Monroe County Agriculture: Warmer weather means insect activity

Luisa Parrado and Dr. Sita Thapa at the Monroe County Community College Student Ag Farm. They were sampling nematodes as a part of a research project with Michigan State University. Field work at the farm began this week, including building new raised beds for vegetables. All produce grown at the farm will be donated to MCOP and the Village Market of Oaks of Righteousness. The Student Ag Club will be growing sunflowers, ornamental corn, pumpkins and possibly some sweet corn to sell later this year as a club fundraiser.
Andy McCain, Pete Loughney and Don Zimmerman work to build some raised beds at the MCCC Student Ag Farm on Wednesday, May 11.
Andy McCain, Pete Loughney and Don Zimmerman work to build some raised beds at the MCCC Student Ag Farm on Wednesday, May 11.
Ned Birkey
Ned Birkey

Alfalfa: The growth and development of alfalfa is affected by many factors, including temperature, soil moisture, stand age and even cultivar. Because of the cooler than normal April, using a calendar date to determine when to harvest the firsts crop of hay may not be the best method. The most accurate way to predict the optimal time for the first cutting is using the Predictive Equations for Alfalfa Quality (PEAQ) method. The PEAQ method uses alfalfa stand height and maturity stage (vegetative, bud or open flower) to estimate the relative fed value (RFV). Primarily used for dairy cows, heifers, stocker cattle and lactating beef cattle, the RFV should be about 150 for milking cows and 125 for the others mentioned. Iowa State maintains a PEAQ website that includes a fact sheet to explain how to use the PEAQ method to determine when to harvest first crop alfalfa.

Insects: Now that the weather has warmed up, farmers should expect insect activity to increase. Slugs in normally wet soils, wireworms on sandy knolls, bean leaf beetles and black cutworms are early season pests that can affect corn and soybeans. Ohio is trapping black cutworm moths in nearby Fulton County, though not at threshold levels as of May 8. Dr. Chris DiFonzo of MSU developed a handy Bt Trait Table of corn varieties with tolerant or resistant traits to various insect pests. The table was updated in March 2022 and is a useful reference to help understand which hybrids have which traits and can help avoid the development of resistance from using the same traits repeatedly. Farmers can simply google; Handy Bt Trait Table to get a copy.

Commercial Vegetables: The Michigan Vegetable Report for May 11 starts with reports of the newly updated greenhouse insect and disease management recommendations for the 2022 greenhouse season and short term cover cropping in the heat of spring. Crop updates include asparagus, carrots and celery, cole crops, cucurbits, greens, onions, garlic, rhubarb, root crops, sweet corn, and strawberries and hoophouse tomatoes.

Nematodes: There are abundant nematodes that live in the soil and can feed on bacteria, fungi, detritus and other nematodes, to other nematodes who feed on hosts such as humans, livestock and plants. In agriculture the focus is on the plant parasitic nematodes, which are microscopic roundworms that penetrate the cell walls of plant roots and disrupt the flow of nutrients to the plant. Although we spend a lot of time on Soybean Cyst Nematodes, there are plant parasitic nematodes of corn, potato, carrot and other crops as well. There are many different nematodes species that interact with corn. These include; Lesion, Needle, Lance, Dagger, Stubby-root and Root-Knot nematodes. Damage from nematodes in corn is often not noticeable. Corn management practices that reduce crop stress may help the crop overcome nematode attacks. These include; good fertility, weed control, crop rotation and nematicides and seed treatments.

Ned Birkey is MSU Extension Educator Emeritus and a contributor to The Monroe News.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County Agriculture: Warmer weather means insect activity