Krista Hamilton, Entomologist, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
Seasonable weather with intermittent showers throughout the week maintained favorable yield prospects for summer crops in Wisconsin. Temperatures were near normal for late August and most areas of the state received much-needed beneficial rainfall. Soybeans continued to develop five days behind last year and about one day ahead of the 5-year average, with 84% of the crop setting pods, a 12 percentage point increase over the previous week. Condition ratings for soybeans improved by one percentage point and 78% of the crop is rated as good to excellent, three points better than at the same time last year. The late summer moisture and lack of extreme heat that dominated most of the week ending August 25 supported harvesting of alfalfa, potatoes, small grains and sweet corn. Field activities for DATCP pest survey staff included sampling corn for rootworm beetles, setting traps for spotted lanternfly, collecting soil samples for nematode testing, and removing spongy moth traps.
Annual Western Bean Cutworm Moth Flight Comes to an End
Western bean cutworm moth flights have subsided at pheromone trap monitoring locations. As of August 25, the state total count is 4,804 moths in 36 traps (133 per trap average), an increase from the 5,607 moths in 48 traps (117 per trap average) collected last year and the highest state average count since western bean cutworm trapping surveys began in 2005. The highest individual count for the season was 437 moths near Portage in Columbia County, while nearly half of the sites recorded cumulative counts above 100 moths per trap for the season.
All western bean cutworm traps may be removed at this time. The DATCP Pest Survey Program wishes to extend its gratitude to all the volunteers who monitored traps again in 2022. THANK YOU to our cooperators for making this survey possible.
Read the full article >>> https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIDATCP/bulletins/329a5d2
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Go to the Wisconsin DATCP Field Notes home page >>> https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/FieldNotesNewsletter.aspx