agriculture

The sugarcane aphid has been a dynamic and serious pest of sorghum in Texas and across many southern states the last two growing seasons. In an effort to make it simple for people to keep up on Texas-specific news on where the aphid is being found and the latest research on control, scouting, and resistant hybrids, we have developed a statewide Sugarcane Aphid Newsletter . Entomology personnel from all over the State will contribute news articles. The newsletter can be accessed here:  http://txscan.blogspot.com . You can enter your e-mail address on the blog page to receive notifications of new postings. The newsletter went live on February 26th and currently has postings on the new Section 18 for Transform insecticide and a pictorial guide to recognizing the sugarcane aphid.

Kerry Siders, Extension Agent IPM Hockley, Cochran, Lamb Counties The root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) is widely distributed throughout much of the southern High Plains and is capable of causing significant yield loss. Since 1996 I have soil sampled IPM Program scouting fields in Hockley and Cochran Counties for root-knot nematodes. Eighty percent of all samples have contained a damaging level of root-knot.   The remaining 20% are fields which are routinely rotated with another crop such as peanuts. Symptoms associated with root-knot damage consist of poor vigor, stunting, yellowing of leaves and wilting. A characteristic feature of root-knot nematodes is the formation of galls that occur on the roots. In addition, infected plants may exhibit nutrient deficiency-like symptoms, as M. incognita females feed on cotton roots and disrupt the plant�s ability to acquire water and nutrients. The amount of damage observed is more severe when nematode populations are high....