Summary
Insects: Grasshoppers continue to be the biggest insect concern in crops, but levels vary in different regions. Some headlands, pastures and cereal fields were sprayed for grasshoppers. Scouting for aphids in small grain cereals continues.
Diseases: There have not been many disease issues this summer given the hot, dry conditions. However, under these conditions there are specific pest issues that come to light. Such was the case last week when a new case of soybean cyst nematode (SCN) was discovered in a soybean field believed to be suffering from iron deficiency chlorosis. The risk of rusts in cereals remains very low due to lack of development in the Nebraska-Kansas area and few air currents from the south.
Weeds: It’s been a challenging year for in-crop weed control, from extremes of temperature to days and days too windy to spray. Weeds that escaped in-crop control are starting to get some size on them and are becoming visible above the crop. Rains have been infrequent but the last few events have caused some weed flushes, and we’re seeing lots of smaller weeds below the canopy. We are hearing many complaints of poor weed control, weeds got hardened off due to environmental conditions, especially hot dry weather, which made control more difficult.
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