Lexington, KY 40546

Online at: www.uky.edu/KPN

Number 1267 May 10, 2011
CORN FRUIT CROPS
-More Pest Risk with Late Planted Corn -Apple, Peach, Blackberry and Grape Diseases
Appearing Now
CUCURBITS
-Planning for Cucumber Beetle Management SHADE TREES
Should Start Early -Arthropod-Induced Galls Beginning to Appear

TOBACCO DIAGNOSTIC LAB HIGHLIGHTS

-Disease Update for the Week of May 9
INSECT TRAP COUNTS

CORN
More Pest Risk with Late Planted Corn
By Ric Bessin
With the delayed start to the corn season, the risk
of economic losses to insect pests increases
significantly. Probably the most important factor
affecting insect pest pressure in corn is planting
date. When we plant early or even ‘on time’ we
escape much of the more serious mid- and late-
season insect pressure. The reason for this is that it
takes time for local insect populations to build in
numbers and for southern pests to reinvade the
state. For each pest there are corn stages that are
more attractive than other stages and with some
pests like corn earworm only certain stages are
vulnerable to losses.
So producers need to plan on how to manage these
pest problems and anticipate these infestations.
One solution is to use Bt corn with these later
plantings. The table below compares the relative
effectiveness against many of the more common
insect pests in Kentucky. With late plantings the
risk increases significantly with corn earworm
(CEW), fall armyworm (FAW) and corn borers
(ECB and SWCB). The table also includes the
minimum refuge requirement with each
technology. Note that with some of the refuge in
the bag technologies, no additional external refuge
requirement is needed. These external refuges are
sometimes referred to as structured refuges.
Relative Efficacy of Bt corn Technologies
Against Insect Pests in Kentucky

Min.
Refuge
Corn Types
WCRW

Requir
SWCB

BCW

CEW

FAW
ECB

ement

YieldGard ++++ ++++ ++ ++ 20%

CB block
Herculex 1 ++++ ++++ ++ + +++ 20%
block
Agrisure CB ++++ ++++ ++ ++ 20%
block
YieldGard ++ 20%
RW block
Herculex ++ 20%
Figure 1. Evidence of stalk tunneling with corn RW block
Agrisure ++ 20%
borers. RW block
YieldGard ++++ ++++ ++ ++ ++ 20%
Plus block most often and in later stages produces a frass plug
Herculex ++++ ++++ ++ + +++ ++ 20%
Xtra block in the whorl to protect against insecticide
Agrisure ++++ ++++ ++ ++ ++ 20% applications, when we do need to control it, when
3000GT block
YieldGard ++++ ++++ ++ ++ +++ 20% generally time our foliar sprays during mid-whorl
VT3 block
YieldGard ++++ ++++ ++ +++ ++++ 5%
when the larvae are small (less than ¾”). Catching
VT2 Pro block them small makes control easier as smaller larvae
YieldGard ++++ ++++ ++ +++ ++++ +++ 20%
VT3 Pro block
succumb to a small dose and there is no frass plug.
SmartStax ++++ ++++ +++ +++ ++++ +++ 5% This is also killing them before most of the
block
Optimum ++++ ++++ ++ 5%
defoliation occurs. This insect is relatively easy to
Intrasect block scout for at this stage and we have good thresholds
Agrisure ++++ ++++ +++ ++++ ++++ 20%
Viptera 3110 block that can be used to make control decisions. If 5%
Agrisure ++++ ++++ +++ ++++ ++++ ++ 20% of the plants have the ‘hairy’ egg masses or 25%
Viptera 3111 block
AcreMax 1 ++++ ++++ ++ + +++ ++ RIB + of the plants have small larvae, then treatment is
20% advised. With the strong grain prices likely at the
block
AcreMax ++ RIB end of this season, I would consider reducing these
RW thresholds by about ½. See Entfact 110, Fall
SmartStax ++++ ++++ +++ +++ ++++ +++ RIB
Refuge armyworm in Corn, for more information.
Advanced/C
omplete
ECB = European corn borer ‘ ‘ = Little or no activity
SWCB = Southwestern corn borer ‘+‘ = Poor to fair control
BCW = Black cutworm ‘++’ = Good control
CEW = Corn earworm ‘+++’ = Very good control
FAW = Fall armyworm ‘++++’ = Excellent control
WCRW = Western corn rootworm

Even when using Bt corn, growers may still need

to manage insect pests on the late planted refuges.
My experience is that losses due to insect damage
can range from 10 to 25 bushels in late panted
corn when pests are not managed. Last year, a
research plot in Princeton that was planted in mid
June showed more than 40 bushel difference Figure 2. Southwestern corn borer.
between Bt and non-Bt corn.

