Crop diseases and pests : article
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Despite suspending all face-to-face programming due to COVID-19, University of Missouri Extension recognizes the continued need to provide university research and knowledge to help farmers and consumers alike.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers often struggled during the drought of 2023 to identify what was happening in their soybean as plants showed similar symptoms with different causes.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri livestock and forage specialists are reporting ergot infestations that can cause major losses in livestock, said MU Extension state forage specialist Craig Roberts.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Killing common annual weeds in winter wheat may or may not be a good financial decision, especially when input costs are high, says University of Missouri Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley.Winter wheat is one of the most competitive crops planted, Bradley says.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Big changes are coming for private pesticide applicator training next year.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers, livestock owners and gardeners across the state report that blister beetles are appearing in large numbers this summer, says Pat Miller, University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist. Blister beetles produce a toxin that can harm livestock.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension state crops entomologist Ivair Valmorbida and state soybean specialist Andre Reis hosted a group of influential farmers and crop consultants from Brazil on July 19-20 in Columbia.
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Citrus greening is a devastating disease affecting trees across the globe. Research by University of Missouri Extension agricultural engineering specialist Shirin Ghatrehsamani may provide the key to overcoming citrus greening.
GALENA, Mo. – Thistles have taken advantage of grass stands weakened by drought, and many southwestern Missouri fields now have large amounts of musk and bull thistles, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Tim Schnakenberg.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – It may be too early to think about replanting corn yet, but it’s a good time to look at guides from University of Missouri Extension or seed dealers, said MU Extension agronomy specialist Bill Wiebold.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – April’s cold start in Missouri has limited fieldwork and delayed planting for farmers and gardeners.
The persistent cold “was nothing short of amazing,” said University of Missouri Extension climatologist Pat Guinan.
Wheat in southeast Missouri is near or at flowering, which suggest that wheat in many other regions of the state is roughly 1 to 2 weeks away. Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) (Figure 1) is a disease that can cause yield loss, reduced test weights, and reduced seed quality in wheat.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers and crop advisers can expect to get an “earful” at the annual University of Missouri Crop Management Conference, Dec. 4-5 at a new location, the Columbia Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – An Iowa State University biosystems engineer will explain how bigger is not always better when it comes to farm equipment during the 2024 University of Missouri Crop Management Conference, Dec. 4-5 in Columbia.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A flurry of calls and emails from homeowners about the brown marmorated stink bug to University of Missouri Extension specialists sounds a warning of what is to come in in the next two years.
JACKSON, Mo. – The warmer weather has prompted alfalfa weevil larvae to start feeding early, which means growers should be scouting the crop.
Anthony Ohmes, University of Missouri Extension agronomy field specialist, says now through April is the time to walk alfalfa fields to look for larvae…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Japanese beetle populations are peaking throughout the state just as corn is silking, says University of Missouri Extension field crops entomologist Kevin Rice.Japanese beetles cause severe economic losses on farms and disappointment in home gardens.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension state plant pathologist Mandy Bish reports confirmation of red crown rot, a yield-robbing soybean disease, in Marion County in northeastern Missouri.
COLUMBIA, Mo.
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension researchers have confirmed the first case of glufosinate-resistant Palmer amaranth in Missouri’s Bootheel region.Palmer amaranth has been MU Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley’s No. 1 weed to watch in the rest of the state for years.
The University of Missouri’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to strengthen its reach to diverse clientele with sustainable pest management practices.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – An exotic pest that hitchhikes on train cars, trucks and boats could suck the life out Missouri crops.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Drones are higher in quality and lower in price than they were just a few years ago when farmers began using them, says University of Missouri Extension natural resources engineer Kent Shannon.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri corn and soybean growers are reporting growing numbers of Japanese beetles in crops in recent weeks, says University of Missouri Extension state entomologist Ivair Valmorbida.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Midwest Crops Conference promises updates from three Midwestern universities on ways to improve farm yields and profits in 2025.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As University of Missouri Extension researchers celebrate the 50th anniversary of integrated pest management, they reflect on the past, present and future of IPM.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Soybean growers can learn how University of Missouri Extension research can help them with next year’s crops.Many of the 29 sessions offered at this year’s MU Crop Management Conference center around soybean research, including one from MU Extension soybean specialist Bill Wiebold.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension field crop entomologist Kevin Rice says Missouri soybean and corn growers should be on the lookout for growing populations of yield-robbing insects in 2021.Soybean gall midgeMU Extension found soybean gall midge in two northwestern Missouri counties…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri farmers have a new tool to alert them to insects, crop diseases and other important information from University of Missouri Extension specialists.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri’s Pest Monitoring Network offers free text alerts to notify farmers when insects are active in specific locations, says MU Extension entomologist Kevin Rice.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension is offering online town hall meetings led by agronomy, livestock and horticulture specialists.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers are being sought to participate in the 2017-2018 University of Missouri Extension Strip Trial Program, which helps farmers and crop advisers compare on-farm management decisions and practices.
