This tip was provided by:
Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, Lubbock, 806-746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu
Central, North & High Plains
Avoiding Complacency about Sugarcane Aphid
In his June 30 “Rolling with Bowling” entomology newsletter, Dr. Robert Bowling, Extension entomologist, Corpus Christi (361-265-9201, robert.bowling@ag.tamu.edu ) summarized 2016 sugarcane aphid dynamics (or lack thereof) in South Texas. There was modest pressure in some area, but in many if not most instances SCA numbers though perhaps high early, these populations reduced greatly and were no longer an issue. The newsletter will be posted shortly at http://ccag.tamu.edu/newsletters/ (call or e-mail if not yet posted).
Last year SCA showed up in the High Plains in late June. This year there was overwintering SCA in three cages and a patch of Johnsongrass in the central and lower South Plains, but currently there are no reports of SCA any closer than the San Angelo area (which was a new discovery about a week ago). Sorghum farmers everywhere, however, must not become complacent. Scouting it still required. Yes, an eventual report of SCA south and east of you 50 miles or 100 miles may help you understand movement and add impetus to your scouting, but SCA movement itself is hard to predict. Tuesday night, July 5, I drove from Dallam Co. home to Lubbock in the face of a stiff south-southeast wind that was over 30 mph some of the time. This is just the kind of wind for many hours that can enable airborne winged SCA adults to travel significant distances.
Please keep in touch with your local IPM agent, regional Extension entomology specialist, and networks like Texas Sugarcane Aphid News (http://txscan.blogspot.com) to keep abreast with up-to-date developments.
For a review of SCA and its management refer to the May 27 Sorghum Insider “Sorghum Tip,” available at http://texassorghum.org/2016-agrilife-extension-entomology-sugarcane-aphid-information.html
Last week, we received this comment from a reader regarding moisture levels in grain sorghum at harvest after posting our last Sorghum Tip:
It should be noted that most moisture and drying discounts reflect the loss in weight due to moisture in the grain and grain harvested at higher moisture ie 16% and dried to 14% or less will be prettier and grade better. As you reflect in the article grain harvested at under 14% cost producers and it should be noted there is significant loss from cracks and lights being blown out of a combine at these lower moistures and this can cost producers significantly. I think ideally a producer should start harvest where he can average 14% harvested grain at the finish. Therefore starting at maybe 16% to know that when he finishes he will be at 14% and not 10% or 12% moisture.
