BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Pesky insects and weeds seem to have gotten more problematic in the Bluegrass State in recent years and there is a dire need for integrated pest management enlightenment at the top level.

The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (UK CAFÉ) will offer the inaugural Kentucky Crop Health Conference on Feb. 9 at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky. Registration is already under way.

“We are extremely excited to bring this premier grain crops pest management conference to Kentucky stakeholders,” said Dr. Travis Legleiter, assistant extension professor of weed science in the University of Kentucky Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. “This conference will provide in-depth knowledge on current and emerging pest management issues in the state. Attendees will be able to use this information to gain an advantage for their pest management programs in 2023.”

Organizers created this grain crops pest management conference for Kentucky farmers, crop consultants and crop production industry representatives. UK CAFÉ specialists, along with nationally recognized pest management professionals, will offer in in-depth look at the latest research in corn, soybean and wheat crops. In addition, seven experts on plants and insects will help educate the audience on the latest news that affect them in these areas. Topics include insect pests, new information on southern rust and tar sport management in corn and problematic grass weed species such as Italian ryegrass.

Legleiter will discuss management of Italian ryegrass in a Kentucky grain crop rotation. Italian ryegrass is a serious weed of winter wheat throughout the Southeast, southern Midwest and far West.

“It’s not that there’s more weeds in the fields, it’s just that we’re dealing with more troublesome weeds,” Legleiter said. “A lot of our weeds are becoming resistant to herbicides and that’s the key battle we’re up against. Italian ryegrass is one of those.

“These are the three weeds we hear about and a lot more farmers are having to deal with in this state. The one thing that we’ve seen in Kentucky on the weed side of things is we’re getting more complaints from farmers about the failures of ryegrass control. When it comes to soybeans in Kentucky, farmers used to be able to control weeds but over the last couple of years we’ve seen things change quite a bit. Again, it’s not that the pesky grasses haven’t been there, we just now having more trouble controlling them.”

Legleiter will address the problems still existing with Palmer amaranth, ryegrass and waterhemp as well. He encourages Kentucky farmers to attend this conference, adding that the content of the meetings highly detailed and in-depth.

“With this conference the information we’re bringing to the farmer is going to be more focused and more in-depth than the information you would get at a county level meeting,” he said. “At a county meeting you would likely get a wide breadth of information, whereas this meeting will be more focused.”

Dr. Kiersten A. Wise, University of Kentucky extension specialist in plant pathology, will address the potential problem of tar spot. Wise said Kentucky farmers in several counties have found this problematic disease in their fields.

“There were a few Kentucky fields that had tar spot in 2021 and we did confirm tar spot in Kentucky this year,” Wise said. “This disease is a fairly new one for Kentucky and it gets a lot of attention because this disease can be yield limiting.”

According to Wise, yield shortages due to tar spot were reported this past harvest season in Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois.

“This disease can cause up to 60 bushel per acre in yield loss,” Wise added. “This disease has invaded states up to our north, especially around the Great Lakes. Being so close it has gotten the attention of farmers in Kentucky. Ohio’s problem with tar spot, though, may vary from ours. In Ohio they grow corn differently than we do and they have different conditions. They still do a lot of tillage and we tend to do a lot of no-till.”

Wise said leaf spot was seen this past fall in Lincoln County. In 2021, the disease was seen in Ohio and Todd counties.

“We are still learning more and more about this fungus, how it spreads and how to get a handle on it,” Wise said. “We tell Kentucky farmers it’s not the same as southern rust in the fact that it can over-winter. Southern rust doesn’t survive the Kentucky winters. Tar spot is one that can survive the northern climates so we know it can adapt to Kentucky winters.”

Wise said an initiative funded in part by the Kentucky Corn Growers Association has performed spore trapping throughout the state. By doing this, Wise said, researchers can collect what’s out there and find the fungus that causes tar spots.

“We know it’s out there, but unsure if it’s coming in by wind currents, storms or other source. We know for certain it’s in Kentucky,” she said. “We need to next determine if Kentucky has the environmental conditions for the development of tar spot.”

Wise said tar spot thrives on cooler conditions, fall-like weather and high humidity. “What’s good for our plants is good for the disease,” Wise added. “Tar spot produces these black fungal structures that feel bumpy to the touch. They’re embedded in the leaf tissue, and you won’t be able to scrape them off.”

Wise will field other questions farmers may have about potential disease lurking in their fields, a key one being tar spot.

“In Kentucky, we’re in an awareness stage,” she said. “The good news is we will be able to manage it in the future as we know of fungicide that can give us some options.”

Other expert speakers at the conference include Dr. Carl Bradley, Extension Specialist in plant pathology at University of Kentucky. Bradley will share what researchers have learned from nearly two decades of study on foliar fungicides of soybeans.

Dr. Raul Villanueva, an entomologist at University of Kentucky’s Research & Educational Center, will talk about mollusks, and their frequency, biological control and management in soybeans.

Dr. Larry Steckel, Extension Weed Specialist at University of Tennessee, will talk about managing glyphosate-resistant and hard to kill grasses in Tennessee and other states.

Dr. Travis Faske, professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Arkansas, will provide attendees with tactics to manage southern rust of corn.

Dr. Kelly Hamby, entomology expert at University of Maryland, will discuss the managing of insect pests of grain using neonicotinoid seed treatments.

The conference runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To register, visit https://KentuckyCropHealthConference2023.eventbrite.com or email Jason Travis at jason.travis@uky.edu.