Monroe County agriculture: Watch now for wheat diseases
Weather for mid-May is supposed to be getting drier than was April. One reason to pay attention to growing degree day (GDD) (heat units) is to predict insect emergence, growth or feeding activity. Another reason is to gauge the growing season for planting crop varieties and anticipating projected maturity dates. As of May 8, at the Michigan State University Enviroweather station at Deerfield, our area has accumulated 251.6 GDD (base 50 degrees) since April 1, compared to 183.4 last year and only 117.8 GDD in 2022. Since April 1, we have had 105 hours of rainfall, totaling 5.29 inches, compared to 3.47 inches over 72 hours last year. The new National Weather Service Climate Predication Center’s eight- to 14-day forecast, valid May 15-21, is leaning to above normal temperatures and a probability for normal amounts of precipitation. Its forecast for May 18-31 is for below normal temperatures and rainfall. The 30-day forecast is projecting below normal temperatures and equal chances for above or below normal amounts of precipitation.
Weed control and planting, particularly for corn, are hot topics on May 8. Black cutworm moth catches range from high to low in southwestern Ontario and northwestern Ohio. Black cutworms are attracted to weedy fields to lay their eggs. A single black cutworm is capable of destroying up to four corn plants. Highest risk fields are those planted late, in poorly drained areas or contain weeds prior to planting. Farmers should consider the use of an insecticide, since no Bt traits are listed in the Bt Trait Table for black cutworm. Farmers can Google “MSU Field Crop Insect Pest Management Guide” to download a copy, which has chapters for insect pests of field corn, forages, small grains and soybeans.
True armyworm moths are being found in traps in northwest Ohio. This insect will be attracted to wheat fields now and can seemingly “march” across a wheat field, eating and destroying the crop quickly, if not scouted for and controlled. Moths lay their eggs in the soil and the larvae start feeding on the lowest leaves first, working up the top (flag) leaf. Once the vegetation is mostly gone, armyworms will clip and leave wheat heads on the soil. Refer to the note above to Google the new MSU Field Crop Insect Guide.
Wheat diseases are a definite possibility now and as wheat moves into heading, it is critical to protect against Fusarium head blight, or scab. It is easy to check the Penn State Head Scab computer forecasting model for risk of this disease in our area. This assessment tool can be found at plantpath.osu.edu/research/impact/tool and helps guide farmers in cost-efficient and environmentally-sound disease management decisions. The Crop Protection Network has a Small Grain Disease Management, CPN-3002-W, listing Fungicide Efficacy for Control of Wheat Diseases, that can be downloaded free of charge. Michigan wheat farmers can get free wheat diagnostic tests from the MSU Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic, courtesy of the Michigan Wheat Program. This program allows wheat farmers to submit samples to the lab, which diagnoses general crop health, cultures fungal and bacterial pathogens, tests for viruses, analyzes for nematodes and detects and identifies insect pests. Simply go to miwheat.org and scroll down to “free diagnostics” to download the form and sampling instructions.
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Plant the “three sisters” of sweet corn, pole beans and squash in the vegetable garden. This is companion planting at its best, with three plants growing symbiotically to deter weeds and pests, enrich the soil and support each other. Popcorn or ornamental “Indian” corn could be substituted as well as various summer or winter squash varieties. Bigger-size pumpkin varieties may be too vigorous and heavy. Plant the corn first, then follow with beans and squash once corn plants are about six to 12 inches tall so they can support the other two crops. Then plant the beans, followed a week later with the squash. Edible or ornamental sunflowers could be included and planted as a “fourth sister” to attract pollinators.
— Ned Birkey is an MSU Extension educator emeritus and a regular contributor to The Monroe News.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County agriculture: Watch now for wheat diseases
