Craven County Center
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
300 Industrial Drive
New Bern, North Carolina 28562
252-633-1477 Phone
252-633-2120 Fax
Agricultural Update
In this Issue…..
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Upcoming Events
Kudzu Bug Update
Pest Alerts & Web
Tools
Shaping the Future
Crop Management
Corn Yield Contest
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June 2012
UPCOMING EVENTS
Pamlico County Farm Tour – On Thursday, July 19th from 8:30 am – 1:30 pm,
Pamlico County will host a farm tour to review corn and soybean production research
plots and variety trials. This short tour provides an opportunity to discuss research
with NCSU Specialists, network with agricultural business representatives and gain
pesticide and/or CCA credits. Check the Pamlico County Extension web site at
pamlico.ces.ncsu.edu for more details.
Commercial Ground Applicators Recertification – On Monday, June 25th from 10
am – 12 Noon, in Washington, NC, Jacob Searcy will offer 2 hours of pesticide credits
for categories, A B G H I K L M N O T D and X. To register, contact Jacob at (252)
946-0111 or email him at [email protected]
Updating Your Arsenal – On Tuesday, June 26th at the Jones County Extension
office, Trenton, NC from 11:00 am – Noon, Jacob Morgan will provide a class offering
1.0 hour of pesticide credit for categories A, G, H, L, N, O, D, and X. Contact Jacob at
448-9621 or email him at [email protected] for more information or to register.
Private Applicator Pesticide Safety Training - Jacob Morgan will offer a private
applicator safety class on Tuesday, June 26th at the Jones County Extension office,
Trenton, NC from 1:00-3:00 pm. Contact Jacob at 448-9621 or email him at
[email protected] for more information or to register.
NOTE: This is only a partial listing of pesticide classes. For a full list, visit the NCDA
& CS Pesticide Section website at www.ncagr.gov/pesticides
Sorghum Production Update – On Friday, July 20th, at 8:00 am, NCSU faculty will
provide a web-based program to discuss pertinent management issues for sorghum.
Insect & disease management, harvest schedule, and storage issues will be
addressed. This live broadcast allows for questions and answer. We will be glad to
host this event but will need to know in advance in order to set up equipment. If you
would like to attend, please contact our office by Monday, July 16th. Call or email
Penny Shue at 633-1477 or email to [email protected].
KUDZU BUG UPDATE
At the time of writing, the threat of kudzu bugs seems to be declining. Even so, it is not uncommon to find
heavily infested areas within soybeans fields. Too, these insects migrate rapidly. Thus, continue scouting. Generally,
treatments on early season soybeans are warranted with an average of 1 adult per sweep. However, this pest is not like
caterpillar pests that feed and grow rapidly. Thus, it is not likely that the early season infestation will result in an “out of
control” situation if we wait a day or two to make a decision. NCSU Entomologists, Dr. Dominic Reisig and Dr. Jack
Bacheler post updates for the kudzu bug at http://www.nccrops.com/.
PEST ALERTS AND WEB TOOLS
The following links provide information of the progression of disease and/or insect presence as well as some
decision aid programs. Please check these sites frequently for updates.
Soybean Rust (http://sbr.ipmpipe.org/cgi-bin/sbr/public.cgi) has been confirmed in most Gulf States. As of June 15th,
Soybean Rust (SBR) was detected on kudzu in Decatur and Miller counties in southwest, Georgia. This is the first report
of SBR in Georgia. The closest confirmed SBR is approximately 390 miles from Charlotte, 615 miles from Elizabeth City,
445 miles from Fayetteville, 325 miles from Murphy, 495 miles from Raleigh, 545 miles from Washington, 455 miles from
Wilmington, and 455 miles from Winston-Salem, NC. Since the confirmed SBR sites are greater than 100 miles from
us, it is not recommended to treat with fungicide to control SBR at this time.
