- Mildew on cucumbers
- Parasitic wasp larvae on dead tomato hornworm
- Cercosporia on grapes
- Birds in the corn fields
- Ragweed shedding pollen
Pheromone Trap Results
Change pheromones in traps today
Trap #1 - Black Cutworm
1 black cutworm moth and 1 sap beetle
Trap #2 - Corn Earworm
2 noctuids, 4 sap beetles, 4 indeterminate insects
Trap #4 - Fall Army Worm
1 sap beetle
Bad year for bugs and a great year for plant diseases
Field Corn
Corn is in the dent stage with approximately one month to harvest. The corn plants are beginning to die back so kernels can dry. Because of the open ends on the ears we are seeing mold starting in the ears. If these lead to mycotoxins then the corn may not be useful for feed.
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| Corn smut |
Popcorn Field
Both varieties are fully tasseled. We are seeing smut fungus in some of the tassels. There is some firing on the lower leaves showing nitrogen deficiency. We found a rootworm beetle that has come up to feed on the silks. Also found a brown marmorated stink bug.
We found some small caterpillars eating the leaves of an amaranth plant.
Wheat/Soybean Field
We are now seeing blooms – the plants have moved into the reproductive stage. There are no pods. We found Soybean Aphid – an aphid that is exclusive to soybeans. We also found ladybugs and lacewings. This infestation of aphids may be severe enough to warrant spraying.
Sweet Corn Field
The sweet corn has been harvested and evaluated. There are still ears available for gleaning. The plan is to disc under the corn and plant a cover crop. There is a lot of sap beetle present in the remaining ears.
Hay Field
Was cut today for Third cutting. Leaf hoppers are moving out – to any nearby crop.
Soybean Field
Growing along nicely. Evidence of Cercosporia and thrips.
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| Soybean Aphids |
Demonstration Garden
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| Tomato hornworm with wasp eggs |
Peppers – show signs of bacterial spotting and thrip damage. Otherwise they have recovered well and are producing peppers.
Peanuts – are pegging
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| Peanut Pegs |
Cow Peas – have very few pods so not likely to reseed itself. However it is an excellent cover crop allowing few weeds and filling in all spaces.
Buckwheat – our lesson learned is that buckwheat is density sensitive and would require better seed rate monitoring. However, surviving buckwheat is maturing and reseeding itself.
New plant – Path Rush. It looks like a clump of grass but is really in the rush family. It is sometimes called wire grass because of its tough stems. It has tiny flowers clustered at the stem tips. It grows in wet conditions but also likes compacted soils. In New Jersey it can be a wetland indicator species.
