Pests and Diseases
Pests and diseases can decimate agronomic crops and result in huge financial losses. Make use of Penn State Extension’s substantial library of resources including recommendations for managing weeds, insects, and disease pests in a variety of agronomic crops. Find tips on dealing with bacteria, molds, fungal diseases, and rot.
Agronomic Crops Diseases and Integrated Pest Management
There are several ways to deal with pests. If you want to use pesticides on your agronomic crops you may need a license. To maintain a valid applicator’s license in Pennsylvania, private pesticide applicators must fulfil a continuing education requirement. Penn State Extension provides a number of workshops for anyone looking to become certified or recertified. They include Agronomic Pesticide Update workshops, an online course covering What's New in Agronomic Pest Control, and an Agronomic Pesticide Update Webinar. The Penn State Agronomy Guide also covers pest management.
Many different pests can affect agronomic crops; for example, slugs are a challenging pest for no-till farmers. New herbicide products are regularly released making pest management even more demanding. It’s not something crop producers have to face on their own. Certified crop advisers can help producers with pest management as well as studying soil and water, crop, and nutrient management.
Common Corn Pests and Diseases
A number of different pests and diseases can affect corn crops at various growth stages. Mild temperatures and increased humidity, for example, can lead to corn leaf blight and gray leaf spot. Corn ear rot and mycotoxins can also be a problem when humidity is high. Knowing what corn diseases to look for means you can make the right decisions on what to spray, and indeed whether to spray at all.
As well as combating diseases, corn producers also have a number of pests to contend with. An increase in reduced-tillage culture and planting corn into sod and small grain cover crops has led to an increase in armyworm damage.
Several species of billbugs feed on corn plants causing damage in May. The adults chew small holes in the stems which can severely retard or even kill small plants.
Pests that cause damage below ground can be challenging to control, particularly in corn production. Crop rotation is one way to reduce numbers. The seedcorn maggot is one example.
Common Soybean Pests and Diseases
Soybean production has steadily been increasing in Pennsylvania. Being able to assess soybean fields for insect damage and learning how to recognize soybean pests are important factors for successful and profitable agronomic crop production. The soybean aphid, for example, is an exotic pest of soybean that can heavily stress plants, leading to a reduction in yields of up to 40%.
Soybean diseases such as stem canker, brown stem rot, and sudden death syndrome can also wreak havoc on soybean crops.
Wheat and Small Grains Common Pests and Diseases
For wheat and small grains producers, there is the added complication of pests being present in stored grain. The Angoumois Grain Moth, for example, can make grain smell unpleasant, making it less attractive for consumption. Foreign grain beetles are a fungus-feeding insect commonly found in grain stored on farms in Pennsylvania. The sawtoothed and merchant grain beetles are two more pests that can contaminate stored grains.
Effective control of stored grain pests requires an IPM approach that combines sanitation, identification, monitoring, and preventive practices.
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ArticlesTwospotted Spider Mite on Soybeans and Field Corn
The twospotted spider mite is an occasional pest of soybeans in Pennsylvania. Over the past 15 years, outbreaks have been associated with drought conditions. -
ArticlesDark and Yellow Mealworms
Mealworms are among some of the largest insect pests of stored products. -
ArticlesDrugstore Beetle
The drugstore beetle, Stegobium paniceum (Linnaeus), is a common insect in Pennsylvania that infests stored foods, seeds, and other materials. -
ArticlesTarnished Plant Bug
Plant bugs are a large, diverse family of insects that feed by sucking sap from plants, especially parts with high rates of cell division like buds and flowers. -
ArticlesStalk Borer
The stalk borer has been recognized as a problem in Pennsylvania agriculture for 150 years. The larvae bore into stalks and stems and feed within the plants. -
ArticlesSnailcase Bagworm
The snailcase bagworm is a moth (family Psychidae) that was accidentally introduced into the United States from Europe in the 1940s. -
ArticlesPotato Leafhopper on Woody Ornamentals
The potato leafhopper has been noted on more than 200 host plants, many of which are ornamental plants. However, this insect is best known as a field crop pest. -
ArticlesIndian Meal Moth
The Indian meal moth is a common pest of stored grains and pantries. The larvae feed on grains, dried fruits, nuts, cereals, and a variety of processed foods. -
ArticlesFlea Beetle
The corn flea beetle is the most common species found in Pennsylvania attacking field corn. -
ArticlesSpider Beetles
Spider beetles are general scavengers and can be found in panÂtries, museums, grain mills, warehouses, and attics. -
ArticlesSod Webworm as Occasional Pests of Field Corn
Several species of sod webworms occasionally may be serious pests to young corn plants during May and early June. -
ArticlesCorn Earworm
The corn earworm is a very important pest of sweet corn. It can also be a pest in tomatoes, cotton, sorghum, vetch, and other hosts. -
ArticlesParaquat Safety
Use of paraquat dibromide, or paraquat, has been increasing in popularity among agricultural producers. However, this product has safety and handling risks associated with its use. -
ArticlesCereal Leaf Beetle
Cereal leaf beetle is an occasionally severe pest of wheat and oats in Pennsylvania, but it also feeds on barley, rye, and other grasses. -
ArticlesManaging Western Corn Rootworm Resistance to Bt on the Fringe
Farms with continuous corn production, and specifically fields planted to the same Bt year after year, are at most risk for developing resistant rootworm populations. -
ArticlesSoybean Aphid
Larger aphid populations can heavily stress plants, reducing yields by up to 40%. -
ArticlesBlack Cutworm
In Pennsylvania field crops, black cutworm is most often a pest of corn, but can also cause trouble in wheat and tobacco. -
ArticlesGarden Symphylan as a Pest of Field Crops
The garden symphylan is an occasional but destructive pest of field crops. Symphylans are not insects, but are more closely related to centipedes and millipedes. -
ArticlesCorn Leaf Aphid on Field Corn
The corn leaf aphid is found throughout the United States and southern Canada. This native pest species feeds on sorghum, corn, small grains, and other grasses. -
ArticlesConfused Flour Beetle and Red Flour Beetle
The confused flour beetle and the closely-related red flour beetle are common insects that attack stored grains and foods in the pantry. -
ArticlesBillbugs as Pests of Field Corn
Of the several species of billbugs that feed on corn plants, only Sphenophorus aequalis aequalis Gylential is of economic concern in Pennsylvania. -
ArticlesWireworms as Pests of Field Crops
Wheat wireworms and the eastern field wireworm are the predominant species that attack corn and other field crops in Pennsylvania. -
ArticlesWeevils on Stored Grain
Worldwide, three species of weevils are among the most destructive pests of stored grains, seeds, and grain products. These are the rice, granary, and maize weevils. -
ArticlesBlack Cutworm Management in Organic Field Corn
Ecological pest management and cultural strategies are the best method for protecting crops against black cutworm damage on organic farms. -
ArticlesManaging Belowground Insect Pests in Field Corn
Belowground pests can be challenging in corn production (grain or silage), particularly when it is grown in the same fields year after year.
