Tag Archives: Stink Bugs
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 →
Stink Bugs in Soybean Fields
Over the past week we have been finding increased numbers of stink bugs in soybean fields. Most of these stink bugs were green, southern green and red-banded stink bugs. My preferred method to scout for stink bugs is the sweep net, but a good alternative is the drop cloth. As a last resort, you can shake the plants over the furrow and see what falls onto the ground. The disadvantage of shaking on the ground is you may miss some of the insects that can fall into cracks… Read More →
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 →
