The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Emerging Winter Wheat, Grasshopper Pests and Systemic Seed Treatment

The following information was prepared by Kevin Wanner (MSU Extension Entomologist). Emerging winter wheat can be particularly vulnerable to damage by grasshoppers. The larger adult stage grasshoppers are difficult to control and move into emerging winter wheat fields from surrounding grassy areas. Grasshopper treatment thresholds for emerging winter wheat are 3-7 per square yard within the field, or 11-20 per square yard around the margin. Populations in these ranges will require treatment.

Border treatments applied as insecticidal sprays or seed treatments are the main recommendation for protecting emerging winter wheat. Typically, spraying 150 feet beyond the edge of the crop or 1-2 passes with treated seed around the perimeter of the field is a sufficient border. Because adult grasshoppers are difficult to control, the higher end of the label rate is recommended. If grasshopper populations are too high, borders up to ¼ of a mile and repeated applications may need to be considered. When applying border sprays, timing is important. Border sprays beyond the edge of the crop need to be applied just before the wheat emerges. If border sprays are applied too early there may not be enough residual. If applied too late, the damage may have already occurred. Systemic seed treatments eliminate the timing concern. Systemic insecticides require feeding to be active, but damage will be slowed considerably. For information about seed treatment and foliar sprays for grasshoppers in winter wheat, please do an internet search for the North Dakota Field Crop Insect Management guide at https://bit.ly/3sa2oXB or contact Chouteau County Extension at 406-622-3751.

Montana State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Montana Counties Cooperating. MSU Extension is an equal opportunity/affirmative action provider of educational outreach.