XIX. Small Grain Insects

 R. D. Hudson and G. D. Buntin

Georgia=s small grain crops declined in 1995 from the 1994 record highs. Wheat was harvested for grain from 300,000 acres, a drop of 25% from the year prior. Yields of wheat averaged 38 bushels per acre, down 13 bushels from 1994 levels. Wheat prices increased as a result of world grain shortages. Prices for heavy test weight wheat averaged over $4.00 per acre.

Barley yellow dwarf, an aphid vectored virus, continues to increase in importance in some areas of Georgia. As a result, aphids have become the primary insect pest problem associated with small grains. Hessian fly continues to be a problem in some fields planted to the older wheat varieties. Cereal leaf beetle continues to increase in importance in the northern part of Georgia.

	Estimates of Losses and Control Costs

Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6

Insect Cost of Control Aphids Hessian fly Chinch bug Armyworms Stink bugs Cereal leaf beetle Total $360,000  216,000  248,000  90,000  45,000  23,000  $982,000

Damage $ 590,000 641,000 231,000 72,000 72,000 67,000 $1,673,000

Total $ 950,000 857,000 479,000 162,000 117,000 90,000 $2,655,000

	Information Pertaining to Control of Major Small Grain Insect Pests in Georgia in 1995

Insect No. Acres Needing Control Aphids Hessian fly Chinch bug Armyworms Stink bugs Cereal leaf beetle 75,000  30,000  45,000  15,000  12,000  12,000

No. Acres  Treated  48,000 18,000 33,000 12,000 9,000 3,000

No. of Unit Applic.  1.0  1.0  1.0  1.0  1.0  1.0

Avg. Cost Per Unit Treated1  $ 7.50  12.00  7.50  7.50  5.00  7.50

Yield Loss on Units Treated2  17,000  29,000  23,000  7,000  5,000  1,000

Yield Loss on Units Untreated2  114,000  114,000  29,000  9,000  11,000  14,000

	1 Excluding application costs. 2 Yield units measured in bushels. NOTE: These estimates were derived from 300,000 acres of wheat.

Next Section Contents