Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Telephone (251) 937-7176 or

928-0860/943-5061 ext. 2222

FAX (251) 937-7285

Richard Petcher

Regional Extension Agent/Agronomic Crops

August 3, 2010

Corn Harvest is a Bumper Crop

Corn harvest has just begun in South Alabama and growers are harvesting one of the best crops of corn they have ever made.  Growers every year do the very best job they can.  The rainfall this year has made the bumper crop. 

The Soybean Crop is also looking good.

Soybean Asian Rust (SBR) is already in Southwest Alabama.  Dr. Ed Sikora, AU Soybean Plant Pathologist found soybean rust on soybeans in two sentinel plots in Southwest Alabama on June 23rd.  These plots were in Fairhope and in Brewton.  This indicates that rust has the potential to be a more significant problem this year depending on how weather conditions develop over the next few months.  Growers in Washington, Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia, Conecuh and Monroe counties with soybeans at the R3 to R4 growth stage or later should consider the use of a fungicide at this time if a fungicide has not been applied previously.  Since it is likely these fields have been exposed to SBR, a tank mix combination of a strobilurin and a triazole fungicide, or a prepackaged tank-mix of the two products, would be most beneficial.   

Fungicides used before bloom are not considered economical.  Though symptoms of soybean rust can occur on soybeans before bloom, this has not yet been observed in Alabama.  Soybeans that have reached the full pod-R6 growth stage should not be sprayed as there appears to be little benefit from a fungicide application after this growth period has been reached.  There have been several changes this past year to the fungicides that will be and are now labeled for management of soybean rust.  These are now posted on the soybean rust fungicide manual website:  http://oardc.osu.edu/soyrust/ in Appendix B.  Soybean Rust Hot Line: 800-446-0388.

Cotton Production: The cotton crop also looks very promising.  The battle of the insects from now until harvest will be most growers’ main concern.  Dr. Ron Smith, AU Cotton Entomologist has initiated (with special help from several others) an Alabama Insect Blog.  http://alabama-insects.blogspot.com/  The Georgia Insect Hotline and the Cotton Pest Management Newsletter, is helpful as well.  Check the Cotton Insect Hotline (1-800-851-2847) for updates on current insect conditions. The Cotton Pest Management Newsletter and additional cotton production information is also posted on the UGA Cotton Homepage at: http://www.ugacotton.com

 Peanut Production: Alabama Growers planted an estimated 185,000 acres of peanuts this season.  Our crop looks very good.  Growers must control their weeds and insects.  However, controlling the peanut diseases for the rest of the season is the primary road to profits.   This year there are an overwhelming number of fungicides for use on peanuts.   The main thing is to be timely on your fungicide application. 

Email address: rpetcher@aces.edu

Phone number: 937-7176 or 943-5061, 928-0860, ext. 2222

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.