Southern Corn Rust (http://scr.ipmpipe.org/cgi-bin/sbr/public.cgi) is typically associated more with the southern regions
of the US. However, this disease is rapidly spreading across Georgia. This rust spreads by windblown spores.
Temperatures around 80o F and high humidity favor rapid increase of the disease. Initial symptoms are chlorotic flecks
on leaf surfaces that later develop into oval to elongate reddish brown to orange powdery pustules on upper leaf
surfaces. Pustules become reddish-brown as they mature. Many fungicides control this disease but it is essential to
obtain coverage of the entire plant to be effective. Thus, ground equipment using 20 GPA or aerial applications with 5
GPA as a minimum is required (Lower volumes will simply not provide adequate control). For a complete list of
registered products, consult the 2012 NC Agricultural Chemicals Manual*, page 400 for information (online at
http://ipm.ncsu.edu/agchem/agchem.html). We have also posted a publication written by NCSU Dr. Steven Koenning
and Dr. Ron Heiniger on our website (craven.ces.ncsu.edu) under the Field Crop section’s “Featured Links”.
*According to Scott Anderson, Valent, USA, Domark is labeled for this disease in corn but registration was received after
the 2012 NC Agricultural Chemicals Manual was printed.
Peanut Spray Advisory and Notes (http://www.peanuts.ncsu.edu/Default.aspx) can provide current input and
evaluation of pest problems or other issues. Currently, notes from Dr. David Jordan and Dr. Rick Brandenburg are listed
under the ‘Notes” section. Posts are provided 1-3 times a week regarding peanut management. Later in the season,
leaf spot and sclerotinia advisories will be provided. Please note that these disease control recommendations are based
upon individual field location, specific management practices, and local weather station data. As such,
recommendations may vary by grower, field location and weather stations. If you prefer direct email, contact Barbara
Shew ([email protected]) and request to be placed on the peanut disease advisory mailing list. Doing so will
provide daily emails regarding disease control. (Note: There are basically two methods of controlling peanut diseases.
Either one applies preventative products on a strict 14-day schedule or uses the advisories to apply preventative
treatments. Using the first options requires less thought but is more expensive. Using the advisory if often significantly
cheaper but requires that one maintains records of treatment as well as visits the website at least once per week). Given
that many growers often have fields in various part of a county, if you use the advisory system, do not assume that if a
treatment is required on one field or one location that all fields need the same treatment. It may, or it may not,
depending upon many factors.
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WebHADS (http://www.webhadss.ncsu.edu/) stands for the web-based version of Herbicide Application Decision
Support System for field crops. As example, given a small population of a mixtures of pigweed (glyphosate resistant
only), morningglories, sicklepod, broadleaf signalgrass and yellow nutsedge (common weeds within Craven County), the
best return on investment was calculated to be glyphosate (1.5 pts) + FirstRate (0.2 oz). The next choice was simply
glyphosate alone at 2.0 pts. The third and fourth choices were similar (glyphosate at 1.5 pts + Resource at 2.0 oz or
Classic at 0.33 oz/ac). What product did you apply?
Soybean Corn Earworm (CEW) Threshold Calculator (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/plymouth/ent/cewthresholdcalc.html).
With changing prices of pesticides as well as soybeans, it is critical to know the correct CEW threshold prior to treating.
Assuming a price of soybeans of $10/bu results in a CEW threshold of about 1.0 worm per foot of row for soybeans
planted on 38” rows. At $14/bu, the threshold drops to less than 1.0 per foot of row. Visit the site and calculate the
exact threshold that fits your management.
Tobacco Blue Mold. Tobacco blue mold forecasts are no longer available via the Internet. However, we will provide
updates via email. If you wish to receive this email, please email your request to me at [email protected]. If you
suspect blue mold, please contact our office.
