Howdy!!!

Today’s column is information provided from our weekly crop and pest report.  This time of year we rely heavily on the crop and pest report to provide you with timely information, during the cropping season.  I am not in the office this week so if you need additional help please call Lionel Olson (new area agronomist) 701-780-8229.

Scouting for Cutworm Critical
Although it has been a slow start to the season with cool spring temperatures, some field reports of cutworm activity have been reported. Cutworms are an early season pest that feed on most of the field crops grown in North Dakota. They become active when soil temperatures are above 40F. Crops with lower plant populations such as sunflower, peas and lentils are more susceptible to cutworm injury. Cutworm feeding activity usually extends from May through the end of June and young emerging plants are the most susceptible stage of crop development. Typical feeding injury symptoms include clipped off plants with the larvae (caterpillars) underneath in the soil, wilted plants or bare patches of ground in localized spots in a field. Another symptom of cutworm feeding activity in peas and lentils is finding 2, 3, or even 4 sprouts where the plant was cut off by a cutworm and then re-cut as the seedling tried to reinitiate growth. Excessive cool, wet soils tend to amplify stand reduction by slowing plant development relative to cutworm feeding.

The key to successful cutworm control is early detection, and knowing your plant population and proper spray timing. If the plant population is low, few or no plants can be lost to cutworm feeding. The greater the plant population the more damage can be tolerated without economic yield loss. Insecticides are ideally targeted at the young larvae, which are easier to kill than the larger larvae (>1 inch).

Spraying is recommended at night when cutworms are actively feeding. There are questions about tank mixing insecticides with herbicides for early season weed control. Always, check labels for compatibility or do a simple ‘jar test’ mixing the insecticide and herbicide. If spraying for weed burn-down and early season cutworm activity, be sure to re-scout the field as cutworms will continue to emerge over a two to three week period. Cool temperatures will delay cutworm emergence and development. Wet soil conditions will also improve insecticide efficacy, as cutworms feed near the soil surface in these conditions. Rescue foliar treatments are warranted when cutworms exceed these treatment thresholds by crop:

• Alfalfa – 4 to 5 or more cutworms per square foot (new stands – only 2/sq ft)

• Canola – 1 cutworm per square foot

Corn - 3-6% of the plants are cut and small larvae (<3/4 inch) present

• Peas / Lentils – 2 to 3 cutworms per square meter

• Small grain – 4 to5 cutworms per square foot

• Soybean - 1 cutworm per 3 feet of row or 20% of plants are cut

• Sugarbeet - 4-5% cutting of seedlings or 3 to 5 larvae per square foot in late summer

• Sunflower - 1 cutworm per square foot or 25-30% of plants cut

Emergence of Small Grains
Not only has planting been delayed this year, but abnormally cool, May weather has slowed the rate of emergence of crops that have been planted. According to the latest USDA Crop and Pest Report, only 28% of the barley, 27% of the durum, 31% of the spring wheat and 23% of the corn had been planted by May 17th this year. This compares to the average for the last five years of 85% for barley, 63% for durum, 87% for spring wheat and 75% for corn. Normally when planting is delayed, the rate of emergence is hastened because average temperatures are rising. Not so this year, May temperatures well below averaged. Crop growth rate, including germination and emergence is driven by temperature. Less than 3% of the acreage was planted before May 1st this year.

Growing degree days (GDDs) are better correlated with crop growth than calendar days or average daily temperatures. GDDs for small grains are calculated using a base temperature of 32 degrees F and are easily obtainable for many locations in the state from the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN). After planting, barley requires about 176 GDDs before emergence occurs and 245 GDDs before reaching the first leaf stage. Factors such as depth of planting, soil blackness and soil temperature can of course influence the actual GDDs needed before emergence. Wheat takes slightly more GDDs (180) before it emergences and reaches the first leaf stage (252 GDDs). Base 32 degree GDD accumulations since the beginning of May range from about 330 in the south to 230 in the northeast, which indicates that the earliest planted barley and wheat are somewhere between early emergence and just beyond the first leaf stage. Wheat/barley GDD accumulations from May 1st to May 18th lag 60-100 GDDs behind normal, meaning that early planted small grains took nearly 5 calendar days longer to emerge after planting than normal.

The story for corn is no better. Typically, by this time of the year nearly a quarter of all the corn has emerged. Not even the earliest planted corn has emerged this year. Like for wheat and barley, there is a predictable relationship between GDDs and emergence in corn. Corn is a warm season crop and requires temperatures exceeding 50 degrees F before measureable growth can occur. Corn GDD accumulations, therefore, are calculated using a base temperature of 50 degrees F. Corn and barley/wheat GDDs cannot be used interchangeably. Corn requires about 120 corn GDDs before it emerges. GDD accumulations since the beginning of May range between 70 and 120 depending on the location in the state, and are running about 30 to 50 behind normal suggesting that corn emergence will be 4 to 7 days slower this year than normal. The warming temperatures associated with delayed corn planting does not have the same impact on yield potential development on corn as it does with small grains. However, delayed corn development usually means higher moisture at harvest and more cost of drying before grain can be put in the bin or sold.

ALERT - TELEMARKETERS
It is again the season of telemarketers selling products that are excessive in cost and usually do not do what is claimed. Below is an article that I wrote several years ago about a product called Triple Threat which I hear from Jim Gray at the NDDOA is being sold through the telephone again in the state. The dollar comparison listed below is based on early 1990 herbicide prices so the actual amount now would be much more. There are many other products being sold through telephone sales - As a "Rule of Thumb" - If it sounds too good to be true - it is too good to be true - HANG UP!

Telemarketers are out in full force selling high priced herbicides that contain very little active ingredient, and claiming these herbicides can do unbelievable things. We need your help to shut these people down. The ND Dept

of Ag has indicated that with proper documentation of phone call conversation they can take action against companies that use this approach to rip-off growers of their hard earned money.

For example, reports have been made of a chemical company selling a product containing 2,4-D and bromacil

(Hyvar) at a total concentration of 2% ai for $90/gal + $21 freight. By my calculations, the grower is spending the

equivalent of: $3,961.76 for a gallon of 2,4-D LV4 and $2,610.33 for a gallon of Hyvar XL.

In North Dakota, an average price for 2,4-D LV4 is $14 per gallon and $55 per gallon for Hyvar XL (2 lb/gal).

They are selling this herbicide for 47 times and 283 times the cost than if the grower were to buy the 2,4-D LV4 and

Hyvar XL from his dealer.

Absurd claims are made with these products. For instance, one application of a product called Triple Threat

(three phenoxy herbicides at a total of 1 lb/gal) was report by the telemarketer to control leafy spurge for 5 years. Do

you think the telemarketer would sign his name to the guaranty - NOT!

Get the following information during the phone call -

if you can:

1. Name of product and telemarketer.

2. EPA registration number of product.

3. Formulation and concentration of active ingredients.

4. Name, address, and phone number of company.

5. All claims made by telemarketer.

6. Any other information that would be useful to fry these vermin ("the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the face of this earth (Swift)).