Pests and Diseases
Pests and diseases can decimate agronomic crops and result in huge financial losses. Make use of Penn State Extension’s substantial library of resources including recommendations for managing weeds, insects, and disease pests in a variety of agronomic crops. Find tips on dealing with bacteria, molds, fungal diseases, and rot.
Agronomic Crops Diseases and Integrated Pest Management
There are several ways to deal with pests. If you want to use pesticides on your agronomic crops you may need a license. To maintain a valid applicator’s license in Pennsylvania, private pesticide applicators must fulfil a continuing education requirement. Penn State Extension provides a number of workshops for anyone looking to become certified or recertified. They include Agronomic Pesticide Update workshops, an online course covering What's New in Agronomic Pest Control, and an Agronomic Pesticide Update Webinar. The Penn State Agronomy Guide also covers pest management.
Many different pests can affect agronomic crops; for example, slugs are a challenging pest for no-till farmers. New herbicide products are regularly released making pest management even more demanding. It’s not something crop producers have to face on their own. Certified crop advisers can help producers with pest management as well as studying soil and water, crop, and nutrient management.
Common Corn Pests and Diseases
A number of different pests and diseases can affect corn crops at various growth stages. Mild temperatures and increased humidity, for example, can lead to corn leaf blight and gray leaf spot. Corn ear rot and mycotoxins can also be a problem when humidity is high. Knowing what corn diseases to look for means you can make the right decisions on what to spray, and indeed whether to spray at all.
As well as combating diseases, corn producers also have a number of pests to contend with. An increase in reduced-tillage culture and planting corn into sod and small grain cover crops has led to an increase in armyworm damage.
Several species of billbugs feed on corn plants causing damage in May. The adults chew small holes in the stems which can severely retard or even kill small plants.
Pests that cause damage below ground can be challenging to control, particularly in corn production. Crop rotation is one way to reduce numbers. The seedcorn maggot is one example.
Common Soybean Pests and Diseases
Soybean production has steadily been increasing in Pennsylvania. Being able to assess soybean fields for insect damage and learning how to recognize soybean pests are important factors for successful and profitable agronomic crop production. The soybean aphid, for example, is an exotic pest of soybean that can heavily stress plants, leading to a reduction in yields of up to 40%.
Soybean diseases such as stem canker, brown stem rot, and sudden death syndrome can also wreak havoc on soybean crops.
Wheat and Small Grains Common Pests and Diseases
For wheat and small grains producers, there is the added complication of pests being present in stored grain. The Angoumois Grain Moth, for example, can make grain smell unpleasant, making it less attractive for consumption. Foreign grain beetles are a fungus-feeding insect commonly found in grain stored on farms in Pennsylvania. The sawtoothed and merchant grain beetles are two more pests that can contaminate stored grains.
Effective control of stored grain pests requires an IPM approach that combines sanitation, identification, monitoring, and preventive practices.
- News
Winter Grain Mites Found in Some Triticale Fields
Date Posted 3/8/2024Populations of this pest species, which appear to be becoming more common in Pennsylvania, can grow in fields planted annually with small grains. - News
Useful Resource for Navigating Corn Insect-resistance Traits
Date Posted 3/5/2024The Handy Bt Trait Table has been updated for 2024 and can help sort out the transgenic, insect-resistance traits available. - Articles
Pesticide Application Recordkeeping Manual
Downloadable recordkeeping manual with worker protection standard and calibration information from the Pesticide Education Program. - News
Register for the 2024 'Scabinar'
Date Posted 1/30/2024Attend this free webinar to learn the latest in managing wheat and barley head scab - Articles
Questions About Your Pesticide Points?
Is your pesticide license due to expire on March 31? Not sure how many points you need? Do you need to find upcoming meetings? Here's a simple way to check! - Articles
Qué son las micotoxinas?
La época de cosecha es un buen momento para recordar uno de los factores que pueden afectar negativamente la calidad de granos: las micotoxinas. - Articles
Your Plants Look Sick? Now What?
Plant diseases can cause economic losses. What are plant diseases and how can we identify them? - Guides and Publications
Starting at Free
2023 Agronomy Research Report
A research report highlighting the results of new, continuing, and completed agronomic projects conducted by Penn State investigators and their collaborators in 2023. - Guides and Publications
Starting at $8.00
Mid-Atlantic Field Crop Weed Management Guide
Get strategies and peruse herbicide tables for managing weeds in corn, sorghum, soybeans, small grains, and forages. - Articles
From Aflatoxin to Zearalenone: Key Mycotoxins You Should Know – Zearalenone
Zearalenone contamination in moldy grain can threaten livestock health. Learn about this mycotoxin, how it occurs, and potential management strategies. - News
The CHEMSWEEP Program Deadline is March 31st
Date Posted 12/12/2023CHEMSWEEP collects and disposes of unwanted or unusable pesticides. - News
How to Become a Private Certified Pesticide Applicator
Date Posted 11/28/2023New applicator? First time using restricted-use pesticides? Fumigants? Retesting after a lapsed license? These are the simplified steps to obtain a private pesticide license. - Workshops
$10.00
Agronomic Pesticide Update (Core | Cat. PC, 01, 18)
When Multiple Options AvailableLength 2 hoursGet your recertification by attending this 2 Core and 2 Category credit session for pesticide applicators. - Articles
What are Mycotoxins?
Contamination of grain with mycotoxins can lead to downgrading and rejection for processing. What are mycotoxins, and where do they come from? - Articles
Evaluating Corn to Determine Harvest Priorities
There are several factors to take into consideration when determining which fields to combine first. - News
Herbicide Recommendations for Winter Small Grains
Date Posted 10/3/2023Small grain establishment and growth can be hindered by weeds, below are some herbicide options to consider for problem weeds species. - Articles
How Choices Made at Planting Impact Barley and Wheat Health
The important work of ensuring disease-free small grains happens before we even put a seed in the ground. - Articles
Caterpillar Damage in Your Corn Ears
The end of the summer is a good time to scout for caterpillar damage in corn. What is present will tell you if you have pests that need to be managed next year. - Articles
Insect Damage Minor in Organic Corn
Organic cover crop management does not promote insect damage in tilled and no-til corn systems. - Articles
Scouting for Stalk Rots in Corn
Stalk rots can occur when corn plants are weakened due to other abiotic or biotic stressors. - Articles
Did We Underestimate White Mold in 2023?
Why white mold still catches us off-guard at times. - News
Fall Weed Control in Forages
Date Posted 9/5/2023Fall is an excellent time to manage biennial and perennial weeds and Japanese stiltgrass in pastures and hay and to control problem weeds after silage harvest. - Articles
Hessian Fly on Wheat
The low incidence of occurrence of and damage from Hessian fly in Pennsylvania can be attributed to both host-plant resistance and planting date. - News
Preparing Grain Storages for Harvest
Date Posted 8/15/2023Properly preparing grain storages and updates on chlorpyrifos products. - News
Ryan Spelman Joins Field and Forage Crop Team
Date Posted 8/15/2023Penn State Extension welcomes Ryan Spelman as the new Field and Forage Crop Educator based in Blair County.