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

Ayanava Majumdar

Extension Entomologist

Peanuts & Vegetables

August 24, 2010

IPM Update for Farmers and Gardeners

Alabama Cooperative Extension is committed to provide you research based solutions for real life problems. Integrated pest management or IPM is a unique program area that is aimed at managing insects, diseases and weeds in a holistic manner by incorporating diverse control tactics. I have been conducting a variety of peanut and vegetable IPM research projects in 2010 and have observed several insect outbreaks in 2010. The sentinel vegetable plots (untreated observation plots) were devastated by the corn earworms, armyworms and tomato hornworms very early this summer. There is a statewide insect monitoring project active in Alabama which serves to indicate outbreaks before they happen, and this year the insect traps have indicated that tobacco budworm (TBW) moths are twice as active as last year. The reason I am mentioning TBW is that this insect looks similar to the corn earworm in the caterpillar stage but TBW is a very difficult insect to control in commercial vegetable and peanut fields. Each year, many farmers routinely misidentify the caterpillars and apply the wrong insecticide or apply chemicals too late. It appears that there is a rising population of TBW in the Mobile and Baldwin Counties; at the time of releasing this article the TBW trap catches were still increasing every 10-15 days. In general, the synthetic pyrethroids are effective against corn earworms and armyworms but TBW can be managed by using spinosyn-based insecticides and insect growth regulators like indoxacarb.

The fall armyworm outbreaks happened early this year in pastures; the high moth trap catches throughout the central and the southern parts of the state in late June provided an early warning to these outbreaks. Typically, the fall armyworm moth activity peaks in mid to late July but the high temperatures seen in many parts of the state helped quicken the life cycle of this pest this year resulting in outbreaks in June. High moth activity translates into intense mating and egglaying by female moths. Although peanut plants can tolerate a high number of caterpillars, readers should note that the armyworm and looper population is building up in peanuts at present from where they can migrate to other crops. Also, producers with peanuts growing in dry, sandy areas should immediately scout crops for the lesser corn stalk borer (LCB). If you happen to be a peanut producer in the southeastern part of the state, then be on a HIGH ALERT for the lesser cornstalk borer. Agricultural Weather Information System website has a statistical model for LCB which indicates high threat from LCB in the following counties: Coffee, Dale, Henry, Houston, Geneva, Pike, Bullock, Macon, Elmore, Montgomery, Autauga, and Lowndes. LCB is a soil insect pest of peanuts and the caterpillars can potentially introduce aflatoxins to the produce. Growers should closely examine pegs and pods for silken tunnels that LCB make and also sample soil around the pegging zone at several places throughout the field. Note that this LCB ALERT coincides when the average moth numbers in insect traps around peanut fields are about 150-200. Application of Lorsban 15G in a band over the row and pegging zone is effective in controlling the LCB larvae in peanuts. For more info about LCB, please refer to the new ACES publication called SOIL INSECT PESTS OF PEANUTS (ANR-1351). 

Besides news about insect issues plaguing our crops, here are updates from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA has recently taken action against some popular insecticides like endosulfan (Thionex) and aldicarb (Temik) which will result in the phase-out of the products in two to four years. Cancellation of these products will affect a broad range of row crop and ornamental industry because these products have been widely used for over 50 years. This is an opportunity for growers to move on to new, selective insecticides. Peanut producers should consult the ACES entomology website for downloading various IPM publications about the crop, visit www.aces.edu/go/88. Commercial vegetable producers have a daunting task as there are 19 insecticidal chemistries to choose from and producers should consult the SE Vegetable Crop Handbook to choose the appropriate product for specific insect problems. Simply visit www.aces.edu/go/87 for ACES vegetable entomology web page and to download the handbook. On both of the websites listed above are links to various IPM Factsheets and the new IPM Newsletter (details below). Home gardeners have actually seen an increase in pest control options on the store shelves this year (e.g., systemic insecticide by Bayer Advanced) - this is perhaps good news. Home vegetable producers should use systemic insecticides early in the season since the pre-harvest interval is 21 days.

The mission of the AL IPM program is to minimize potential human health risks and adverse environmental effects from pests and use of pesticides in agricultural and urban settings. Dr. Henry Fadamiro, the State IPM Coordinator at Auburn University, has announced that the Alabama IPM Program/Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) has received a three-year grant to support research and Extension activities aimed at promoting IPM in AL. The $921,360 grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institutes for Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA), will support development and implementation of economically and environmentally sound IPM practices in traditional and non-traditional agriculture in Alabama through research, training, demonstration, outreach and communication. In short, get ready for more intense research and educational programs that will enrich your life!

You can read all about these and other stories in the new IPM electronic newsletter called “The IPM COMMUNICATOR” that is issued every Friday to benefit the farmers in various parts of the state; to sign up for this free Extension bulletin please send an email to bugdoctor@auburn.edu. The newsletter archive is located at www.aces.edu/go/128  (14 issues are available currently). To listen to audio version of newsletter, please call 1-800-446-0375.

Email address: azm0024@auburn.edu

Phone: 937-7176 or 943-5061, 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.