David Kerns, Ph.D., pest management specialist, professor and associate chair of the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M A&M AgriLife Extension Service, said insect pressure on Texas crops is “extraordinarily heavy.”
Part of the increased pressure, he said, comes from unusual pests, such as the corn leafhopper, which is not usually plentiful in Texas.
Kerns, who oversees the Texas Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM), hears similar pest pressure concerns from IPM agents, AgriLife Extension specialists and agriculture and natural resource agents. Overall, they say pest pressure on grains across the state has been very bad this year.
Kerns said the increase in pests as the weather warms is not surprising.
Corn Leafhopper Concerns
Corn leafhoppers are a pest native to South America that are generally not a cause for concern in Texas. Warmer temperatures, however, have helped expand the corn leafhopper's home range, and this season they are traveling further into the state than before.
“The last time we saw these pests in large numbers in the lower Rio Grande Valley was in 2016, but now they're back and spreading,” Kerns said. Symptoms of the disease were recorded from San Angelo all the way to the Comanche area, where some large populations were found, he said.
Much of the state's corn is already at a stage where corn leafhoppers suck nutrients from the plants and secrete honeydew, but they carry vector diseases that can stunt growth, reduce yields and even cause crop disease.
“In terms of disease development, most of the affected corn has spread far enough that you wouldn't think it would have a huge impact,” he said. “But there's a lot of anecdotal evidence that it's likely to have an impact. Not a devastating impact, but a definite impact.
Plant pathologists are currently working to positively identify samples collected from affected areas of the state.
“This thing could spread a lot of different diseases, and even the actual impact on the corn itself is controversial,” Kerns said. “If you look at some of the pathogens that we know insects can spread, you know the sooner the plant is affected Infection, the worse it is in the long term, and if it becomes a persistent pest, or one we see earlier in the season, the likelihood of impact is greater.
While the United States has yet to see significant damage from this pest, that's not the case elsewhere. In Argentina, corn losses totaled more than $1 billion once corn leafhoppers spread to previously cooler areas of the country. Brazil has also been battling this pest, as its population is also on the rise.
Kerns doesn’t think Texans should worry because conditions are much different in North and South America, but the pest needs close attention and will continue to be monitored.
Grasshopper eating grass
A higher-than-usual grasshopper population across a wider area of the state is also causing problems for producers.
“The situation in the western part of the state seems to be much worse this year than in previous years,” Kerns said. “Even in the Texas Panhandle, they've been having problems.”
Weather plays the biggest role in locust outbreaks, as temperature and humidity affect the number of eggs laid, how long they hatch and how many survive, he said.
A free downloadable guide identifying the main grasshoppers causing crop damage and recommended treatments is available on AgriLife Learn.
False chafers and corn leaf aphids
Kerns said there have been a lot of problems with false stink bugs this year. While this occurs primarily in cereals, it also affects some cotton.
False dragon bugs are usually a bigger problem in the eastern half of the state, and problems with this pest are common even in the Southern Plains, but this year is different.
“It started down in south Texas, but then it went up,” he said. “I've heard people as far away as northern Oklahoma are having problems. So, this seems to be a fairly common problem.
He said producers are still facing a lot of corn leaf aphid problems, which is not unusual in itself, but the numbers were really high earlier in the season, which is a little unusual.
Fall armyworm, fleas and bollworm
Kerns said some reports of fall armyworm have emerged, and there has been some spread among pastures.
“Given the current weather conditions, you would expect this to continue and possibly intensify,” he said. “If we were to see a major fall armyworm outbreak in the eastern half of Texas, I wouldn't be convinced at all. Wouldn’t be surprised.”
Cotton also faces more than its fair share of pest and disease pressure.
“We see cotton fleas almost every year, but this year the numbers are particularly high,” Kerns said.
“Cotton already has to go through multiple pest treatments, and last week we saw the bollworm laying a very large egg.”
panhandle
The region has experienced a hot and dry climate, resulting in dry soil moisture needed for dryland crops and native pastures. Fallow and future wheat fields continue to be cultivated, while the corn crop is irrigated. Most wheat fields have been harvested and many have been replanted as row crops. In most cases, these fields are not farmed. Scattered showers have helped to maintain soil profile moisture, with overall soil moisture being very deficient. Pasture and pasture conditions were reported to be fair to very poor. Overall crop quality ranged from fair to good.
