Sunflower

All Sunflower Content
Small beetle with elongated black snout. Beetle is red-orange in color.

Vertento® Insecticide Approved for Red Sunflower Seed Weevil Management

Recently the Environmental Protection Agency approved a Section 18 Emergency Exemption label for Vertento® Insecticide for use on sunflowers for red sunflower seed weevil management in South Dakota. This exemption is effective from July 15 to August 31, 2026.

Numerous nymph grasshoppers feeding on corn.

Large Grasshopper Nymph Populations Detected in Southeast South Dakota

This week we received several reports of large grasshopper populations originating from southeast South Dakota. The populations were well above threshold and actively defoliating crops.

Redlegged, differential, and twostriped grasshopper nymphs.

Various Grasshopper Species Are Active Across South Dakota

While scouting, we have noticed increased grasshopper nymph activity and in some areas these populations are close to threshold levels. Crops in areas that have had high populations should be regularly scouted to ensure that extensive defoliation doesn’t go unnoticed.

Small beetle with elongated black snout. Beetle is red-orange in color.

Management of Pyrethroid-resistant Red Sunflower Seed Weevils

Factsheet on the management strategies of Pyrethroid-resistant Red Sunflower Seed Weevils.

a handfull of sunflower seeds with small holes in the shells on a white table.

Differentiating Insect Damage to Sunflower Seeds

This publication covers different insect damage characteristics to sunflower seeds.

sun rising over South Dakota field

South Dakota Pest Management Guides

The South Dakota Pest Management guides are now available for free. The guides offer recommendations for controlling weeds, insects, and diseases in a variety of South Dakota crops.

Bright-yellow sunflowers growing in a field.

Sunflower Hybrid Variety Trial Results

In 2025, sunflower trials were planted in two locations in South Dakota.

Cream colored larva that has an accordion shape and a brown head in the stem of a sunflower.

Dectes Stem Borer in South Dakota Sunflowers

Factsheet covering Dectes stem borer in sunflowers.

Small beetle with elongated black snout. Beetle is red-orange in color.

Did Malathion Effectively Manage Your Red Sunflower Seed Weevils?

Now that the August 31 deadline for the application of products containing malathion for red sunflower seed weevil management has passed, it is time to determine if the product was effective. South Dakota State University entomologists have received varying reports on this topic.

Coneflower with Aster yellows disease.

Aster Yellows Phytoplasma

Aster yellows is a phytoplasmal disease carried and introduced by aster leafhopper. It is known to infect over 80 different plant families, as the aster leafhopper has extremely broad feeding habits.