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Weed infestations in wheat crops can cause severe reductions in yield by damaging plants, out-competing for resources, or interfering with harvest. It’s important to scout frequently and correctly identify threatening weeds to pick the right treatment program. Keep an eye out for these common weeds by learning their key identifying characteristics.

Kochia

Kochia plant in late season wheat
Kochia plant in late season wheat

Kochia is a summer annual in the goosefoot family. Here’s how to identify it:

  • Kochia matures to 1 to 6 feet tall.
  • Cotyledons are stalkless, elliptical and softly hairy with dull green upper surfaces. They may be pink on the underside.
  • Seedling stems are hairy and green to reddish in color.
  • Their stems grow upright and are branched with hairs on the upper parts. They may be tinged red.
  • Look for alternately arranged leaves with a narrow lance shape and smooth, hairy edges.
  • Leaves are typically 1 to 2 inches long and may have silky hairs on the underside.
  • Small green flowers grow in clusters in the upper leaf axils and on terminal spikes.

Russian Thistle

Russian thistle plant
Russian thistle plant

Russian thistle is a summer annual in the goosefoot family, but their hairless leaves distinguish them from kochia. Here are other key features to look for:

  • Russian thistle is 6 inches to 4 feet tall at maturity.
  • Seedling stems are striped with reddish-purple streaks. Their first true leaves appear opposite and are fleshy and needle-like.
  • Their stems are profusely branched with short, stiff hairs and reddish-purple streaks. They become stiff and dry later in the season.
  • Leaves grow alternately and are hairless, thin and linear or needle-shaped with a stiff, prickly spine at the tip.
  • Flowers develop in the leaf axils on the upper portions of the stem and have five pale green to red, petal-like, membranous sepals that surround the developing seed.

Wild Oat

Wild oat plant
Wild oat plant

Wild oat is a summer annual in the grass family. It poses a unique threat as grains from wild oat can mix with wheat grains, causing price penalties in harvested crops. Look for these characteristics to distinguish this grass:

  • Wild oat can grow up to 4 feet tall.
  • Seedlings have hairy leaves and the seed clings to the seedling for a long time.
  • Stems are round and hairless.
  • Leaves are flat, rolled in the bud and often twisted counterclockwise. They can be up to 8 inches in length and usually have a few short hairs at the base of the blade.
  • Their flower heads are open and branched, and spikelets hang like pendants from flowering branches. They typically bloom from March to June.

Foxtail

Flower head of a green foxtail plant
Flower head of a green foxtail plant

Foxtail is a summer annual in the grass family. These come in yellow, green and giant varieties and their flowers are their most distinguishing feature. Keep an eye out for these other features:

  • Foxtails are 1 to 3 feet tall at maturity.
  • Their seedlings’ first leaves are usually parallel to the ground and rolled in the bud.
  • Stems branch and grow erect or bent at the base, but ascend upwards overall.
  • Their leaves are 4 to 15 inches in length with a spiral twist.
  • Flower heads are spikelike, bristly and densely packed with flowers.

Wild Radish

Wild radish plant
Wild radish plant

Wild radish is a winter or summer annual in the mustard family. The following features distinguish it from other weeds:

  • Wild radish reaches a mature height of 1 to 4 feet.
  • Seedlings are purple with stiff hairs below their cotyledons. Seedling leaf blades are hairless and kidney to heart shaped with an indent.
  • Stems are densely hairy at the base and branched.
  • Leaf edges are irregularly toothed and lobed. They grow alternately, with stiff hairs on the top, bottom and edges.
  • Branched clusters of flowers grow at the ends of stems and branches. They have four petals each and are pale yellow to cream white with purple veins.

Common Ragweed

Common ragweed plant in a wheat field
Common ragweed plant in a wheat field

Another summer annual weed to look for is common ragweed, which is in the aster family. Here are some features to look for:

  • Common ragweed reaches 1 to 3 feet in height.
  • Seedling stems are purple. Cotyledons are dark green and paddle shaped; young leaves are green and deeply divided into lobes.
  • Stems are branched and densely covered with rough hairs.
  • Leaves grow to 2 to 4 inches in length and are fern-like with longer stalks on lower parts of the plants.
  • Green flowers are arranged in clusters of male and female flowers.

