fall armyworm is the culprit and apparently the problem is severe and widespread. Fall armyworms are spreading into newly planted fields of oats, rye and other fall grass forages, and into newly seeded home lawns. Calls are coming in mainly from Surry and Isle of Wight Counties, but that could be the result of the attention growers and crop advisors are paying to fields in those areas. One common denominator seems to be that most infested fields are adjacent to pasture or hay fields. Apparently, the worms have been developing in those fields and are now on-the-move into fields with tender newly emerge leaf shoots. Based on the number of reports, I suspect this problem is even more widespread. Emerging wheat and barley fields are certainly also at risk.

Fall armyworm has two ‘strains’ and I suspect this is the ‘grass strain’. I also suspect that this widespread infestation is the result of a huge migratory flight from the south—another in a long line of caterpillar invasions that started with early corn earworm problems back in July. This late season fall armyworm invasion is certainly an unusual problem. I have never seen anything like this in the 22 years I have been working in this area.

Rod Youngman on main campus (he works with insect pests of turf and forages) advised that any of the pyrethroids labeled for forages or small grains should provide good control if applied at the high rate, but should be applied NOW. He believes that seedlings are the most at risk and should be treated ASAP. Fall armyworms are surface plant feeders, so they are pretty vulnerable to pesticides. We also believe that fields grazed off by these worms should spring back once they have cycled out. Their life cycle should put them into to the pupal stage in another week or less. And of course, a good hard frost would take-em-out.

Spider mite infestations are rampant in many Virginia peanut fields

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It’s September 24 and we hit 98 degrees yesterday and today here at the research station, and still no rain. A hot, dry wind is blowing across the fields and for all it’s worth, it feels like Arizona, not Virginia. Populations of spider mites which thrive in this kind of environment are exploding in peanut fields across the region. Populations are so large that they are forming pencil eraser sized balls of solid mites on the tips of the upper branches of the peanut plants. Their feeding has extracted the last bit of moisture, what little was left, from already struggling plants. The ONLY solution is to DIG THOSE PEANUTS. We are very close to the normal peanut digging window for Virginia and with the dry conditions, there is no advantage to waiting. In normal years with normal soil moisture, we encourage growers to wait as long as possible to begin digging. By waiting, you allow nuts to gain more ‘meat’ content which improves the grade and value. Not so this year. In the near total absence of soil moisture, peanuts have essentially stopped maturing. What you have is it and you might as well dig. Some are waiting to dig until they get some moisture which will improve digging conditions. Fields with heavier natured ‘tight’ soils will be almost impossible to dig efficiently unless it rains. But I still do not recommend treating for mites. Their feeding has not compromised vine strength, which is the biggest concern late in the season. Where late season plant diseases can cause vines to deteriorate which causes them to shed pods during the digging process, spider mite feeding is not having the same effect. Even in fields with the heaviest infestations, vine strength has not been compromised. My advice, just dig them as soon as you can. But be prepared, after the vines are inverted, mites will move to the exposed tap roots. It will look bad, but it is of no economic importance.

Brown marmorated stink bugs found in more soybean fields

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We have now documented brown marmorated stink bugs in soybean fields in at least 15 counties in Virginia. My guess is that if we had more time to look, we would find them in most of the others. The numbers are still low, 1 to 4/15 sweeps, and fields are in senescence, so there is no economic threat. Prior to this year, we had not found them in soybean fields. The bigger question in my mind has to do with next season. Is this low number going to increase significantly next year? I think the probability is high given the incredibly huge populations that are aggregating on and in homes and structures, trees and shrubs over most of the northern, western, and central parts of the state. Will these huge overwintering populations move into gardens and crops next spring? Based what has been reported from other areas, it appears that the answer is ‘yes’. One area of the state that has escaped these large overwintering aggregations is the coastal plain. Although we have found a few in crops and in black light traps, I have not seen or gotten complaint calls about large aggregations from homeowners from this region of the state. If the numbers do build in this area, will cotton become the next victim? Other native stink bugs species are highly attracted to cotton bolls and are capable of doing extensive damage. Will brown marmorated stink bugs join this complex? Time will tell and we will be monitoring closely next season.