Armyworms Active in Corn

Armyworm larvae have been reported feeding in corn. Although armyworm can damage wheat, that very rarely occurs and when it does is usually much later in the season. Certainly this entire season is much earlier than normal because of the warm January – March temperatures. Nonetheless, the general sequence of events is likely to remain the same.

Captures of armyworm moths in the UK-IPM pheromone baited traps have not been very large. Captures did begin very early this year and the first several weeks appeared to be greater than the rolling 5-year average. However, recent counts have dropped below the 5-year average. At this point I don’t expect an unusually large population for 2012. That means that one should probably concentrate their scouting efforts on those situations that are at greatest risk.

Watch for Cereal Leaf Beetle in Wheat.

There have been reports of cereal leaf beetle (CLB) larvae actively feeding in wheat. This is not unexpected for this time of year. Generally this pest is not of great importance, but can always be problematic and should be monitored. This pest’s unpredictability is usually what gets producers in trouble. Often the first indication of the pest’s presence is “white” flag leaves waving in the air. This is NOT a good scouting procedure as one cannot put the leaf material back on the flag leaf!

Cereal leaf beetle can be active anytime from April to maturity. This year populations are likely to be out early, though not necessarily in larger numbers. The reports that I have received are all larval feeding, indicating that the emerging overwintering adults have already been out for some time.

The Current Wheat Crop and Risk for Head Scab

Chad Lee, Extension Agronomist, University of Kentucky

Weather in some parts of Kentucky dipped below 30 degrees Fahrenheit last night (April 10 into this morning April 11). These temperatures are low enough to damage wheat that is heading. About 10 days of good growing conditions are needed to assess damage to the wheat crop. Some of the wheat is flowering and farmers need to make decisions now on spraying the wheat with a fungicide. Should they spray these fields?

The following is a synopsis of a conversation with Don Hershman, extension plant pathologist.

Winter Wheat and Potential Freezing Weather

Chad Lee, Extension Agronomist, University of Kentucky

Recent weather forecasts include the potential for temperatures to dip into the low 30's or upper 20's (Fahrenheit) for the next couple of days. Much of the wheat around Kentucky is somewhere between the boot stage and heading, which means temperatures around 28 to 30 degrees could cause damage.

Wheat sensitivity to cold temperatures depends on the growth stage (Table 1). If a freeze event occurs, the wheat will need about a week to ten days of good growing conditions before we can assess damage. At that point, we will need to examine the developing heads for noticeable signs of damage or death, the stem for signs of girdling (which could lead to lodging) and the tillers which could produce viable heads.

Wheat FHB Risk Update for KY

Wheat is in the very early flowering stages to flag leaf Extension, depending upon where you are located. Casual observations in west KY indicate that most wheat is still in the process of heading, but will likely begin to flower early next week. We are two to three weeks ahead of where we
normally are for this time of year. The FHB risk is very low except for a very small pocket of moderate risk in extreme southwest KY. Generally we have been warm and dry, but there have been some isolated showers in some areas in recent days. The potential for rain to occur in the form of pop-up thunderstorms is fairly high for today (Wed, April 4) and tomorrow (Thursday, April 5). Then we should have mostly clear weather beginning Friday though most of next week when many fields will be flowering. This bodes well for low FHB risk, but this could change rapidly if conditions decline. Generally, the hot, dry weather has greatly limited foliar disease development in most fields up to this point.

Have Kentucky’s Corn Yields Become More Variable With Time?

J.H. Grove¹, E.M. Pena-Yewtukhiw², and A.A. Marchi³

            We often hear that Kentucky’s climate is quite variable. “If you don’t like today’s weather, just wait until tomorrow” is commonly said. But the current climate debate has serious implications for rainfed agriculture – corn, wheat and soybean need water to mitigate heat stress – and a changing climate could impact Kentucky’s air temperature, rainfall or both.

            There have been numerous statements that climate has become more variable, subject to more extreme events, statements made in the local restaurant, the university classroom, and over the home dinner table. Recently, a grower asked: Have Kentucky’s corn yields become more variable with time?” The answer to that question is: “It depends.” What follows is the answer to that question.

Economic and Policy Update

The 2012 March edition of the Economic and Policy Update written by faculty in the Department of Agricultural Economics is now available at:
http://www.ca.uky.edu/cmspubsclass/files/EconPolicyUpdateMarch%202012.pdf
The current edition provides articles on the following topics:
1) A Glimpse at the Upcoming 2012 USDA Prospective Plantings and Quarterly Grain Stocks Reports. By Cory Walters
2) Profitability Projections for Corn and Soybeans in 2012. By Greg Halich
3) Form 1099 - MISC Information Returns. By Jerry Pierce
4) Kentucky and the Economic Recovery. By Alison Davis
5) Understanding Year-to-Year Changes in the ACRE Guarantee. By Cory Walters

Historical updates can be found at: http://www.ca.uky.edu/agecon/index.php?p=209