PALMYRA, Mo. - Producers in northeastern Missouri can hear crop and forage updates from University of Missouri Extension specialists at a free event in August.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension horticulturists are asking the public to report unsolicited seed deliveries.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Sam Polly, coordinator of University of Missouri Extension’s Pesticide Safety Education Program, wants to make Missouri a safer place that allows Missouri’s agricultural economy to continue to grow.
CLARK, Mo. – On Friday mornings at the Clark Produce Auction, University of Missouri Extension agronomist Dhruba Dhakal sets up a table, plant posters and an MU Extension sign.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Like humans, plants can get sick and need someone to diagnose their illnesses, says Peng Tian, the new lab director of the University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic has received a grant to help Amish and Mennonite farmers in several Missouri counties identify and manage plant pest problems through early next year.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic will offer free screening for five wheat viruses this spring.A partnership of MU Extension’s Integrated Pest Management and Field Crop Pathology programs allows the clinic to waive the usual fee of $65 per sample.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic will offer Missouri producers free testing for five wheat viruses during 2024, says Peng Tian, director of the clinic.
PALMYRA, Mo. – New University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist Kaitlyn Bissonnette urges growers to notify her if they spot southern rust and other diseases this growing season. She gave growers a look at emerging diseases at the second annual NEMO Soils and Crop Conference in Palmyra Feb. 8.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Leading agricultural experts will give updates to improve the bottom line at the annual University of Missouri Crop Management Conference, Dec. 4-5 at a new location, the Columbia Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center.
PALMYRA, Mo. – “The genie’s out of the bottle” on the spotted lanternfly, University of Missouri Extension entomologist Kevin Rice told farmers Feb. 8 at the second annual NEMO Soils and Crop Conference in Palmyra.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – New University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist Kaitlyn Bissonnette brings research on soybean cyst nematode (SCN) management to Missouri.
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Kill seeds before they become hard-to-kill weeds. That plan will be studied by Kevin Bradley with help from Missouri farmers.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – While not yet detected in Missouri, spotted lanternfly remains a concern for vineyards, certain trees and specialty crops as it continues to spread west.
JACKSON, Mo. – January and February are good months to make wheat management decisions, according to a University of Missouri Extension agronomist in southeastern Missouri.
Wheat maturity does not follow a calendar. Instead, wheat development depends on weather and planting date, says Anthony…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Intense or recurrent rainfall creates the potential for damage from ponding, saturated soils and flooding for corn and soybean crops, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Bill Wiebold.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As corn yields exceed commercial storage space, farmers will likely store some of this year’s crop in on-farm bins and in unconventional ways.
2024 has not been an ideal year for thrips management due to the consistent overcast during the daytime hours. This restricts thrips movement, and in hand can increase injury. Hot and sunny conditions are ideal not because thrips are more active, but because cotton and growth development occur more…
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Registration is now open for the 2025 Great Plains Grower Conference, Jan. 9-11 on the campus of Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Officials urge residents to report unsolicited packages of seeds delivered from foreign countries. Unknown seeds could introduce noxious weeds, pests, diseases and viruses.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Proper inventory management of farm chemicals saves money and protects animals, people and the environment, says University of Missouri Extension specialist Sam Polly.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Right after soybean harvest is the time to test fields for soybean cyst nematode (SCN), the No. 1 pathogen of soybean in the United States.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Though physically demanding and time-consuming, scouting fields for insect pests is essential to crop health, yields and profits, says University of Missouri Extension state entomologist Ivair Valmorbida.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri corn growers should scout for two emerging corn diseases: bacterial leaf streak (BLS) and tar spot, says University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist Kaitlyn Bissonnette.
