Sugarcane Aphids May Be Problem For Sorghum Growers In 2015

Feb 19, 2015

By Wayne C. Bailey

Missouri sorghum growers may find white sugarcane aphids gumming up harvest equipment and reducing yields this fall, says University of Missouri Extension entomologist Wayne Bailey.

The bugs are moving northward from southern states. They were found in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Arkansas last year.

Discolored leaves and sticky plants are telltale signs of infestation. The tiny bugs are difficult to see. Their bites tear leaves and damage plant cells. They suck juices through their straw-like piercing mouths and excrete a sugary, sticky liquid waste called honeydew that clogs up combines.

Without chemical applications, the bugs multiply quickly. Bailey says a 40 percent economic threshold suggests spraying with pesticides.

The bugs may have changed their host species from sugarcane to grain and forage sorghums, including most sorghum-Sudan grass crosses, which are genetically similar. They also damage Johnson grass and dallisgrass. Last year Texas A&M Extension reported the bugs reduced yields by up to 50 percent in infested sorghum fields.

They are gray to tan or light yellow and have dark feet. At the rear they have dark structures called cornicles that look like tailpipes. Under ideal conditions, populations of the sugarcane aphid double every five to seven days.

These tiny bugs cause big problems, Bailey said.

Source: missouri.edu

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.