This is the first issue of the Kentucky Pest News for 2006. Subsequent issues will be published on alternate weeks from now until weekly distribution resumes in about mid-March. A hard copy of this newsletter can be received but it is sent as bulk mail so perishable information may not reach you in the most timely manner.
The 2006 Agricultural Pesticide Applicator Workshop will be held February 14 at the Executive Inn in Louisville. The meeting, sponsored by the Agribusiness Association of Kentucky, and the UK Pesticide Safety Education and Integrated Pest Management programs, will begin at 9 am and end at 4:30 pm local time. The agenda has been submitted for CEU credits for Certified Crop Advisors and certified commercial pesticide applicators. There is a registration fee. Contact the Agribusiness Association at (502) 226-1122 for more information.
Certification testing for pesticide applicators and dealers will be given once a month at the locations listed below. All dates and locations are subject to change. To confirm testing dates, or for additional information regarding appropriate certification categories, call the Ky Department of Agriculture at (502) 573-0282. Study packets for certification can be requested by calling the UK Entomology Department at (859) 257-5955.
Testing will BEGIN at 10:00 a.m. local time. People arriving late will not be admitted to the testing center. All persons taking an exam will be required to pay an examination fee at the time of testing. The examination fee is $25.00 for the initial category and $10.00 for each additional category. The examination fee must be paid by check or money order made payable to the KENTUCKY STATE TREASURER. DO NOT BRING CASH. CASH CANNOT ACCEPTED. Applicants who do not bring this fee in the proper form will not permitted to test.
Monthly testing dates are posted on the web at
http://www.kyagr.com/enviro_out/pestweed/2006pesttrainschedule.htm
The time to seed tobacco for transplant production is just around the corner. Growers will be faced with a number of challenges this year, including higher production costs associated with increased prices of fuel and other inputs. Losses to disease in the float system are hard to swallow in even the best of years, but will be felt more keenly under our current economic climate. Taking a few simple steps now can lead to better disease control and better yields of transplants in the spring.
The key to successful management of diseases in transplant production should center on prevention, as there are few chemical tools that can be used legally in this system. Adequate sanitation is the first thing a grower should consider. Any tobacco remaining should be destroyed, as should the plastic used to line float bays. Eradicate any weeds in and around float beds.
Styrofoam trays to be re-used should be washed thoroughly with a detergent solution to remove soil and then sanitized. A 10% solution made with 1 part household bleach and 9 parts water, plus a drop or two of dish detergent (to reduce surface tension), is fairly effective in reducing pathogens. Dip pre-washed trays for 2-3 minutes into the solution and then rinse thoroughly with clean water. The latter is crucial because residual bleach left on trays could be phytotoxic. Allow trays to dry and cover them until they are to be used. Steam heat can also be used to disinfect trays. Maintain a temperature of 165-175 °F for 30 minutes for greatest reduction of plant pathogens. Allow trays to cool and cover them until seeding time. Even greater levels of inoculum reduction can be achieved by combining the bleach-dip and steam-heat methods. When filling trays with soil-less mix, never recycle media that was used previously. Old media can harbor pathogens such as Pythium that can infest float systems and lead to losses later on.
Lastly, make sure that tools and equipment are sanitized before using them in transplant production systems this season. The same 10% bleach solution used for trays can also be used to sanitize equipment, and there are a number of other materials available for this purpose as well. Following sound sanitation practices in float systems will go a long way in keeping disease problems on tobacco transplants in check.
For the latest blue mold status and other tobacco disease information, check the KY Blue Mold Warning System online.
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/kpn/kyblue/kyblue.htm
For more information about tobacco pests, visit "Insect Management Recommendations".
Dr. Rick Weinzierl reported last week in the Illinois Fruit and Vegetable News that there appear to be pyrethroid resistant corn earworm moths in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. There has been a dramatic decrease in control observed in university conducted efficacy trials with pyrethroid insecticides in sweet corn. They report that some growers report unacceptable levels of 'wormy ears' with later harvests even though spray schedules have been tight. The pyrethroids used on sweet corn include Pounce, Capture, Mustang Max, Warroir, Proaxis, Baythroid, and Asana.
