Greetings everyone! It is hard to believe that September is already here. We have had many challenges thus far and I suspect we will have several more before the end of crop harvest. The next major item on the production calendar is protecting our crops from late season insect pressure. Several crop consultants and University Specialists predict a major moth flight in early September. Although commodity prices are falling growers still need to consider protecting the crop in the field. Many of you know how to identify insects and disease and know threshold levels for treatment. I find it useful from time to time to review basic scouting principles and refresh memory on new thresholds. This month we will discuss IPM practices and review scouting procedures and insect thresholds for soybeans and cotton.
I encourage you to scout some of your customers fields for your own knowledge of what is happening in your region and share what you learn with growers and other Harvey employees. Tissue samples can also be collected while scouting to monitor plant health. Harvey’s has a number of excellent foliar nutrition products that can be added to a fungicide or insecticide application if needed.
Mysterious Soybean Problem;
Attached are some interesting soybean pictures. I have been investigating a mysterious problem in soybeans for several weeks and no one can determine the exact cause of the problem. A number of tissue samples have been taken from problem fields with results varying from no fertility issues, to low molybdenum or boron levels. It is ironic that all of the problem calls are related to early planting of full season beans and to a select group of soybean varieties. The varieties affected exhibit symptoms of an upward leaf curl with yellow margins around the leaf edge. Some experts suspect chemical injury however growers that have the problem have not sprayed an herbicide since the first week of June and there does not appear to be any volatility issues from surrounding crops. Another interesting fact is that all varieties exhibiting symptoms from early planting dates are not showing symptoms when planted later in May or when double cropped. There is some suspicion that leaf hoppers may play a role with this mystery. I have been in contact with Dr. Dunphy, Dr. Reisig and Dr. David Jordan about this problem and hopefully we will have an answer soon. Leaf hopper injury is in every peanut field in NC, SC and Georgia where growers did not use Lorsban or did not spray an insecticide in July. Let me know your thoughts or if you have seen this problem. I will update you within a week of what I have discovered.
Sincerely,
Rick Morris
Harvey’s Agronomist
