AgAlerts 2006 From Griggs County
By John Swenson, Griggs County Extension Agent

Issue #2, May 17, 2006

• Tan Spot on HRWW

• Early Season Tan Spot Control in HRSW

• NDSU Small Grain Disease Forecasting

• Pocket Gophers

Tan Spot On HRWW

    Reports of tan spot on Hard Red Winter Wheat have been received in the past week.  Timing of a fungicide application is critical at this time due to the growth stage of HRWW.  Products available for control of tan spot are listed in the 2006 NDSU Fungicide Guide.

Early Season Tan Spot Control in HRSW

    These products can be tank mixed with herbicides for early season tan spot control.  Note early season rates are usually lower that late season applications.  Be sure to follow the label for mixing and what products can be mixed.

NDSU Small Grain Disease Forecasting Web Site 

    The NDSU disease web site is available to help producers and consultants make decisions on whether fungicide applications should be made.  This site uses data from the NDAWN system of weather station throughout the state that monitors conditions favorable for disease development.  The NDAWN system also monitors rainfall, temperature, wind direction and speed, soil temperatures, growing degree days for crops, and insects and past weather history.  The following are links to the NDSU Small Grain Disease Forecasting Site and NDAW Site.   

Pocket Gophers

    Each year I receive questions concerning pocket gopher control in yards and gardens.  Pocket gophers are found only in the western hemisphere.  Their range is from Panama in the south to Alberta in the north.  There are six species found in the great plains and are variable in their distribution.  The two species found in North Dakota are the "plains pocket gopher" and the "northern pocket gopher".  Only one species of pocket gopher usually is found in each locality.
    Typically there is only one pocket gopher per burrow system.  Exceptions are when mating occurs and when the female is caring for her young.  The burrow system consist of a main burrow, generally 4 to 18 inches below the ground surface, with a variable number of lateral burrows off the main.  Maximum depth of at least some portion of a burrow may be as great as 5 or 6 feet.  The diameter of a burrow is about 3 inches, but varies with body size.  A single burrow system may contain up to 200 yards of tunnels.  The rate of mound building is highly variable.  Estimates include an average of one to three mounds per day and up to 70 mounds per month.  This activity brings a large amount of soil to the surface, estimated at 2.25 tons per gopher each year.  For a population of 50 southern pocket gophers, it is estimated that they can move 47 tons of soil in a year.  The tunnel system is rigorously defended against intruders and constitutes the home range of the pocket gopher, which may be up to 700 square yards.  This why this little animal is a vary busy and a major nuisance in crops, gardens and yards.
Control:  The most common ways of control is by trapping or by poisoning.  The key to the efficient and effective use of these methods is locating the burrow system.  The main burrow generally is found 12 to 18 inches away from the plug on the fan-shaped mounds.  When the main is located, place the poison bait in each direction of the tunnel.  Then block off the opening with soil or sod.  Pocket gophers are attracted to an opening in their system and may cover the bait with soil as it plugs the opening.  If large acreage is need to be treated it can be accomplished with a "burrow builder machine".  This method works well in areas of minimal rocks.
    Trapping is extremely effective to control pocket gophers in small areas and to remove remaining animals after poisoning control program.  For more information, link to Controlling Pocket Gophers in Nebraska.

Please Contact Our Office For Additional Information
E-mail: john.swenson@ndsu.edu
Go to the 2006 AgAlert Index Page