Pheromone Trap Results
Trap #1 - Black Cutworm
2 spiders, 3 larvae – 2 lygus bugs and 1 ladybug
Trap #2 - Corn Earworm
5 moths – 2 corn earworm and 3 noctuids, 1 ladybug, 1 crane fly, 1 katydid.
Trap #4 - Fall Armyworm
12 moths – all Fall Armyworm
Field Corn Field
This field will be harvested today. Bill brought a moisture meter – a Farmex MT3 Three grain moisture tester (corn, soybean, wheat, and can be adjusted for sorghum/milo). The field corn tested at 15.8% and 15.9%. It will be slightly lower later in the day.
Park service was harvesting some cornstalks for Smithville.
Popcorn Field
42.9% moisture content. Way too high for harvesting – probably another 3 weeks.
Today we noted a pineapple weed.
Note: there is still no identification on the moth captured last week. They are still very prevalent in the cover crop field near the popcorn.
Soybean Field
Soybeans are defoliated and drying. Moisture in the beans is still high – at a stage farmers call ‘gummy’. There is evidence of pod and stem blight, but the beans are unaffected. However, we did find some purple staining on a few beans from the cercospora.
Note: we found a very few plants that are still green and not defoliating. Agricultural scientists are exploring the possible connection of stink bugs and delayed maturity in soybeans.
Wheat/Soybean Field
Pods have filled nicely. This field will make and be harvestable.
In this field we found a caterpillar that was rolling itself into a leaf for cocooning. It is large, green, not hairy, and has a large brown head. Identification later.
Also wooly caterpillars, a harlequin bug, and brown marmorated stink bug – identified by white striping on antennae.
Demonstration Plots
Quinoa
Plot has been cleared and retired for the season. As far as we know, no quinoa sprouted or grew. Our climate did not provide conditions necessary for germination and growth.
Peanuts
Peanuts are still pegging. We learned that peanut farmers check the covering on the peanut for maturity (not the hull, but the cover around the seed). Covers are white now, but will turn through yellow to orange to red to brown. We want to harvest when the majority are between red and brown.
Tomatoes
Ramapo production outdid SuperSonic production for the first time since early in the summer.
Thanks to Roger Arnold for compiling this week's notes.
