AIR September 8, 1999
Thank you Mark, and good morning everyone. Just a quick reminder that the Kansas State Fair starts this Friday, the 10th, and runs through Sunday September 19th in Hutchinson. Take a day off and go enjoy the fair. If you have any volunteer wheat still growing you need to get busy getting it destroyed. Were running out of time and Im still seeing too many stubble fields that are green and growing!
Theres still a little concern out there regarding insects in sorghum and soybean fields. Most pests SHOULD be winding down BUT this year is so funny we cant be sure about anything. Corn Earworms may still be in late sorghum fields. You may well see damage, but I really wouldnt worry too much about it. Of bigger concern is some feeding Im seeing in soybean fields. Weve got the weather and charcoal rot knocking quite a few leaves off the bean plants now so we dont normally get too excited about leaf feeding damage. Pod feeding can be a concern however. The rule of thumb is that when pod feeding gets to the point that it would result in the loss of 3 or more seeds per plant that it will pay to spray. This late in the season it gets really tough to make a call on this one. If you arent seeing much leaf drop yet and you are seeing recent pod feeding to the extent mentioned and caterpillars or adult bean leaf beetles numbering about 10 or more per foot of row it may well be worth trying to spray. I truly doubt that were going to see that much feeding damage, and many fields are showing a fair amount of leaf drop anyway. It may be tough to sort out drought and charcoal rot damage from other problems, but if you find patches in your field that just dont look right - give me a call so we can get it checked for Soybean Cyst Nematode. We havent found any yet and Id just as soon we didnt, but if youve got it bad enough to cause damage then we need to start managing for it!
And lastly something new. If you need to renew your private pesticide applicators license we now have a CD version that you can borrow and run on your computer at home. If you need a new license or yours has expired - you still have to come to the Extension Office and spend your time there.
This is Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent, with Ag Outlook '99
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