We do have effective foliar insecticides for corn

pests. In terms of timing of foliar insecticide
applications, it will depend on the pest targeted. If
corn earworm is the target, then the start of silking
would be the most beneficial timing, but a single
application only provides partial control at best as
egg laying will occur over a 10 to 12 day period
before silks dry. In addition, sprays are best
directed at the central third of the plant. For this
reason, foliar control of corn earworm has not
been practical or economical.
Figure 3. European corn borer.
For fall armyworm control with foliar insecticides
the timing is usually much earlier. This pest is
attracted to vegetative corn and egg laying on
reproductive stage corn is much less common. Corn borers, European and southwestern, can also
I’ve seen two leaf corn covered up with eggs while severely injure late-planted corn. Late planted corn
tasseling corn next to it has no FAW at all. with escape damage by the first generation of both
Because the insect is attacking whorl stage corn
these insects but may still be in the vegetative
stage when the second generations begin their
attacks. So non-Bt late planted corn will need to be
scouted from mid-July onward for corn borers. See
Entfact 108, Southwestern Corn Borer, EntFact
106, Predicting Corn Borer Development, and
Ent-16, Insecticide Recommendations for Corn –
2011, for more information on these pests, their
thresholds for control, and recommended
insecticides. At the end of the season, heavily
damaged fields need to harvested as soon as
possible to limit losses due to ear drop and stalk
breakage.
CUCURBITS
Planning for Cucumber Beetle Management
Should Start Early
By Logan Minter and Ric Bessin
With field planting of cucurbit crops underway,
Kentucky growers need to begin their management
of cucumber beetles. Our two main species, the
spotted cucumber beetle and striped cucumber
beetle, are perennial pests which can inflict severe
damage through direct feeding, especially on
young plants. These beetles also vector pathogens
that lead to bacterial wilt disease of cucurbits.
Muskmelons and summer squash are particularly
susceptible to wilt disease. Beginning the last
week of April, we began seeing striped cucumber
beetles by the hundreds to thousands feeding on
trays of squash seedlings placed in fields near
Lexington and in southern Ohio (immediately
across the river from Greenup Co., KY). Massive
numbers like this can reduce unprotected seedlings
to stubble in a matter of days. Keep in mind, these
trays were the only cucurbits present in fields at
the time which highlights the risk for earlier
plantings.
also approved for organic production. However,
caution should be taken when employing row
covers. It transplanting in hot weather onto black
plastic, be sure not to “pin down” the plants
against the plastic as they will burn. Because
natural enemies are also excluded by the covers,
aphid numbers may also become high on the
plants. Releasing lady beetles under the covers
may offer some protection. To allow pollination,
covers need to be removed when female flowers
are present, but additional foliar sprays will be
needed to protect against beetles and other pests.
Alternatively, seedlings can be treated with
systemic insecticides such as imidacloprid (e.g.
Admire) or clothianadin (e.g. Belay). Seedling
application should give decent protection for
several weeks, but additional foliar applications of
pyrethroids will probably also be necessary. The
last alternative would be through the use of weekly
sprays with foliar insecticides. Care should be
taken with foliar sprays to avoid impact on
pollinators; impact can be minimized by applying
sprays late in the afternoon when pollinators are
not active. Hubbard squash varieties are
particularly attractive to beetles, and may be used
as treated trap crops. As always, be sure to use
any insecticides in accordance to product labels
and directions.

Because seedling plants are so vulnerable, early

protection is a must. This can be accomplished by
physically excluding pests with row covers or Figure 4. Striped cucumber beetles and damage.
through the use of systemic or even foliar
insecticides. The use of row covers offer growers
an insecticide free option while the covers are in
place; typically until flowering. This method is