For more information about wheat weeds, reach out to your Syngenta representative.

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As we move into the latter part of the season, keep disease threats top of mind. While crops may not begin to show signs of disease until later in the season, early action is key to preventing infection.

Keep an eye out for these tomato diseases and make a plan to protect your yield potential.

Disease Threats

A couple of key diseases and disease carriers are likely to present themselves early in the season. Brought to plants by beet leafhoppers acting as vectors for the disease, curly top can cause real challenges for your crop. Phytophthora root rot begins to affect tomatoes about a month after planting.

The most common disease threat to tomatoes is early blight. Early blight is driven by Alternaria infections and can occur at any stage of development. Like many pathogens, the spores of this pathogen spread by wind or water splash, surviving between seasons on crop debris in the soil.

Disease Problems Posed

Tomato leaf infected with early blight
Early blight spores spread by wind and water splash to infect tomato leaves.

Each diseases pose a unique risk to yield potential in tomatoes. Diseases cut growing plants off from nutrients to nurture their own growth and overtake early-emerging plants. Defoliation caused by disease limits the leaf surface area available to photosynthesis. This can cause stunted growth, reduced quality and lower yield potential.

Plants infected by curly top can turn yellow, become stiff and stop growing, potentially killing the plant. Curly top gets its name from the first symptom that usually appears: discolored leaves that curl in at the edges.

Phytophthora root rot can also cause plant death. Brown lesions might be seen around the base, and eventually the roots can rot away and die, causing plants to grow slowly or wilt.

Early blight degrades the tissue it infects. Lost growth means the plant must divert energy to regenerate and results in a reduced canopy that may not be able to support as large a crop. Defoliation in the lower part of the plant leaves the tomato fruit susceptible to sunscald, opening the door to rot.

How to Protect Your Crop

Following through on a sound management plan drives marketable yield in tomatoes. Cultural tactics paired with preventive fungicide applications can help keep crops healthy through harvest.

Cultural practices include:

  • Developing and sticking to a crop rotation program.
  • Removing volunteer weeds.
  • Culling infected tomatoes to reduce sources of inoculum and, therefore, disease.
  • Using drip irrigation to minimize moisture on plants.

Preventive treatment can also help preserve marketable yield potential. Adding a fungicide with efficacy on Alternatia, such as Aprovia® Top or Miravis® Prime to a mildew or hopper spray can help with early control. These products also offer strong residual control on both powdery mildew and early blight.

Like any disease management program, preventive action is foundational to protecting yield and quality potential through the end of the season.

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No matter what weather conditions each season brings, you can count on peanut diseases to make an appearance in the Southeast. Cool, wet conditions early in the season increase the risk for seedling diseases like Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and Fusarium, whereas excessive heat or fluctuations in soil moisture during the seedling development stage creates favorable conditions for outbreaks of Aspergillus crown rot. These early-season diseases can impact plant health and cause problems throughout the growing season and into harvest, including reduced yield potential and decreased shelling grade.

Be Proactive

Prioritizing proactive disease management in your annual plans is critical to manage the cycle of early-season diseases. Disease and nematode management is one of the most important aspects of peanut production in the southeastern U.S.

The Peanut Rx program is a valuable resource that can inform your decisions this year. This tool provides insight into risk factors, including variety, planting date and plant population, to help you understand which diseases to expect and plan accordingly.

Mitigating diseases with a preventive approach will help you come out on top and allow your seeds to achieve their full yield potential.

Start Strong with Seed Treatments

Fungicide seed treatments give you an advantage at the start of the season and act as an insurance policy against impending diseases. Starting the season with a proven seed treatment is the best way to protect vulnerable seedlings from a variety of pests. We recommend Trebuset® Peanuts fungicide seed treatment, a liquid fungicide premix that provides benefits over traditional dust seed treatments.

Trebuset Peanuts combines the best chemistries to bring seed quality and early-season disease management to the next level. With five active ingredients, Trebuset Peanuts stays on the seed to defend against key early-season diseases while also helping protect developing roots, deliver strong stands and support higher yield potential.

A 2020 study in Georgia showed that stressed seeds treated with Trebuset Peanuts had nearly 3,250 more plants per acre than untreated peanuts, demonstrating seed treatments’ value in fighting difficult diseases like Aspergillus crown rot and post-emergence damping off.