SHAPING THE FUTURE
Imagine what Coastal Eastern NC would look like if the populaiton suddenly grew by 1 million. Based upon
past trends and anticipated growth, Eastern NC will grow by this much by 2050. Where will these folks live? …in tall,
building apartments? Suburbs? Scattered along farmlands? What type of roads or transportation systems will be
required? Which areas of historic or economic interest do we preserve? Which areas do we designate as areas to
develop? Will agriculture persists? These types of questions are currently being reviewed by the PlanIt East committee,
a regional partnership and part of the NC Eastern Development Commission (http://www.nceast.org/about). As part of
planning process this group will host a workshop titled, EnvisionEAST – 2050 on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at the
Trenton Civic Center. This event will host 300 participants that will be divided into working groups of 10. Each group will
discuss and outline potential growth. It is desired to have representation from all major groups within Eastern NC. As
such, the group hopes to have at least one representative from agriculture within each of these working groups. While
this event is open to public participation, to ensure that all areas of interest are represented, participants must make an
application to attend as well as committ themselves to the one-day event. The deadline for application is August 1st.
Consider making an application to represent agriculture. While it may require some advance planning and it will
require filling out a short application via the internet, it may provide you the opportunity to discuss the importance of
agriculture to this region, discuss existing problems and examine any potential problems associated with
growth/development to citizens that probably are not aware of such issues. Also consider this, if someone had
progressively thought about such things fifty years ago, we might not have some of the problems associated with rapid
growth that we do now.
Also consider the fact that since the early 1980’s, projections for population growth for Craven County have not
only been met, but exceeded. In fact, the population often reached the projected targets ahead of schedule. Another
consideration that we all need to examine is whether we have sufficient youth that can and will farm. (If we do not have
young farmers to continue farming as you retire, what will become of the land?) It will also be important to look at other
areas with a high population. Currently in Western NC, agriculture is still strong but it much of the growth consists of
small farms supplying local foods and specialty crops. In states with a high population such as California or Florida,
large scale agriculture still exists but much of it is also specialty crops? Given all these potential scenarios, how will
agriculture fit into growth plans?
Please seriously consider these questions and applying to attend the event. To learn more about the event,
visit the website, http://www.planiteast.org/envisioneast-2050. If you wish to go directly to the application, visit the
website, http://www.planiteast.org/envisioneast-application. If assistance in needed in filling out the short application,
simply contact our office.
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Personal Note: Having worked occassionally with members of this group, I can relate that they take the long-term
planning seriously. Deciding upon how we grow and still maintian agriculture, forest lands, military, business, historic
interest, infrastructure, etc. is a challenge. As you might expect, many of these folks no longer have direct ties to farming
so the knowledge of agriculture may be limited. Simply put, I’ll not gurantee that the projected growth will occur as
predicted. Anything may happen. However, we need agricultural input at this meeting. If you participate you will need
to be open to new ideas yet willing to be a firm and vocal advocate of agriculture.
CROP MANAGEMENT AFTER EXCESSIVE RAINS
Nearly all of the county received excessive rainfall in May that led to excessive nutrient loss within the upper soil
profile. Virtually all plant tissue and soil samples taken this season reveal low nitrogen (N), sulfur (S) and potassium (K) .
If the soil pH was low, low calcium and/or magnesium was also evident. Lastly, saturated soils often result in temporarily
low manganese. It is wise to monitor plant color and growth closely.
Pale green to yellow plants usually indicate a sulfur deficiency. Similarly, nitrogen deficiency may be pale green
to yellow but the new growth (top of plant) is normally dark green to normal in appearance. Potassium generally shows
yellow bottom leaves with slight necrosis (decay) along the leaf edge or margins. Manganese deficicency usualy result
in yellow streaks between leaf veins. Watch for these symtpoms and take corrective measures as soon as possible. For
many, this may mean that fertilizer choices must address multiple deficiencies. As example, K-mag (0-0-22) will provide
potassium and sulfur. Utilization of a nitrogen solution with sulfur will supply N and S. On extremely deep sands, all of
these nutrients discussed may warrant attention. The point is that we do not need to delay correcting for nutrient
deficiencies.