Figure 5. Striped cucumber beetles and damage.
TOBACCO
Disease Update for the Week of May 9
By Kenny Seebold
Current Problems
Over the past week, we’ve seen a large uptick in
the numbers of reports of Rhizoctonia damping-off
and, more importantly, target spot. The cool and
rainy weather that finally lifted has favored the
development of collar rot as well. Blackleg, or
bacterial soft rot, is showing up and may become
worse as the temperatures begin to rise. We
should also expect to see Pythium root rot become
more evident than it has been up to this point.
Compounding the growing threat from diseases is
the likely delay in transplanting that we will see as
growers wait until fields are ready to set the crop.
Plants that are ready for the field now may have to
be held for a few weeks, and can be “sitting
ducks” for diseases during this period.
From a general management perspective, growers
should be focusing on providing good ventilation
for their plants (as much as is practical given the
weather), maintaining proper fertility (~ 100 ppm
N), and applying fungicides on regular schedule.
The choice of fungicide to use for things like
Rhizoctonia damping-off and target sot depends
on the age of seedlings in the float bed. Plants that
are dime-sized up to those ready to clip should be
treated on a 5-7 day schedule with a mancozeb
fungicide such as Dithane DF, Manzate Pro-Stick,
or Penncozeb 75DF at a rate of 0.5 lb/100 gal of
spray mixture (1 tsp / gal). After the first or
second clipping, the best option would be Quadris
applied at a rate of 4 cc per 5 gal of spray solution.
The solution should be sprayed onto 1000 sq. ft. of
float bead (roughly 400 trays) so as to achieve
good leaf coverage and stem rundown. Quadris
can be used only once on seedlings in the float
system, so growers must switch back to a
mancozeb fungicide if additional treatments are
required. Refer to Kentucky Pest News No. 1262
(April 5, 2011) for more information, or consult
the 2011-2012 Kentucky-Tennessee Tobacco
Production Guide (University of Kentucky
Publication No. ID-160). Previous issues of
Kentucky Pest News may also be consulted for
tips on managing problems such as blackleg, collar
rot, and Pythium root rot.
FRUIT CROPS
Apple, Peach, Blackberry and Grape Diseases
Appearing Now
By John Hartman
Apple. Frogeye leaf spot and apple scab are
present in unsprayed apple trees. Symptoms of
frogeye leaf spot appeared a few weeks ago on
apple and crabapple leaves while scab symptoms
have appeared more recently. In some plantings,
frogeye leaf spot is more prevalent than other
diseases such as scab. Frogeye leaf spot lesions
are small (1/8 - 1/4 inch) distinct circular, brown
spots (Figure 6). The center portion of the spot
may become tan colored, while the outer edge
remains dark brown, giving it a “frogeye”
appearance. By contrast, apple scab develops as
dark brown to black diffuse spots (Figure 7) which
lack sharp margins. In both cases, as leaf spots
become more numerous and coalesce, leaves turn
yellow and fall.
Frogeye leaf spot is caused by the fungus
Botryosphaeria obtusa. On apples, in addition to
frogeye leaf spot, B. obtusa causes black rot of the
fruit and a canker disease of twigs and branches
where the fungus overwinters. Apple scab is
caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis and it
overwinters on last year’s fallen leaves. Both
diseases are well-managed with fungicides, but
with excess rain this spring, some infections likely
occurred despite fungicide applications.
Peach. Leaf curl symptoms are appearing on
foliage. Peach leaf curl is easily recognized in late
spring by the thickened, folded, puckered, and
curled leaf blades (Figure 8). Infected leaves or
parts of leaves soon acquire a red or purplish
coloration, making them especially conspicuous.
In severe cases, most leaves on a tree may be
infected. Later, the diseased areas develop a
powdery gray coating (fungal spores) and leaves
may then turn brown, wither, and drop from the
tree. Peach leaf curl is caused by the fungus
Taphrina deformans. The fungus can infect
peaches, apricots, and nectarines in commercial
orchards as well as in home landscapes. A single
application of fungicide during the dormant period
is sufficient to control this disease.
Blackberry. Orange rust is now visible on
blackberry shoots and leaves in commercial and
native bramble plantings in Kentucky. Infected
plants can be easily identified shortly after growth
appears in spring when newly formed shoots
appear weak and spindly. The new expanding
leaves on such canes are stunted or misshapen and
pale green to yellowish (Figure 9). At this stage,
leaf edges may have a bronze color. The lower
leaf surfaces of these infected shoots bear tiny
orange pustules, visible with a hand lens. Later in
spring, the lower surface of infected, fully
expanded leaves is covered with highly visible
waxy, bright orange blister-like pustules (Figure
10). Spores from these pustules, when blown to
nearby healthy plants, will initiate new infections.
Diseased blackberries are infected systemically,
even below-ground, and will bear little or no fruit.
Orange rust also affects black raspberry.
Depending on the region and the host, there are
two different, but almost identical, fungi that cause
orange rust disease. These two fungi,
Arthuriomyces peckianus and Gymnoconia nitens,
cause orange rust, the most important of several
rusts of blackberry and black raspberry. It is
important to remove and destroy plants with
infected canes now. If growers wait a few weeks,
they run the risk of contaminating their healthy
plants and having even more orange rust next year.
Because orange rust is also widespread on wild
blackberries and black raspberries in Kentucky, it
is important to not only remove infected plants
from the blackberry planting but also remove
similar plants from wild areas nearby. Fungicides
with proven effectiveness against this disease have
not been found. Thus, timely eradication of
diseased plants is essential. Red raspberries are
immune to orange rust disease.
Grape. Anthracnose symptoms are being
observed. On young, succulent shoots,
anthracnose lesions first appear as numerous
small, circular, reddish spots that enlarge, become
sunken, and develop gray centers and round or
angular edges (Figure 11). Slightly raised, dark
reddish-brown to violet-black margins eventually
surround the lesions. Lesions may coalesce,
causing a blighting or killing of the shoot. Grape
anthracnose most commonly occurs on shoots and
berries, however fruit stems, leaves, petioles and
tendrils are also susceptible. Anthracnose reduces
the quality and quantity of fruit and weakens the
vine. Once the disease is established in a
vineyard, it can be very destructive. Anthracnose
of grape is caused by the fungus Elsinoe ampelina.
The fungus overwinters in vineyards as sclerotia
(fungal survival structures) on infected shoots.
Grape growers will have applied lime-sulfur
fungicide while the vines were still dormant to
suppress this overwintering inoculum. In the
absence of fungicide, during prolonged wet
periods, the sclerotia germinate to produce
abundant spores (conidia) which are spread by
splashing rain to new growing tissues. Once the
disease is established, fruiting bodies (acervuli)
form on diseased areas. These acervuli produce
conidia during periods of wet weather and the
conidia are responsible for continued spread of the
fungus and the disease throughout the growing
season.
 Figure 9. Orange rust on blackberry shoot in spring.
Figure 6. Frogeye leaf spot lesions on apple leaves.
Infected shoot (right) is orange and deformed while
healthy shoot (left) is green.

