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Wet spring leading to “weird” crop issues

An Integrated Pest Management specialist says growers dealing with persistent rains could start running into some weird issues.

Bruce Potter with the University of Minnesota tells Brownfield damping off is occurring in both corn and soybean fields along sidehill seeps where excess water injured crops.

He says unusual pests are also starting to surface.

“We’ve actually got some millipedes in corn (which) aren’t insects, they are diplopoda.  Millipedes tend to like these wetter conditions, they like a lot of decaying organic matter.  And there’s a couple fields we’ve seen millipedes in this spring.”

Potter says controlling millipedes could be problematic because the pests aren’t insects.

“Insecticides don’t tend to work very well (on them), there’s no insecticides labeled.  And the best thing for (eliminating) a millipede infestation is for it to warm up and dry out.”

And another unwanted pest is emerging in fields with cover crops.

“Particularly crops planted into rye, is slugs.  Hopefully this weather dries out (because) slugs are another insect that really likes the wet weather.”

Potter believes white grub populations are on the rise this year too, but says that has more to do with field history than weather conditions.