• 2016 Scouting Recommendations for Potato Leafhoppers in Alfalfa
• Seeding-Year Harvest Management in Alfalfa
• Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus on the Increase
• Scouting Tips: Wheat curl mites, Wheat streak mosaic virus & Triticum mosaic virus
• Upcoming Events

 

As the first cutting of alfalfa is underway or completed in most of South Dakota, it is important to remember to scout for insect pests that may cause injury to the regrowth of later cuttings. After scouting several alfalfa fields in the last week, it was apparent that potato leafhoppers were present in the majority of the fields, but at low population densities. Potato leafhoppers do not overwinter in South Dakota, and adults must migrate north from the Southern U.S. each spring. 

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For production, consider forage quality when selecting a harvest schedule. Most harvest schedule decisions include date of cut, stage of maturity, interval between cuts, and cutting height. The interval between the stage of maturity, yield, forage quality, and persistence is frequently used to decide when to harvest alfalfa. For spring seedings without a companion crop two harvests can generally be made the first year. This depends on adequate rainfall patterns and optimum levels of soil nutrients.

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Several winter wheat fields scouted the week of May 16-20 contained plants infected with Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). The typical symptom of BYDV is the purplish-yellow color of infected leaves especially the flag leaf. Advanced symptoms include dying leaves, which starts from the leaf tip and progresses towards the stem. Sometimes BYDV symptoms are not obvious until flag leaf emergence.

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There have been a few reports of Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) and Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) from winter and spring wheat throughout South Dakota. Both viruses are vectored by the wheat curl mite. Although wheat curl mites may be observed in developing wheat fields, there are currently no pesticides labeled for their management.

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• How Did South Dakota Honey Bees Fare Last Year?
• Thinking About Forage Quality?
• Farm Operator and Labor Trends
• Soil Stewardship for Healthy Landscapes

 

• Soil Stewardship for Healthy Landscapes, June 14-16
• Field Day on Natural Capital: Putting Principle into Practice, June 21
• West River Field School, June 28, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
• Dakota Lakes Research Farm Field Day, June 30, 3:00pm – dusk
• South Dakota Pollinator Workshop @ Pierre, July 15
• Northeast Research Farm Field Day, July 5, 4:00pm-dusk
• Southeast Research Farm Field Day, July 12, 1:30pm-dusk (tentative)
• Volga Field Day, July 27, 4:30pm-dusk