For more information about early-season peanut diseases and solutions, reach out to your local Syngenta representative.

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Are you prepared to tackle tough cotton diseases this season? Target spot and areolate mildew can have serious impacts on cotton yield if left unchecked. As you plan your disease management strategy, use this information as a refresher about some of the mid- to late-season problems to keep an eye on:

Target Spot

  • Damage: Target spot may cause significant defoliation very quickly after infection and has become more common in the U.S. In severe cases, it can cause yield losses of more than 200 lbs. of lint per acre. Rank growth, short rotations, excessive irrigation, higher rainfall and warmer temperatures can lead to disease development.
  • Symptoms: This disease is usually distinguishable by dime-sized spots with circles inside that make the spot look like a target. Target spot causes plants to lose leaves from the bottom before progressing upward. It is sometimes confused with Alternaria or Stemphylium leaf spot, but is usually seen target spot lower in the canopy.

Areolate Mildew

  • Damage: Before 2017, this fungal disease was typically only found in southeastern GA but has since spread. In 2018 and 2019, NC cotton fields also experienced damage from areolate mildew.
  • Symptoms: This late-season disease favors wet and humid weather and causes a characteristic powdery, white-to-gray growth on the underside of leaves. It can cause defoliation and impact yield if it occurs more than four weeks.

Boll Rot & Hardlock

  • Damage: Severe problems from boll rot and hardlock are an annual concern if you experience cool, wet weather late in the season, such as extended rains from a hurricane or tropical storm. Hardlock caused by Fusarium verticillioides can be devastating in the FL Panhandle.
  • Symptoms: Boll rots begin deep in the cotton canopy. To a certain extent, rotted bolls as well as bolls with hardlock — where the boll will remain unopened even at maturity — can be observed in low, scattered quantities in almost every cotton field.

Use a Tougher Defense

Properly timed fungicide applications can effectively manage these diseases. Miravis® Top fungicide is a high-performing solution for cotton growers facing possible yield loss due to disease. Miravis Top delivers tougher disease control in cotton to protect yield and ROI potential.

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Full-season citrus crop protection starts with the roots. It could take years to see  disease symptoms on the surface of the citrus tree, as many pathogens begin their destruction in the root systems. By the time symptoms are visible, citrus tree health and production levels are diminished.

Disease-spreading pathogens like Phytophthora can be silent killers, stealing water and nutrients from your trees, leaving them tired — especially younger trees. Phytophthora root rot damage begins below the soil, then extends through root systems to ultimately affect the entire tree. Phytophthora species are prolific spore producers that spread damaging diseases including root rot, foot rot and brown rot. Devastatingly, it may unintentionally be introduced and re-introduced through water sources every year, making annual soil testing imperative.

A strong and healthy fibrous root system is essential to overall tree health and productivity, so active management of Phytophthora root rot is essential. The symptoms commonly seen above ground include yellowing of foliage, abscission of leaves, dying shoots and reduced fruit size and yield.

Managing difficult soilborne oomycete diseases like Phytophthora root rot requires powerful fungicides and proactive disease management. Orondis® fungicide recharges trees and protects developing citrus root systems by reducing the number of viable Phytophthora propagules in the soil. The result is stronger root development and healthier trees.

A comparison photos shows the advantages in root health and mass of roots treated with Orondis fungicide over untreated.
Citrus roots in the top image were treated with Orondis® fungicide at the University of California Riverside in 2016. Citrus roots in the bottom image were untreated.

Managing citrus groves to their highest potential requires effective, consistent control from root to fruit. Protecting your groves with Orondis fungicide may improve root mass, facilitate better water and nutrient use, improve root health and ultimately increase your marketable yield potential.

For additional information about how Orondis can help you manage and prevent the spread of damaging diseases in your citrus groves, reach out to your Syngenta representative.

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Powdery mildew is a yearly agronomic challenge for California grape growers. We talked with Rodger Belisle, Syngenta Agronomic Service Representative, who shared what he’s seen in grape vineyards this season and how to manage invasive threats to grape yields.

Q: What are some common fungal diseases you’re seeing in grapes this season?