Figure 10. Orange rust pustules on infected

blackberry leaves.

Figure 7. Apple leaves with apple scab lesions.

Figure 11. Grape anthracnose

lesions on grape shoots.

Figure 8. Peach leaf curl disease (P. Bachi photo).

 SHADE TREES too many aphids. White legless grubs or maggots
can be found inside many of them. Galls are often
Arthropod-Induced Galls Beginning to Appear green during early development and turn red or
By Lee Townsend brown as they mature.

Although heavily galled leaves may drop

The most
common
arthropod
gall makers
are tiny
wasps, flies,
some aphids
and their
relatives,
and mites.
The galls are
Figure 12. Pouch gall on elm caused by an
aphid. irregular
plant
growths stimulated by the reaction between plant
hormones and powerful growth-regulating
chemicals produced by the gall makers. Galls may
occur on almost anywhere on the plant but leaf
and twig galls are most noticeable.
Gall-dwellers gain
nutrition and protection
from the plant tissue.
They must attack certain
tree species at a particular
time of year to be
successful. Otherwise,
they may not be able to
stimulate tree to produce
Figure 13. Aphid inside gall tissue. Initiation of
pouch gall. leaf galls usually occurs
around "bud break" as
new leaves begin to unfold in the spring.
prematurely, these growths generally do not harm
trees and only a portion of the leaves are affected.
Natural enemies and weather help to regulate
populations of gall makers so numbers tend to
fluctuate from year to year with occasional
outbreaks.
Applying insecticides to galls will neither cause
them to go away nor will it kill the gall makers.
Timing is a key factor; a treatment would have to
be applied before gall initiation. Generally, there
is not enough information available to preventive
time treatments. Also, these applications are more
likely to disrupt natural enemies so they would
probably be counter-
productive.
Galls generally do not
harm plant health.
They have been used
for food, as folk
remedies, and as
sources dyes and inks.
Figure 15. Maggot causing
woolly fold gall. Arrow
points to small wasp larva
that will kill the maggot.

Cutting open
a gall may
reveal its
maker. The
elm pouch is
hollow tube
that will
contain one
Figure 14. Woolly oak fold gall on red
oak, caused by small fly maggots.
 DIAGNOSTIC LAB HIGHLIGHTS
By Julie Beale and Paul Bachi

Agronomic samples this week have included

Pythium root rot, Rhizoctonia damping off and
target spot on tobacco transplants.

On fruits and vegetables, we have seen cane blight

on blackberry; Botryosphaeria canker on
blueberry; anthracnose on grape; frogeye leaf spot
on apple; and nutritional problems including
nitrogen deficiency, burn from high soluble salts
and blossom end rot on tomato.

On ornamentals, we have seen Botrytis blight on

geranium and Botrytis crown rot gerbera; injury
from thrips and aphid infestation on gomphrena,
melampodium and zinnia; anthracnose on beech
and maple; Volutella canker on boxwood; black
root rot on holly; Rhizosphaera and Stigmina
needle casts on spruce; Seiridium canker on
Leyland cypress; powdery mildew on ninebark;
and winter drying/injury on various landscape
shrubs.

INSECT TRAP COUNTS

April 29 – May 6

Location Princeton, Lexington,

KY KY
Black cutworm 2 0
Armyworm 46 372
Corn earworm 0 8
European corn 0 0
borer
Southwestern 0 0
corn borer
Fall armyworm 0 0

Graphs of insect trap counts for the 2011 season are available
on the IPM web site at -
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/IPM/ipm.htm.
View trap counts for Fulton County, Kentucky at -
http://ces.ca.uky.edu/fulton/InsectTraps
Note: Trade names are used to simplify the information
presented in this newsletter. No endorsement by the
Cooperative Extension Service is intended, nor is
criticism implied of similar products that are not
named.