Moth Flights of Important Field Crops Pests Increase Dramatically

Fall armyworm moth counts have sky rocketed!Capture of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) moths has sky rocketed as indexed by the UK-IPM pheromone baited traps at the UK-REC in Princeton, KY.(Fortunately this does not seem to be the situation in Lexington.) Last week (20 Aug 2010) our capture was a normal, 52 moths/trapweek; today’s count (27 Aug 2010) is 1,038 moths/trapweek!

Corn stands looking weak from stress

Chad Lee, University of Kentucky

In the the Aug 17, 2010 edition of Kentucky Pest News, Dr. Vincelli warns of aflatoxins and diplodia in corn. Another concern is final stand of the corn crop. Much of the corn crop was under stress from heat and a lack of water. Those conditions usually cause the each plant to pull photosynthate from the stalks and put them in the ear in an attempt to produce

Wheat planting when futures are high and seed might be short

Chad Lee and Jim Herbek, University of Kentucky



Many producers locked in wheat contracts for 2011 at or over
$7 per bushel and some are growing wheat for the first time in five years.
There are rumors that seed supply is tight. If these rumors are accurate, there
may be some temptation to skimp on seeding rates in order to cover more
acres.  If you are one of those
producers, just know what

Wheat in 15-inch rows will work but might cost yield

Chad Lee and Jim Herbek, University of Kentucky



With the increased interest in wheat from futures prices and
the anticipated increased acres planted this fall, many farmers are asking if
they can use their 15-inch soybean planter to plant wheat. The quick answer is
yes, but you might loose some yield.



We have investigated three varieties of wheat at Princeton
and Lexington in 15-inch