A: Powdery mildew is the main disease we are seeing in wine and table grapes. There’s also Botrytis and sour rot. Botrytis spores infect flowers and injured plant parts. Sour rot is a complex of fungal pathogens that causes some decay on previously infected grapes. Powdery mildew is the main issue, and that’s what you should spray for throughout the season.

Q: What would you recommend to control powdery mildew?

A: A well-structured cycle of sprays every 14 to 21 days is recommended. Timings are aligned with key stages of grapevine development. Sprays should be made at two weeks pre-bloom to initiate the cycle, followed by sprays at full bloom, throughout the growing season, at bunch closure, and during veraison, a color-changing phase at ripening.

Q: What results have you seen from Miravis Prime in grapes?

A: There is a tremendous amount of powdery mildew pressure. All the trials had high pressure, however the plots treated with Miravis® Prime fungicide had zero incidence. We were able to knock it down almost completely throughout the trials I conducted across California.

The main point here is that you want to keep on top of a spray program. There’s not an alternative for wine grape production or even table grape production. These sprays are vital to keep your crop in marketable condition.

Q: Are there any other recommendations you have for growers?

A: The takeaway on powdery mildew is that the inoculum is always there; the spores are always around. It’s when you get the conditions where the disease thrives — on days with six hours or more of a 70˚ to 85˚ temperatures — that you get a lot of problems.

Miravis Prime has done an excellent job controlling powdery mildew this year, but you should be conscious not to overuse it, or any other product, because of resistance development. Instead, rotate in different FRAC groups. No matter how good a product is, if you overuse it, it’s not going to be as effective as it used to be.

A comparison photo shows untreated grapes heavily impacted by powdery mildew next to healthy grapes treated with Miravis Prime
Untreated grapes (left) heavily impacted by powdery mildew compared to grapes treated with Miravis Prime (right) near Davis, CA, July 2022

For more insight into your grape vineyards and pest management, contact your Syngenta representative.

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Seed treatment technologies are effective tools for achieving greater yields, healthier crops and higher ROIs. Because of their value, the people who make, transport, apply and use these technologies constantly work together to maintain their environmental integrity.

“Stewardship is a driver for a lot of our new technology and innovation,” says Tammy Tyler, federal regulatory team lead at Syngenta . “The evolving landscape of seed treatment technologies not only promotes environmental stewardship, but also actively safeguards the strength and adaptability of agricultural systems.”

For example, Syngenta has worked to make seed coatings more durable, which helps reduce the amount of dust-off and non-target exposure. “We’re constantly working to improve our technology so products show great results while supporting stewardship,” says John Abbott, head of regulatory and stewardship at Syngenta.

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Stewardship is a driver for a lot of our new technology and innovation. The evolving landscape of seed treatment technologies not only promotes environmental stewardship, but also actively safeguards the strength and adaptability of agricultural systems.

Tammy Tyler Federal Regulatory Team Lead at Syngenta

Syngenta makes it a priority to collaborate, educate and advocate for stewardship through the responsible use of crop protection and seed treatment products. Syngenta teams work directly with farmers, seed treaters, applicators, distributors and retailers to share stewardship management practices that help promote the safe and responsible use of products, according to the label.

“Stewardship is a philosophy we have for all of our products,” says Mark White, regulatory team lead for herbicides at Syngenta. “The label is the law; when products are used according to label requirements, they are safe from a human health and environmental standpoint.”

Education is also key. That’s why Syngenta has collaborated with other seed companies, seed treatment providers and universities to develop the Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship.

“The guide isn’t static. It is in the process of being updated to reflect the ever-evolving developments in seed technology,” says Patsy Laird, regulatory product manager at Syngenta. “This is a great resource for farmers and applicators to access the most up-to-date stewardship information.”

To learn more about responsible product use and to access educational resources, please visit www.syngenta-us.com/beehealth/stewardship.

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White mold is one of the most prevalent disease threats to peanut growers across the Southeast. Without proper preventive treatment, this disease can damage roots and pegs, leading to reduced yield potential.

White mold is one of the most consistently damaging soil disease affecting peanuts in South Carolina and across the Southeast. White mold thrives in high soil temperatures and high humidity, making the Southeast an ideal climate for the disease.

Infection often begins underground, damaging pegs and pods early in the season. If left untreated, white mold can rot pods and pegs and cause root decay as the disease progresses.

