Information for Now and the Future--June 2022
In a June 3, 2022 FarmProgress article titled “Insect management in the Mid-South: What to know for 2022” by Ginger Rowsey, Dr. Whitney Crow, MSU row crop entomologist at the MSU-DREC, discusses the potential for redbanded stink bug (RBSB) outbreaks in the 2022 soybean crop. Her assessment is based on results from “ditchbank surveys” that she and colleagues conducted through May 5, 2022. Results from the last survey conducted in 2022 can be found here. According to Dr. Crow, the potential for significant RBSB infestations in soybeans is present in many parts of the state, including the Delta. Also, she states that “Planting date is really the best thing you can do to manage RBSB. If you weren’t able to plant early, be prepared to monitor and treat through R7.” According to NASS survey data, 23%, 59%, and 48% of the soybean acres in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, respectively, had been planted by May 1 (arbitrarily designated as early-planted). By May 15 (plantings made after this date arbitrarily designated as late-planted), 57%, 89%, and 80% of the soybean acreage in those respective states had been planted. Thus, it is likely that the soybean acres planted after this date in those states will be especially vulnerable to damaging RBSB infestations. This will certainly include doublecropped acres, which comprise a significant amount of the planted soybean acres in Arkansas. Click here and here for additional details about the RBSB and its management.
In a May 2, 2022 FarmProgress article titled “Tech keeps crop protection products where you want them” by Willie Vogt, a new water-based adjuvant called Hydrovant is introduced. This product is described as a non-ionic sticker-deposition agent that is 95% water, with the remainder being a proprietary polymer. The polymer component binds applied chemicals to plants to keep them from washing off with every moisture event, and to keep them on the leaves even as the plant grows. Its water-based formula is compatible with most crop protection products and herbicides. Click here for the product label that provides details for its use. Click here for a White Paper on this website that provides additional information about using adjuvants with herbicide applications.
Syngenta has introduced two new products for soybean producers. Cruiser Maxx APX soybean seed treatment is touted by the company to deliver protection against early-season diseases and insects (click here for Syngenta News Release). It combines the components of CruiserMaxx Vibrance (ApronMaxx + sedaxane fungicides + Cruiser 5FS insecticide) with the active ingredient picarbutrazox (Group U17 fungicide–vayantis). It is available on a limited basis for 2022 plantings, and will be more broadly available in 2023. Click here to access a White Paper on this website that provides details about using soybean seed treatments. Denim Insecticide is now labeled for control of lepidopteran insect pests of soybean (click here for Syngenta News Release about this product). The active ingredient is Emamectin benzoate, a Group 6 insecticide. According to annual surveys that are conducted in the Midsouth, lepidopteran insect pests that include soybean looper, corn earworm, armyworm complex, velvetbean caterpillar, and green cloverworm are prominent yield reducers in the region’s soybeans, and this product is labeled to control all of them. Click here to access a White Paper on this website that provides details about soybean insect management in the Midsouth. Labels for both products can be accessed here.
The above narrative in no way intends to endorse any of the mentioned products or technologies. Rather, it is an attempt to provide producers with resources that can provide insight into how these new developments might be used to improve their soybean production. The development and release of these products show that there is an ongoing effort by both the public and private sectors to continue to explore, research, and develop new information and technologies that can potentially be used to thwart the myriad problems that face soybean producers in the Midsouth, or improve the efficiency of their soybean production enterprise. At the very least, progress with the above and other forthcoming developments should be followed by producers so that those that are worthwhile can be adopted on a wide scale in the Midsouth. Producers should also determine if/when any of these new offerings might be integrated into their current production system(s) so that the potential agronomic and economic benefits from their use might be realized.
Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, June 2022, larryh91746@gmail.com