Category Archives: Pests

2011 Corn Earworm Trapping in Kansas

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Mark Ellis (Kansas)

Trapping Corn Earworm in Kansas Offers Keys to 2011 Disease Issues In 2011, Syngenta cooperated with Kansas State University to collect data on Corn Earworm (CEW) moth activity throughout eastern Kansas. The CEW moth trapping project utilized the KSU protocol. Trapping started in June with 11 CEW traps placed across eastern Kansas at the following locations: Marysville, Centralia, Winchester, Atchison, Wamego, Girard, Yates Center, Ottawa, Thayer, Coffeyville and White City. Each CEW team member checked the trap weekly, replacing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn Earworm, Infestations, Insects, Kansas, Pests, Syngenta | View Comments

Watch Out Wisconsin and Beyond! – Western Bean Cutworm

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Rich Lee (Iowa)

The following is an update from Mike Weiss, Agronomic Service Representative, Wisconsin: We are just past the peak flight period for Western bean cutworm in central and northern Wisconsin and it’s important for growers to keep an eye out for this pest.  The scouting procedure is to count the egg masses or small caterpillars on 20 consecutive plants in five random locations in each field. If 5 percent of the plants are infested, an insecticide application is recommended. Western bean … Continue reading →

Posted in Agrisure Viptera, Corn, Pests, Scouting, Western Bean Cutworm, Wisconsin | View Comments

You Knew They Were Coming – Soybean Aphid Alert

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Gary Prescher (Minnesota)

Soybean aphid season in Minnesota is upon us once again in 2011. This year is a real testament to the effectiveness of CruiserMaxx® Beans insecticide/fungicide seed treatment from several angles.   This seed treatment continues to perform as we have come to expect by protecting seedlings early on from disease and by delaying aphid establishment. Fields planted with untreated seed are quickly reaching economic thresholds of 250 aphids per plant. Fields where CruiserMaxx Beans seed treatment was used normally delays aphid thresholds … Continue reading →

Posted in Aphid Management System, Infestations, Insects, Minnesota, NK, NK Soybeans, Pests, Profitability, Scouting, Syngenta | View Comments

Popping Corn in the Heat

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Rich Lee (Iowa)

Next time you find yourself laying in the shade of a 97° F day gasping for air and someone comes up to you and says, “Sure, it’s hot but it’s good for the corn,” you have my permission to disagree with them. True, corn does like heat and it grows best with warm weather, but I use the term “warm” weather, not blast furnace weather, like we are experiencing throughout the summer. Heat can be good, but too much of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn, Iowa, Japanese Beetle, Profitability, Rootworm Beetle, Yield | View Comments

Getting Clipped

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Rich Lee (Iowa)

You just have to admire the way Mother Nature can change things up. Until just a couple of years ago, we just had to worry about silk clipping from rootworm beetles. Now, just to make life more interesting, along comes the Japanese beetle. This new pest coming from the East is rapidly adapting to Iowa. It is sometimes found in heavy populations in our corn and soybean fields. Usually the leaf feeding caused by Japanese beetles is minor enough that … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn, Iowa, Japanese Beetle, Pests | View Comments

The Fireworks Might Not Be Over

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Mark Lawson (Indiana)

The 4th of July fireworks and picnics are over but there may be some fireworks in the field yet this summer. I have been monitoring four sets of insect traps for the past five weeks and just put out two additional sets of traps. We’ve been catching corn earworm moths, fall armyworm moths and true armyworm moths. In early July, I set the first traps for western bean cutworm (WBCW). A week later, I had two WBCW moths in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn Earworm, Insects, Western Bean Cutworm | View Comments

The Invasion of the Corn Earworm!

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Mark Ellis (Kansas)

As we go through the corn crop growing season, we see a multitude of insects. We generally start with black cutworm and end the season with corn earworm. This insect is tough to scout for and to control because the actual damage is done inside the husk to the corn ear kernels during and after tassel stage. Unless you get out in your fields, you may never see the damage until the corn is harvested and in the truck. Even … Continue reading →

Posted in Agrisure Corn Traits, Agrisure Viptera, Corn, Corn Earworm, Disease, Infestations, Insects, Kansas, Minnesota, Mycotoxin, Ohio, Pests, Profitability, Scouting, State, Syngenta, Texas | View Comments

An Eye on the Crop: Evaluating Seedling Growth

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Gary Prescher (Minnesota)

Yield preservation starts when the planter rolls and ends when the combine stops at the end of harvest. I have found that an extended planting season is often very distracting. Heading into the end of May, it will be time to monitor stand emergence and track several early season pests. Planting the crop over a long period of time can set up extended scouting and response windows. Good record keeping becomes more important when monitoring the crops progress as well … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn, Emergence, Infestations, Insects, Minnesota, Northern Plains, Pests, Scouting | View Comments

Be Aware of Black Cutworm This Spring

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Mark Ellis (Kansas)

Black cutworm (BCW) is typically the most damaging species of cutworm to infest corn fields in Kansas. Black cutworm infestations are often characterized as random and unpredictable. Light infestations of black cutworm are common, but often go unnoticed without scouting. Heavy infestations can devastate a corn stand, and generally the problem is not identified until the major damage has already occurred. These untimely infestations may result in stand reductions of greater than 70 percent in some areas of the field. … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Cutworm, Corn, Emergence, High Plains, Infestations, Insects, Kansas, Multi-Pest Complex, Pests, Planting, Profitability, Syngenta, Uncategorized | View Comments

Earth Day: A Time for Reflection, Preparation and Celebration

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Chris Cook (National)

How many times have you heard “it’s a small world”?  Certainly there are things that make it seem that way: the internet, cable news channels, cell phones and other technologies.  The truth is that the world is small, and shrinking.  Today versus a generation ago, we have fewer acres of arable land, less water, fossil fuel and a population that continues to grow in size and rate of consumption. At Syngenta, we think about this every day.  We are constantly … Continue reading →

Posted in Disease, Genetic diversity, Insects, Pests, Water Optimization, Yield | View Comments