Delays in planting, lack of rainfall and unusually hot temperatures favor white mold. The namesake symptom is a white, filmy substance on leaves, but the disease also leaves brown rot on limbs or shoots and brown lesions on stems and shoots. Early season intervention is the best defense against white mold damage in peanuts.

Elatus® fungicide delivers long-lasting protection against white mold in peanuts even under extreme disease pressure. Active ingredients azoxtstrobin and SOLATENOL® fungicide deliver excellent soilborne disease control and up to 28 days of white mold control in peanuts.

The ideal application timing for optimal white mold control is at 60 and 90 days after planting because most pod damage occurs during this window. Focus on even coverage when spraying Elatus and other peanut fungicides to deliver the most comprehensive disease control and long-lasting protection.

The extended residual control in Elatus offers application flexibility and peace of mind when weather conditions or busy schedules prevent timely application. According to the Wilson Faircloth, Ph.D., the Syngenta Peanut Doctor, Elatus delivers dependable white mold control and is considered the backbone of a successful fungicide program.

A bar chart shows increased yield with Elatus and Miravis fungicides compared to other products.
Trial results show that premium peanut fungicide programs with Elatus and Miravis® fungicide can deliver higher yield potential.

To learn more about Elatus, contact your local Syngenta sales representative.

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In peanut fields across the Southeast, diseases like Fusarium, Pythium, Rhizoctonia and Aspergillus are ramping up to attack. Seed treatments can help maximize yields and profit potential throughout the planting season by protecting vulnerable seedlings from these threats.

Once the furrow has been closed, there are no economically viable management options for crown rot diseases like Rhizoctonia and Aspergillus, highlighting the importance of strong seed treatments paired with early-season scouting.

Researchers from the University of Georgia and the University of Florida as well as researchers from Auburn University, Mississippi State University and Clemson University, found that untreated fungal diseases in peanuts could cause an estimated crop loss of more than 50%.

Trebuset® Peanuts seed treatment is a broad-spectrum liquid fungicide premix powered by ADEPIDYN® technology. It provides quick and effective absorption into the plant for longer-lasting suppression of damaging diseases. Trebuset Peanuts combines active ingredients from five high-performing fungicides ― Apron XL®, Dynasty®, Miravis®, Maxim® 4FS and Vibrance® ― that consistently protect peanut crops from early-season diseases.

Due to its liquid formulation, Trebuset Peanuts sticks to the seed and remains in the root zone as the plant grows, providing a strong start to a seed’s journey into a fully formed plant. As a result, Trebuset Peanuts consistently protects developing roots and plants, delivering strong stands and higher yield potential.

Hear from Syngenta experts as they explain how Trebuset Peanuts works to protect peanut growers’ yield potential:

This powerful seed treatment offers flexibility for custom mixing since it is compatible with other fungicides, insecticides, polymers and colorants.

To learn more about Trebuset Peanuts, talk with your local Syngenta representative.

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There is one constant when it comes to growing peanuts: steady pressure from the usual yield-robbing lepidopteran pests, including lesser cornstalk borer (LCB) and soybean looper.

Start the stopwatch after peanuts are planted and determine the best treatment windows for both pests. For LCB, that is 50-75 days after planting when the stand is established. Soybean looper pressure likely will be highest 75-120 days after planting. Close scouting will refine the need and best timing for treatment.

A lesser corn borer on a damaged peanut stem.
Photography by Steve L. Brown, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org.

LCB population outbreaks typically occur during hot, dry weather, especially in peanuts growing on sandy soils. If the weather is hot and wet instead, anticipate soybean looper worm flights will begin to pick up and head for your peanut fields.

Fortunately, peanut growers can control the two pests with one product: Besiege® insecticide.

For LCB, the ability to “wash in” an application with irrigation or timely rainfall optimizes control by improving coverage deep in the canopy. Because Besiege insecticide has good residual, a treatment for LCB control is often still available to help manage soybean loopers. As a bonus, the residual offers some control of leaf and alfalfa hoppers that kill leaves and stems.

Besiege insecticide offers broad spectrum knock down and residual activity, but also for its dual modes of action. Besiege insecticide controls lepidopteran, sucking and chewing insects by contact, ingestion and ovicidal action.

To help protect your peanut yields, watch the calendar for Besiege application timing and watch the weather for signs of potential pest problems.

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