Crop Update

As I was writing this article, a line of thunderstorms just passed through our area. Overall, Jenkins County is on the road to having a very good year in agriculture. With the exception of dryland corn, cotton, peanuts, and soybeans are in good shape. There are some areas that have missed the scattered showers, but hopefully those areas will improve shortly. We are indeed thankful of the rain!

Black Pecan Aphid

Have you noticed the pecan trees in the backyard shedding their leaves? In many of these yards, it appears that fall has arrived early! No, I am afraid not. Actually, the leaves on these trees have been damaged by Black Aphids. Black aphids can defoliate a tree in a matter of days. Black aphids are very tiny insects that can be seen with the naked eye. They are found on the underside of the leaf feeding, and if you barely touch them, they will jump great distances. The aphids have a stylet on the end of their mouth that punctures the underside of the leaf. As the aphid extracts juices from the leaf, the leaf eventually will become dehydrated and die. As aphids feed in the same area of the leaf, the feeding area becomes yellow then brown then defoliation takes place shortly. If you experience defoliation during this time of year, the tree will shoot out new growth. The problem is that this new growth depletes the tree of much needed carbohydrates needed to make next year's crop. In other words if you have no leaves, at the best, you will experience a short crop next year.

The pecan varieties that are susceptible to black aphids are Schley, Mahan, Sumner, Gloria Grande with Stuarts being moderately susceptible. This is the reason that you see some trees that are totally defoliated, while some trees have been virtually untouched.

Controlling black aphids on big trees is impossible without the proper equipment. The typical homeowner does not have access to ground spray equipment needed to reach the top of the tree. If you have small trees, an application of Lorsban + dimethoate will aid in the control of these pests. Again, the homeowner is going to be very limited.

Controlling black aphids requires constant scouting and one has to be ready to treat at moments notice. Please contact the Extension Office for further information.

The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offers educational programs, assistance and materials to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability.