Drought symptoms seem unmistakable. Withering, brown and
poorly developed plants all
point to a lack of water. But a tiny insect is fooling Georgia
farmers.
"We estimate 10 percent to 15 percent of Georgia’s
400,000 acres of soybeans may
have significant infestations of lesser cornstalk borers,"
said Randy Hudson, an
entomologist with the University of Georgia Extension Service.
"Nearly one-quarter of
this acreage could have severe losses."
Soybeans provide much of the protein meal used to feed
livestock including hogs, cows
and chickens. A drop in the meal supply could cause an increase
in feed prices and finally
an increase in retail prices for many meats.
Hudson said the drier fields get, the worse the lesser
cornstalk borers will be.
"Their damage mimics drought stress," he said.
"The plants wither, turn
brown and eventually die."
A soaking rain, he said, will help control these destructive
larvae.
The problem is, many farmers may see only drought stress in
their fields and wait for
rain to improve their crop. But if the insect is out there, just
a little rain won’t help
at all, Hudson said.
Lesser cornstalk borers feed on plant roots just below the
soil surface, damaging the
root system where it takes up nutrients and water. They’ll
infest corn, grain sorghum and
millet, too. But they have a taste for soybeans, especially late-
planted beans.
Georgia farmers planted about 25 percent of this year’s
soybean crop behind another
crop, usually grains. And about 30 percent is considered
"late-planted." These
fields are most susceptible to lesser cornstalk borers.
"These fields could sustain up to 75 percent yield
losses," Hudson said.
"That’s a potential loss of more than $20 million."
Early July brought soaking rains, the best remedy for the
problem, for some farmers.
Where infested fields are still dry, growers can kill the hungry
larvae with insecticides.
Hudson said chemicals are costly, but in fields where they’re
needed, they’ll pay off
for farmers. "We’re seeing soybean prices up near $8 per
bushel this year," he
said. "We can’t afford to lose out on that
opportunity."