Lastlly, many have called regarding the potential benefit of foliar applications of foliar fertilizers. Under the
condition where the nutrients are leached below the root zone, corrective fertilization applications have been applied but
the soil remains dry, foliar products may provide a benefit. However, if you choose to use one of these products, keep in
mind that 1) foliar burn may result; 2) at best, these treatments will only provide enough nutrients to promote growth for
about a week; 3) these products will not correct for other problems (nematodes, soil compaction, leaf scald, etc.) and 4)
foliar uptake will be limited by the size of the plant and coverage. While it is doubful that it will “stimulate growth” it may
in fact provide a plant about a weeks worth of nutrients until greater root growth and more favorable conditions exists.
The following notes are crop specific. Hopefully they will help you make decisions and avoid potential
problems.
Tobacco - Even though the tobacco crop is highly variable in size, many fields are approaching time for topping and
sucker control. Adequate sucker control depends upon many factors but two critical issues are timing of application and
nitrogen fertilization. First let’s address timing. As stated on the Tobacco Growers’ Portal, “topping tobacco in the button
stage (soon after the flower begins to appear) rather than later increases yield and body if suckers are controlled
(http://www.ncsu.edu/project/tobaccoportal/). Delay of topping generally decreases yield by 1% per day. Thus, it is
advised to top and apply sucker control products early.
Next consider total nitrogen rates. Research shows that the addition of 16 lbs/ac of nitrogen above the
recommended rates reduces sucker control to about 66%. The addition of 50+ lbs/ac of excess nitrogen decreases
sucker control to 55%. The concern for our current situation is that while the crop may show nitrogen deficiency from
excessive rains, much of the nitrogren may be still be in the soil but just beyond the plant root zone. Too, many adjusted
for leaching losses by adding 10-20 lbs/ac of nitrogen. Except for deep sandy soils, as the plants grow and extends
roots deeper into the soils, this additional nitrogen may stimulate excessive plant growth….. including suckers. This may
be especially critical if the tobacco follows a failed corn crop from 2011. According to the 2012 Tobacco Information
publication, contact applications should be applied when 50-60% of the plants show small buttons since no material will
control a sucker larger than 1”. The suggested rate of a C8-C10 alcohol contact is 4%. This may result in some
chemical “topping”. However, according to the same publication, as a general rule, if 5-10% of the first application does
not chemically “top” a few buttons, the concentration of the application was either too weak or the application was made
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too late to effectively control suckers (2012 Tobacco Information, pages 109-112). Given these circumstances, it seems
logical to spot treat when necessary to promote a more uniform crop and to apply early as possible.
Regretably, many tobacco producers face an entirely different scenario. Plants have bloomed and have been
blooming for more than a week. Nitrogen in the soil is low (and probably potassium and sulfur too) which has resulted in
yellow, thin bottom leaves. To compound matters, plants are too tall to utilize most equipment to correct nutrient
deficiences. In this case, aerial application of dry materials or repeated applications of liquid foliar products may salvage
the crop. Regrettably, it is not certain whether plant roots will move rapidly enough or deep enough to find the much
needed, N, K or S nutrients to salvage the already yellow and decaying bottom leaves. Other management that may
help this situation is to simply top plants as soon as possible to divert nutrients and energy into leaf production rather
than the bloom.
Cotton - The stage of cotton varies from about two true leaves to 14” tall with the size and stage following the planting
date. Thus, for some fields, nitrogen applications are warranted immediately. For others, this can be delayed. Our goal
is to get what seems like two or three separate crops to mature at the same time to facilitate a timely harvest while
maintaining high yield. We can do this if weather and management permits. First, until the plants stems become a bit
more “woody” take care to precisely apply any directed treatments. For smaller cotton, avoid excessive surfactants or
tank mixes (if possible) when making over the top herbicide treatments. Secondly, simply wait. Cotton growth is slow, in
part due to past rains and cool nights. As warm weather and rains return, the plants will grow rapidly. Thinking forward,
be aggressive with plant growth applicator products for the later planting fields. Finally, adjust the nitrogen rates to fit the
soil type and timing. Using the same rate on late planted cotton is not wise unless you 1) have your own picker; 2) are
betting on a long, warm fall and 3) don’t mind spending a bit more money to defoliate the crop.