Corn earworm is a pest of a number of different field and vegetable crops, but here in Kentucky it is a serious pest of sweet corn, tomatoes, soybeans, and field corn. In sweet corn, pyrethoid insecticides have been used extensively for control to prevent ear infestations. Lost of effectiveness of this class of chemistry is of serious concern as there are alternatives that are as economical and effective. While the resistance issues have been identified to our north, this is a concern for Kentucky growers as corn earworm does not overwinter in these states. It migrates from areas in the south to reinfest these states each year. Problems encountered in these states are likely to occur here as well.
What should Kentucky sweet corn growers do in 2006? Growers need to consider all of their alternatives. In many parts of the state, pyrethroid insecticides may continue to perform very well. Growers should continue to monitor corn earworm with pheromone traps and maintain flight records.
Resistance is not the only reason why sprayed ears may be found wormy at harvest. Spray timing and coverage are factors that growers must continuously monitor. Initial sprays for corn earworm should be applied as soon as fresh silks become visible. Additional sprays are generally needed at 2 to 5 day intervals until the silks become dry, with the number of days between sprays dependent on pheromone trap counts. After the silks dry, no additional sprays are needed for corn earworm. Spray equipment should be inspected to ensure that the best possible coverage of spray is provided. Sprays should be directed to the ear zone of the plant using hollow cone nozzles. Drop nozzles on either side of the row are recommended. Early planted sweet corn typically has much less corn earworm pressure than later plantings. In Kentucky, sweet corn harvested after early harvest will likely encounter more intense earworm attack.
Bt sweet corn can be used to reduce earworm damage, particularly with later plantings. Bt sweet corn does not provide 100% control, but is greatly reduces the reliance on insecticides alone. Studies have shown 85 to 95 % control with these Bt lines. For 2006, additional sweet corn types will be available with Bt protection.
Insecticide alternatives to the pyrethroids for sweet corn are limited, but include Lannate, Larvin, Sevin, and Spintor. Growers will need to watch their crop carefully in 2006 to continually evaluate the levels of control they are obtaining with pyrethroid sprays.
For information about corn pests, visit
"Insect Management Recommendations".
Kentucky landscape industry professionals are faced with managing an array of diseases, insects, and weeds of ornamentals and trees in residential and institutional grounds. Management of these landscape pests and other landscape industry issues will be the subject of three February workshops to be held in Lexington, Princeton, and Louisville. While landscape plants are dormant, landscape industry professionals have an opportunity to learn the latest techniques for better landscape maintenance, meet other professionals, and to acquire Continuing Education Units (CEU's) to maintain pesticide and arborist certifications.
Central Kentucky Ornamental & Turf Association 26th Horticulture Conference Date: February 9, 2006. Registration, 7:30 am EST, sessions from 8:15 am - 5:00 pm. Place: Holiday Inn North, Lexington (Newtown Pike & I-75/64)
Topics include:
Best Management Practices Workshop 7 - Pesticide Use in the Landscape Date: February 13, 2006. Registration, 8:00 am CST, sessions from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm. Place: U.K. Research and Education Center, Princeton, KY Topics include:
Best Management Practices Workshop 7 - Pesticide Use in the Landscape Date: February 14, 2006. Registration, 8:00 am EST, sessions from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm. Place: Brooklawn Youth and Family Services, 2125 Goldsmith Lane, Louisville, KY Topics include (same as Princeton workshop):
Interested landscape maintenance professionals should contact the organizers for more information. Registration fees for these workshops and meetings range from $35 to $50 with a discount in some cases for advance or multiple registrations. It is helpful to pre-register for these meetings; all three events include lunch.
NOTE: Trade names are used to simplify the information presented in this newsletter. No endorsement by the Cooperative Extension Service is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products that are not named.
Lee Townsend
Extension Entomologist