Field crops IPM integrated pest management: Crop Advisory Team Alert

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Field Crop Advisory Team Alerts

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Pest management advice for growing field crops.

Insect notes
Christina DiFonzo, Entomology

May 8, 2008 -- On May 7, I found one soybean aphid colony on my favorite MSU buckthorn, so as always aphids made it through the winter. In comparison, in springs of bad aphid years, this shrub has had 15 to 20 colonies.
Read more.

Avitec Sandhill crane repellent still available in 2008
Christina DiFonzo, Entomology

May 8, 2008 -- Avitec seed treatment is available through a Section 18 for corn in Michigan (as well as Wisconsin and Minnesota). The Section 18 is specifically to reduce crane damage to newly planted field and sweet corn.
Legal protection of cranes has resulted in growing populations, thus crop damage from sandhill cranes has risen over the last several decades. Read more.

Weed management in continuous corn
Wes Everman, Crop & Soil Sciences

May 8, 2008 -- Although many people have rotated corn to soybeans or other crops this year, if you are planting corn following corn there are several weed management issues to consider. Herbicide inputs are a greater concern in a continuous corn system when compared to growing corn in rotation with another crop. Read more.

Update on wheat staging and foliar diseases so far this spring
Diane Brown-Rytlewski, Plant Pathology

May 8, 2008 -- Much of the wheat in the state is at Feeke’s 5 (full tillering ) to Feeke’s 7 (second node). However, wheat in some Ingham county fields is already at Feeke’s 8 (flag leaf emergence). Feeke’s growth stage 6 has one node and Feeke’s growth stage 7 has 2 nodes. The flag leaf is the final leaf that emerges. As the flag leaf sheath extends, (Feeke’s 9) pollen development is occurring in the immature wheat head that is developing inside the stem. Nodes can be determined by feeling along the main stem for a swelling or bump. Read more.

Additional fungicides for Fusarium head blight on wheat this year - Folicur and Caramba
Diane Brown-Rytlewski, Plant Pathology

May 8, 2008 -- In Michigan, we have a lot of people to thank for helping make the Section 3 label for tebuconazole (Folicur) happen this spring. Tebuconazole, also known as Folicur, has been given a full Section 3 label by the Environmental Protection Agency for use on wheat and barley. Michigan received a state label for Folicur yesterday. Read more.

Civil rights in employment decisions
Vera Bitsch, Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics

May 8, 2008 -- While many federal laws protecting equal employment opportunity exempt small businesses, Michigan laws do not. Michigan laws protect religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, marital status and disability. As long as the specific disability is unrelated to the individual’s ability to perform the duties of a particular job or position with or without reasonable accommodation. Read more.

05/08/2008