Insects

Fruit and Vegetable News, Volume 12, Issue 2 (May 13, 2021)

In order to capture the range of pest pressures and growing conditions in Maryland, we replicated our study across 3 UMD research farms (Keedysville, Beltsville, and Queenstown) and over 3 years (2020-2022). At each location we planted one field of a Bt hybrid and one field of a similarly-yielding non-Bt hybrid as early as possible in the growing season (Table 1). In 2020 our Bt hybrid was LC1196 VT2P (Local Seed, Memphis, TN) which expresses Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab2 proteins. In 2021 and 2022 we planted P1197YHR (Pioneer Hi-bred International. Johnston, IA) which contains Cry1Ab and Cry1F proteins. We planted P1197LR (Pioneer Hi-bred International, Inc. Johnston, IA) for our non-Bt hybrid all three years. All hybrids had excellent yield potential and were grown with standard no-till practices. In each field we established 3 replicates of 3 treatments at planting: 1) an untreated control, with bare seed and no in-furrow product, 2) an in-furrow pyrethroid treatment using Capture LFR® (active ingredient: bifenthrin, rate: 13.6 fl oz/acre), and 3) an NST treatment using Poncho® (active ingredient: clothianidin, rate: 0.25 mg/seed). Each replicate consisted of 24 rows of corn at 30 inch row spacing, and was 200 feet long.

Read about our upcoming online courses for the fall and about this year's Maryland-Delaware Master Logger. There's also the News and Notes summary about stories you might have missed, as well as our regular features the Woodland Wildlife Spotlight, Invasives in Your Woodland, and the Brain Tickler challenge. 

Recently planted field crops may be at risk from slug damage due to the heavy rains and cooler temperatures we have experienced in the mid-Atlantic from the end of April into the beginning of May. Therefore, the UMD fact sheet “Managing Slugs in Field Crops Using IPM Principles” may be of interest.

Scientists studying Lyme Disease and forest health surmise that prescribed burning could both reduce the tick population and restore certain woodland ecologies.

The News and Notes roundup for this issue features advice about dealing with the spongy moth, ways to help keep your property accessible during wildfires, a timeline about wood heating technology, and how you can get your green industry business listed with the Woodland Stewardship Education program's online directory.

Take a look at the research happening here at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center in Upper Marlboro (CMREC-UM). Even though we are one of the smallest Research and Education Centers (RECs) in the State, our scope of research is quite vast.  Here at CMREC-UM you will find research on agronomy, cover crops, forestry, horticulture, irrigation, livestock, water quality and more.

The grape root borer (GRB), Vitacea polistiformis (Harris), is an insect pest native to the Eastern United States. Its range is from the central Midwest (west) to the Atlantic Ocean (east) and from Florida and Texas (south) to Vermont and Michigan (north). GRB is a pest of all commercial grape types and feeds on native Vitis. It has a long life cycle and takes many years for it to do significant damage to grapevines. However, once grape root borers are present in a vineyard, the unlimited susceptible food source can dramatically increase the infestation. The grape root borer effect may not be immediately apparent on the vines, but once the number of larvae reaches a sufficient level, damage can be significant. Because it is an ("invisible") root tunneling pest, many growers are unaware of the economic damage being caused by GRB.

The cool, wet spring weather we have been experiencing favors slugs, so be on the lookout for slug damage. Slug damage may easily be confused for sap beetle feeding, but management of these pests is very different, so it is important to correctly identify the problem. Both pests can be common in matted row production. Authors: Sankara Ganesh, Maria Cramer, and Kelly Hamby, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park

Fruit and Vegetable News, Volume 12, Issue 3 (June 10, 2021)