Tag Archives: Stink Bugs
Nodes Above White Flower
Counting Nodes Above White Flower (NAWF) is a good way to monitor a cotton field’s maturity after bloom. The process is done by finding the first position white flower and counting the number of nodes (branches) above the branch with the white flower. The last node to count is the highest node with an unfurled main stem leaf (at least 1-inch wide). NAWF is useful for management of your cotton crop. By tracking NAWF, you can see how the crop is maturing compared to an expected growth curve. … Read More →
Grain Sorghum Across the Board
Sorghum fields range in maturity from 4-5 leaf to bloom. This is the result of planting across 5-6 weeks. As a result of this we need to be on the lookout for a wide variety of insect pests. Headed sorghum should be checked for stink bugs and headworms. Scout for these pests using a small bucket, beating the heads into the bucket and count what remains. Follow this link for a brief video demonstrating how to scout sorghum after bloom. LINK My economic threshold for headworms is 1… Read More →
Unique Production Season Ahead
When I first moved down to Port Lavaca, at a crop tour, growers were talking how much experience they had farming. One replied he had “1 year experience, 40 times.” I think there is a lot of truth to that statement. It seems each year presents it’s own production challenges. So how is 2020 different from other years? There are two obvious differences: lower than normal rainfall and higher than average temperatures. Much of insect and plant activity occurs as a response to three variables. These variables are… Read More →
Headworms, Stink Bugs and Sugarcane Aphids in Grain Sorghum
We have been finding Rice Stink Bugs, Headworms and Sugarcane Aphids in Sorghum fields of the Mid-Coast of Texas. Scout sorghum using a 2-gallon bucket and beat heads into the bucket and see what is being captured in the bucket. Look here for a brief video. Economic thresholds for stink bugs and headworms depend on the cost of control, expected crop value, and sorghum heads per acre. Look here for an economic thresholds calculator. I am using an economic threshold of 0.5 – 1 stink bug per head,… Read More →
Stink Bugs in Cotton and Soybeans
While many fields are harvest ready, stink bugs are potential pests in the cotton and soybean fields that have yet to reach maturity. Cotton should be scouted for stink bugs until 350 heat units, or approximately 15 days, after the field has cutout (<5 NAWF). Scout by opening 20-25 one-inch bolls and inspecting the bolls for evidence of internal feeding. Treat a field with more than 20% evidence of internal feeding. Soybeans are susceptible to stink bug damage until the beans reach maturity. Some entomologists would say soybeans… Read More →
