Seed pick up

We just picked up our soybean seed for research projects this year. We have several projects planned for this year. Thanks, Syngenta for the seed!

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Wireworms and black cutworms

Two great articles from the University of Illinois Extension Bulletin came out this week. One was a reminder about wireworms in no-till corn production in Southern Illinois: http://bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu. The second was a notification about black cutworm moths caught in black light traps: http://bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu. It reminds me that we will probably start to see moths in our traps, even with all the rain lately. Trapping moths helps us predict when the caterpillars start to cut corn plants. Keep your eyes open for early season corn pests this year!

Rain, rain, go away

Our lab planned to put in our first bean trial this week at McNay farm. But the cold start to the week, followed by rain, hail and snow has definitely slowed things down. Not much commercial corn planting going on yet as a result of the weather. Looking forward to better weather next week.

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More bean leaf beetles this spring?

Not all insects can survive our cold winters in Iowa, but many have found adaptations to make it through the cold months. Some will go deep in the soil, hide under leaf litter, or are protected by snow cover. Bean leaf beetle adults rely on the latter two options to protect themselves from extreme temperatures. The last couple winters have been exceptionally cold and the state has experienced good “winter kill” for bean leaf beetle and other overwintering insects. Harsh temperatures combined with an increased use of insecticidal seed treatments have made these beetles almost hard to find in some areas of Iowa. But according to a temperature survival model created by ISU entomologists in 2000, last winter was more mild. We would expect higher survival in the lower half of the state compared to the last couple years. However this prediction is complicated by the lack of snow cover throughout most of the state, which can increase winter kill. So bottom line is to scout emerging soybean with a little bit more intensity this year, especially those early-planted fields. Find more details about this prediction in a recent ICM News article 

Start scouting for alfalfa weevils

The southern half of Iowa has reached enough accumulated degree days for alfalfa weevils to become active. Start scouting now to detect infested areas.

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Legless aphid collection

I am at the Illinois Natural History Survey in Champaign, IL this week. I am working with Dave Voegtlin and he is helping learn how to identify aphids. It's a mighty task, as there are hundreds of species in North America. Iowa regularly traps over 60 species each year. I am hoping to learn how to identify the common species found in our field crops. So I began sorting stored vials and using a few references, and then began slide mounting some individuals. It's probably not a surprise that it is tedious, slow-moving and highly repetitious work. Most of my slides having lots of missing body parts. So far it's a great legless aphid collection!

Pest predictions...

As I see plants coming back to life around Ames, I am also preparing for the upcoming field season. We are planning research at five ISU farms this year, which takes a tremendous amount of planning to get things straight. I am collaborating with a few faculty on campus this year, including Alison Robertson, Matt O’Neal and Aaron Gassmann. Fingers crossed for a productive research season!
Everyone is asking about my predictions for soybean aphid and other insects this year. It is very difficult to say what will happen in corn and soybean at this point. We didn’t have as much snow cover or cold temperatures this winter, and so insects were more likely to be exposed but to warmer weather. I recommend keeping your eyes open for insect activity right around planting and emergence – it will set the tone for potential infestations for the rest of the summer.