Farmers Can Access Insect Control Guide With New App

Feb 15, 2017

By Ms. Susan M. Collins-Smith

Mississippi agronomic crop producers now have an important insect control reference guide available on their mobile devices.

“Insect Control Guide for Agronomic Crops,” a publication of the Mississippi State University Extension Service, helps farmers estimate the performance of various insecticides on cotton, soybeans, corn, grain sorghum, small grains, rice and peanuts.

“We’ve had requests from producers for a few years for this guide to be available through a mobile app,” said Angus Catchot, Extension entomologist. “So we’ve been working to meet that need and make it happen. We are happy to say that users will now have this guide available at the touch of a button anytime they need it.”

Apple device users can download the app from the Apple iTunes Store now. An Android compatible version will be released soon.

The app allows farmers to enter the crop, pest and insecticide they wish to use to get specific threshold, application rates, a photo of the pest, and an insecticide performance rating of 1 through 10. MSU entomologists offer additional information on each pest through the app.

For detailed information on how to use the app, read the MSU Extension Mississippi Crop Situation Blog at http://bit.ly/2kjmD3I.

Producers who downloaded the beta version during the Row Crop Short Course in December should download the new version.

Catchot developed the app with Whitney Crow, Extension associate; Jeff Gore, Extension and research entomologist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station; and Don Cook, Experiment Station research entomologist.

Source: msstate.edu

Video: Winter Canola Trial in Mississippi | Can It Work for Double Cropping? | Pioneer Agronomy

Can winter canola open new opportunities for growers in the Mid-South? In this agronomy update from Noxubee County, Mississippi, Pioneer agronomist Gus Eifling shares an early look at a first-year winter canola trial and what farmers are learning from the field.

Planted in late October on 30-inch rows, the crop is now entering the bloom stage and progressing quickly. In this video, we walk through current field conditions, fertility management, and how timing could make this crop a valuable option for double-cropping soybeans or cotton.

If harvest timing lines up with early May, growers may be able to transition directly into another crop during ideal planting windows. Ongoing field trials will help determine whether canola could become a viable rotational option for the region.

Watch for:

How winter canola is performing in its first season in this Mississippi field

Why growers chose 30-inch rows for this trial

What the crop looks like as it moves from bolting into bloom

Fertility strategy, including nitrogen and sulfur applications

How canola harvest timing could enable double-cropping with soybeans or cotton

Upcoming trials comparing soybeans after canola vs. traditional planting

As more growers look for ways to maximize acres and diversify rotations, experiments like this help determine what new crops might fit into existing systems.