Tag Archives: Grain Sorghum
Midge in Grain Sorghum
Grain sorghum fields range in maturity from nearing bloom to soft dough and all of these fields need to be scouted frequently. Blooming sorghum is susceptible to sorghum midge and field scouts are finding more midge in the fields this week. Scout sorghum fields 2-3 times per week until past bloom. Start by scouting fields on the south side (downwind) as the midge is a poor flyer and will be found on the field margins first. When you are finding them on field margins, move 150-200 feet into… Read More →
Stink Bugs in Grain Sorghum
The Stink Bug is a primary insect pest of grain sorghum from bloom until hard dough. The insect feeds directly on the seed, reducing seed weight and yield. The most common stink bug in grain sorghum of the Mid-Coast is the Rice Stink Bug. Scout sorghum after bloom using a small bucket and beat heads into the bucket and see what is being captured in the bucket. Look here for a brief video. Economic thresholds (ET) have been evaluated and can be determined using tables or equations, but this… Read More →
South Texas audio updates
We have been recording pest updates in effort to provide a brief audio version of South Texas newsletters and blog posts. The reports include crop production and pest management updated from South Texas, including the Rio Grande Valley, Coastal Bend and Mid-Coast. You can get these by following this link: https://www.texasinsects.org/south-texas.html The latest edition is: 4/16/2021 (audio file) Fall armyworm and corn earworm feeding present in corn and sorghum whorls, but threshold is generally 30% defoliation across most plants. Corn leaf aphids and sugarcane aphids generally being controlled by… Read More →
Fall Armyworms in Sorghum
Fall armyworms are being found in sorghum fields across the area this week. While the feeding can be alarming, I have yet to find a field in need of treatment. Insecticide application may be justified if larval feeding reduces leaf area by more than 30 percent or is damaging the developing grain head or growing point within the whorl. The fields where I have found the armyworms had less than 5% infested plants and the feeding damage was below the economic threshold. Often, I was finding two or… Read More →
Sorghum Hybrid Trial Results from Refugio County
The Sorghum Hybrid Trial in Refugio County was harvested in Austwell, TX on July 2, 2020. These results should be used along with other similar tests from South Texas to help determine the what to plant next year.