These diseases appeared for the first time in Missouri in 2019. They have caused severe economic…
LAMAR, Mo. – Now is the time to scout for fall armyworms in pastures and hayfields, says University of Missouri Extension entomologist Kevin Rice.Agronomists in southeastern Missouri and northern Arkansas report sightings of fall armyworm in grass and legume crops, says Jill Scheidt, MU Extension…
LAMAR, Mo.– There are foliar diseases that can cause yield loss in winter wheat, said Jay Chism, an agronomy specialist with University of Missouri Extension in Barton County.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agronomists reported during their weekly teleconference that sudden death syndrome (SDS) is showing up in soybean fields across the state.MU Extension plant pathologist Kaitlyn Bissonnette says she is not surprised that the yield-robbing disease has…
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. – Justin S. Calhoun starts Sept. 1 as a University of Missouri Extension state specialist in soils and cropping systems. He will be based at the Fisher Delta Research Center (FDRC) in southeastern Missouri near Portageville.
Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) can substantially reduce yield, but it is not always obvious when the nematodes (Figure 1) are present. Leonardo Da Vinci's quote: "We know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot" seems somewhat appropriate when discussing SCN levels in…
Note: Revised to correct spelling of “sclerotinia.”COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist Wayne Flanary says about 160 acres of soybean in northwestern Missouri show symptoms of sclerotinia stem rot.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Soybean gall midge is appearing about 10 days earlier than usual in Nebraska crops, says University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension crop protection and cropping systems specialist Justin McMechan. That could spell trouble for Missouri soybean growers as well.
Spotted Wing Drosophila has been found in fruit crops all over Missouri, starting in 2013. This reference page includes articles, photos, and links to web sites with more information. Photos are at bottom of this page.
Newspaper columns from Tim Baker, NW Region Horticulture Specialist
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Frequent spring rains in Missouri set the stage for seedling and root rotting diseases that can lower yields.Pythium species usually infect the roots of corn, soybean and wheat, especially in the northern half of the state, says University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Raise the temperature and run fans in grain bins now to avoid condensation and mold.Keep your stored grain in condition by increasing the temperature inside the bin to the outside monthly average temperature in May, says University of Missouri Extension entomologist Wayne Bailey.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Brown marmorated stink bugs are hunting homes for the winter.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri corn growers should scout for an emerging crop disease, tar spot, in 2021, says University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist Kaitlyn Bissonnette.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A yield-robbing corn disease, tar spot, is gaining ground in Missouri.
Tar spot has been confirmed in 19 counties in 2024, says University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist Mandy Bish. Corn growers in nearly half of the state’s counties have reported tar spot since Missouri’s…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension state plant pathologist Mandy Bish says tar spot of corn has spread into many new counties in 2023.
Bish recently confirmed tar spot in five more counties. This brings to 31 the number of Missouri counties in which tar spot has been confirmed…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Tar spot of corn has been confirmed in two northern Missouri counties: Holt County in northwestern Missouri and Marion County in northeastern Missouri, as well as in six counties in central Iowa and one in northeastern Kansas.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri’s Plant Diagnostic Clinic confirmed tar spot in three corn samples collected in the northeastern Missouri counties of Lewis and Holt on Aug. 30, according to Peng Tian, the clinic’s lab director.
NEVADA, Mo. – Now is the perfect time to test for the No. 1 soybean disease in the U.S. and Canada - soybean cyst nematode (SCN), says University of Missouri Extension field agronomist Pat Miller. It is also a good time to test your IQ on this yield-reducing disease.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The best time to test for soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is right after soybean harvest, says University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist Kaitlyn Bissonnette.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Oct. 2 is National Nematode Day and marks a good time to test fields for soybean cyst nematode (SCN), the No. 1 pathogen of soybean in the United States.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist Craig Roberts says now is the time to check for ergot in the seed heads of grasses.
#1 Tar spot of cornWho: Tar spot of corn, Phyllachora maydis
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Scout now for spider mites, says University of Missouri Extension field crops entomologist Kevin Rice. Dry weather throughout the state creates ideal conditions for spider mite outbreaks.
LAMAR, Mo. – An unusual pest—winter grain mite—has appeared in southwestern Missouri wheat fields.
LAMAR, Mo. – When COVID-19 paused face-to-face programming, University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist Jill Scheidt knew producers would still need assistance with the growing season. Living by MU Extension’s mission of taking university research and knowledge to the people, Scheidt began…
Obviously, our season so far has been one for the books. Our state climatologist Pat Guinan tells us that last month was the wettest May on record ever! We’ve been fielding a number of questions over the past several weeks related to the wet weather and how this affects our herbicides and weed…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Some Missouri corn producers are seeing damage from cold, wet soil conditions and hail.Corn growers participating in the University of Missouri Extension Plant Sciences weekly online town hall meeting on May 8 reported seeing seedling leaves of corn twist and unfurl underground.