A colony of fall armyworms are seen feeding on corn stalk leaves. Photo: Morgan Molsbee
Corn growers on the South Plains are seeing a rapid uptick in fall armyworm counts coming into the first week of August.
“The cool, wet weather pattern has resulted in a very active population compared to recent years,” Wenwei Xu, professor of corn breeding and genetics with Texas A&M AgriLife Research, said.
Xu suggests farmers scout their corn, determine if the economic threshold has been met, and evaluate the best fit management practice to control this harmful species. He emphasized farmers with late-planted corn should be especially mindful of fields that have not hit the tassel stage yet.
For more information, local county extension agents or integrated pest management (IPM) agents are a valuable resource. Find your Texas A&M AgriLife Extension office HERE.