Peanuts - As mentioned earlier, the website listed in this newsletter provides phenominal notes on current production
issues. Thus I”ll refer you to the previously mentioned website rather than repeat the information. However, there are a
few issues that warrant repeating. The first is that with the cold nights of early spring, prolonged rains/clouds, sudden
extreme heat and/or satuarated soils, many fields have spots (or sometimes an entire field) that are poorly innoculated.
Thus, peanuts are yellow and are not producing the critical nitorgen necessary to survive. The only means of evaluation
is to dig the peanut up (do not pull the plant as this will remove many of the roots and nodules) and count the number of
live nodules per plant. If plants have 5-10 live nodules, this is probably insufficent for normal production. We can wait a
while to see if the condition improves but we certainaly need to have corrective measures applied before July 1 st.
Without adequate nodules, we will need to apply the nitrogen. Dr. David Jordan suggests 90 lbs/ac of actual N via
ammonium sulfate which will supply about 96% of the potential yield. Other amounts may work well. As example, 120150 lbs./ac of actual N provide 98% of potential yield and 80 lbs.ac of actual N provides about 89% of potential yield.
See Peanut Note 31-2012 Yellow Peanuts at http://www.peanuts.ncsu.edu/Default.aspx for more details.
The second critical issue invovles tank mixing as we aim to “catch up” as well as control pests. Generally, tank
mixes of 2-3 way herbicides present no problem. Adding an insecticide (if warranted for leaf hoppers or thrips) does not
seem to complicate things too much. However, adding additional products to this may or may not be wise given current
circusmstance. Peanuts have too many products, too many additives and too many circumstance to adequately cover
this topic in this newsletter. Fortuneately, Dr. David Jordan prepared a short presentation, (Peanut Note 30- 2012 Tank
Mixes) for full details (http://www.peanuts.ncsu.edu/Default.aspx).
Next, make sure to monitor leafhoppers. This pest is difficult to evalute and often treatments are made too late.
If the typical yellow spots on leaves that result from the feeding of this insect exceed 30%, then treatments are too late.
Sweep the field or shake the vines to determine whether this pest is present. If you see considerable yellowing,
leafhoppers flutter around when you shake the vines, and you have a scheduled trip over the field to apply other
materials, consider adding an insecticide. If temperatures remain hot, this pest usually declines. If temperatues are
cool to moderate, the pest persists. (Refer to the 2012 NC Agricultural Chemicals Manual for a list of labeled insectides
and Peanut Note 32- 2012 Yellow Peanuts for more information).
Finally, if not applied already, begin to apply gypsum to supply calcium. Calcium is critical for pod development.
Calcium moves upward in a peanut plant but not downward. Thus developing pods must absorb calcium from the soil.
While there is variability in the yield response to calcium since the interaction between environment, seed size, soil type,
fertilization, native soil calcium levels and soil moisture is too variable to predict, a consistent response has been better
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market grades. Thus, gypsum as a calcium source is recommended. Rates vary according to the source of gypsum and
range from 1200 to 2,000 lbs/ac (See Table 3-18, page 31 in the 2012 Peanut Information for specific rates). Excessive
rates do no increase yield or quality. Best results are obtained when gypsum is applied in late June or early July.
Moisture is needed to make the gypsum soluble and calcium available to the plant.
