AgAlerts 2007 From Griggs County
By John Swenson, Griggs County Extension Agent

Issue #2, May 14, 2007

• Crusting Problems in HRSW

• Wireworms and Cutworms

• NDSA Spring Roundups

• Griggs County Extension Stories From 1937

Crusting Problems in HRSW

    The Extension office has received numerous calls concerning emergence problems in HRSW due to soil crusting.  When determining if harrowing or rotary hoeing is necessary, evaluate plant stand populations.  The optimum stand is between 35 and 40 plants per square foot.  The minimum stand is 15 plants/sq. ft..  Before doing any operations to break the crust, determine where the coleoptile (soil penetrating mechanism of the wheat plant) is to the soil surface.  It is critical not to crack or break the coleoptile.  Once the coleoptile is broken, the leaf will start to expand.  The leaf will be unable to penetrate the soil and not be able to emerge.  If an operation is preformed and exposes the yellow leaves to sunlight, the plant will survive.  So monitoring the operation to see if you are doing more damage than not doing the operation.  The following is percent of yield at different stand counts.

Wireworms and Cutworms

    Monitor emerging crops for wireworms or cutworms.  Each year we hear reports of damage caused by these two insects.
    Wireworms:  Wireworms:  Wireworms are one of the most difficult insects to detect and one of the hardest to control.  They will completely consume the inside of a germinating seed.  It will also consume any fresh tissue of seedlings and can significantly reduce plant stands.  If you have seedling emergence that is somewhat irregular, start digging for wireworms in the soil around the seed or seedling.  Wireworms are elongate, heavily segmented, pale yellow to brown wire-like worms that vary in length for 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches.  They tend to prefer lighter textured soils.  In the spring, after overwintering in the soil, wireworms migrate closer to the soil surface and seek germinating seeds as a food source.  The following NDSU Extension publication provides more information on wireworms, "Wireworm Management for North Dakota Field Crops".Consult the 2007 North Dakota Field Insect Management Guide for products registered for treatment.
    Cutworms:  Cutworms are the larval form of moths.  The larvae are greenish-brown to greenish-gray.  The head is pale brown with darker brown freckles.  Mature worms are 1 1/2 inches long.  The eggs were laid last summer or fall in the soil where corn, soybeans or sunflower are now being planted.  The eggs have hatched and the growing larvae are hungry!  When suspected cutworm damage is found, check for live cutworms around the damaged plants by digging in the soil at the base of damaged plants.  Count and record the number of damaged plants.  Note the size of the cutworms being found.  The treatment threshold has been reached if 3 to 6% of the plants are cut and small larvae (<3/4 inch) are present.  The following NDSU Extension publication provides more information on cutworms.  "Corn Insects of North Dakota".  Consult the 2007 North Dakota Field Insect Management Guide for products registered for treatment.

NDSA  Spring Roundups

    The ND Stockman's Association will be holding it's Spring Roundups the week of June 4-9, 2007.  This year's featured topic will be Alternative Feedstuffs.  As ethanol plants and other processing facilities are being constructed in North Dakota, there are new co-products that are available for livestock feedstuffs.  Drs. Daniel Herold and Dennis Holthaus, beef technical consultants, will address how to use co-products in backgrounding, finishing and cow diets.  Each meeting will begin at 5 p.m. with a social and supper at 6 p.m. with the program and nominating committee meeting following.

Griggs County Extension Stories From 1937

    The first County Extension Agent (Gilbert I. Moum) came to Griggs County in 1933.  I have been reading Gilbert's annual reports and will share some of his reports though the early years of Extension in Griggs County.  The following reports are from 1937.

Larson Bros. Pleased with Nordhaugen Wheat

    In the spring of 1936, Dan and Louis Larson procured 5 bushels from Mr. Nordhaugen of Leeds.  Due to the drought  the yield was poor although they threshed 25 bushels of this wheat.
    This was seeded in the spring of 1937, in hopes that they might see what this wheat would yield.  Unfortunately the cutworms destroyed most of the wheat and all but 12 acres had to be totally abandoned.
    On August 1, 1937, a hail storm struck the field and knocked down some of the wheat which was left.  Reluctantly the Larson Bros. brought a combine into the field and were surprised to find that they harvested 100 bushels of wheat.
    They plan to seed this in 1938, and it will be watched with interest to see how it yields.

Wireworms and Cutworms Cause Severe Damage

    An infestation of wireworms and cutworms caused a great deal of damage to crops in the county this spring.  Crops, particularly affected were corn, flax and alfalfa.
    Many farmers had to reseed their corn and Harry Kolpin of Mabel township had to seed some of his corn a third time before a stand was obtained.
    A number of farmers inquired as to what was happening to their young alfalfa, as it was up nicely and would then begin to disappear.  On due examination it was found that the worms were cutting it off and as a result it perished.
    No control measures which would satisfactorily cope with these pests were discovered. 

Please Contact Our Office For Additional Information
E-mail: john.swenson@ndsu.edu
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