Weather into the week ahead continues to be favorable for accumulation of heating units for plant growth as well as disease development. When possible, staying on schedule with leaf spot and white mold fungicide applications will help keep things manageable. In addition to checking for weed escapes, keeping insects on the radar (e.g., leafhoppers, worms) will help identify if treatment may be helpful to prevent economic injury.

Recommended rates for some of the common white mold products (Elatus, Fontelis, Provost Silver, teb...) generally remain fairly consistent compared to previous years.  Where Convoy or Umbra is used, efficacy is improved at the 32 fl oz (Convoy) and 38 fl oz (Umbra) rates.

Jonathan Croft shared this picture of snails in a peanut field this week. Usually snails do not feed on the peanut plant itself but tend to instead eat decomposing plant material. Usually we don't see many snails in peanut. Two things they prefer that likely contributed here, are lots of rain to stay moist and organic matter/debris on the ground to provide shelter. Control measures are limited for peanut, with some chemical bait products being expensive (e.g., Bug-N-Sluggo) and corresponding return-on-investment data being limited. Tillage can help before or after planting but is not practical in the middle of the season or when using reduced tillage. If the snails make it into the combine during harvest, they might cause contamination problems.