Sorghum – This crop does not like cold, wet soils nor cold temperatures at night. Regrettably, this is precisely what we
have experienced. This has resulted in slow, unever growth as well as nitrogen and sulfur deficiencies. For sorghum
planted on soils with a relatively shallow clay layer or higher organic matter content, plant growth and color should
correct itself as warmer weather continues. However, on deep sands we may need to consider applying a small amount
of nitrogen and sulfur. According to Dr. Ron Heiniger, sorghum with nutrient stress 30 days after planting can lose as
much as 1.0 bu/day until corrrected. The panicle, or seed head, begins formation as early as the 6th leaf stage. Thus,
we generally have from this stage until about early boot stage to correct nutrient deficiencies before we experience
dramatic yield loss.
To date, the tremendous variation in weather and the subsequent response of growth by soil type has resulted
in incredible differences in sorghum stages withn individual fields. Thus scouting will be difficult and critical. Three pests
warrant careful consideration. The sorghum midge is usually a minor pest that migrates from the southern states. Given
the warmer winter and early season heat, we should carefully monitor this pest. Secondly, anthracnose, is a fungus that
is likely to be found. This fungus thrives in warm weather. Fungicide uses has been shown to increase yields when this
disease is present. Lastly, while normally a late season pests, recent field visits have revealed corn earworms in other
young crops. Thus, while abnormal, we can not rule out the potential of small areas that may have some sort of
caterpillar pest. The bottom line, scout fields regularly. For more information on insect and diseases, download the
sorghum production guide at http://craven.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=fieldcrops.
Soybeans – Rains delayed much of the soybean planting so many fields are still small or emerging. However, for the
early planted soybeans, we have examined four common problems: 1) Manganese deficiency (Mn) ; 2 ) root knot and
cyst nematodes; 3) soil compaction: and 4) bean leaf beetles (or other defoliators). Of these, only the manganese and
insect problems can be addressed with this crop. Some of the manganese deficicency probems are temporary resulting
from saturated soil. This should correct itself with time. However, if the yellowing between the veins does not improve,
consider application of a foliar Mn product. Since the soybeans are small, lower rates (0.25-0.33 lbs/ac of actual Mn)
should improve the situation. Higher rates of 0.5 lbs/ac of actual Mn can be used on larger soybeans. Regardless of the
rate, additional treatments may be warranted later in the season if the symptom returns. On the plus side of things, Mn
applications are cheap and often produce great benefit.
Regarding insect control, isolated fields scouted reveal bean leaf beetle damage to soybeans. This pest (and
many others) are actively feeding on soybean foliage. Treatment is warranted when 30% of the leaves are defoliated.
Generally, we tend to over-estimate soybean leaf loss so find an example on the web prior to scouting. Remember,
soybeans can tolerate a great deal of leaf area loss and still produce high yields if the loss occurs prior to bloom.
However, if any pest exceeds this defoliation, treatment is warranted.
CORN YIELD CONTEST
Some growers have a great opportunity to show the public that we follow the recommended practices that
promote wise use of land and resources…simply enter corn yield contests. While the modest side of most folks might
not desire to receive the attention, having lcoal producers as regional, state or natioanl winners promotes a positive
image to the public. Consider designating a field for such contest since we have received weather that promotes
potential high corn yield. Many seed companies offer payment fo entry fees, free trips, monetary awards, plaques and
other recognition for winners. If you need assistance, simply contact our office. You deserve the recognition for a job
well done!
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If you decicde to enter the National Corn Yield Contest, make sure you desginate the appropriate area. The
minimum acres for this contest is 10 acres and the deadline for entry is rapdily approaching. Visit the website,
http://www.ncga.com/ncyc for more details. For state contest, the field can be smaller. Visit the website,
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/plymouth/cropsci/cyc/ for details about the NC Corn Yield Contest.
If we can be of any assistance, please contact our office at 633-1477
Mike Carroll
Extension Agent
Agriculture
Accommodations for individuals with disabilities or special needs: Individuals with disabilities or special needs desiring
accommodations to participate in these activities should contact Tom Glasgow at 633-1477 at least two weeks prior the event. NC
Cooperative Extension takes seriously its obligation to accommodate the known disabilities of its faculty, staff and guests
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