Soybean Aphid Alert: Numbers are Growing Quickly

I mentioned two weeks ago that I had started to see soybean aphids (SBA) flying from buckthorn into young soybeans. I received some calls from my colleagues in SWNY that they were starting to see pretty good SBA colonies. I checked a field in Ontario County yesterday that was not treated with a seed insecticide. I saw ants immediately and I knew I would find the aphids. SBA were present in good numbers and on almost every plant in multiple fields. I could easily find ladybug adults feeding and some mating. I did not find any egg masses or larvae yet. These fields were not at the threshold of 250 aphids per plant yet, but it will have to be watched carefully in the next 7 days. A lot of post herbicide applications are being sprayed right now so look for aphids in case you need to tank mix an insecticide in there. Fields that did not get treated with a seed insecticide should definitely be scouted now as these will be the most at risk for SBA infestation. Scouting tip: always look at the newest trifoliate that is just expanding (the fuzzy one). That’s where you will find the first aphids.

Winter Wheat Update

Wheat is changing color and turning fast. The recent rains and cooler weather may slow it down a bit this week. Some malting barley fields are being harvested right now (20-24%). That means some early planted wheat is only 10 days from harvest. Barley yields and test weights are excellent so far. Hoping for the same in wheat. Are your bins ready for the new crop?  As the heads start to mature, the presence of Fusarium Head Scab becomes more noticeable if present. Look for the whitened kernels usually near the top of the head. The weather was not conducive for scab during pollination so vomitoxin levels should be low this year.

Japanese Beetles have Emerged

I saw the first Japanese beetles in my yard on Saturday feeding on my crab apple tree. It is time and the recent rains will really bring them out of the ground. I have not seen any feeding on soybeans or corn yet, but you should see them soon (when you are out scouting for soybean aphids 😊). We will have to wait and see what populations look like this year across the region.

Herbicide Deadline Reminders

• This Friday, June 30, is the last legal day to apply XtendiMax, Engenia, and Tavium on dicamba resistant soybeans. This is a true cut-off day for application of these dicamba products and it does not matter when the soybeans were planted. See more details on this in last week’s Crop Alert.I saw my first flowers in a soybean field this week. This is the R1 stage. This is a critical stage of application of the other traited post-emergence products.

• Glyphosate products can be applied up to R2 which is the full flower stage.

  Glufosinate (LibertyLink): Applied up to first bloom (R1 stage). Do not apply if plants have reached R2 (full flower). This is a short 4-day period between R1 and R2.

  Enlist (E3), (Glyphosate, Glufosinate & 2,4,-D): Do not apply beyond R2 (full flower).

Next report will be July 5.