The 2008 Integrated Pest Management Training School will feature an update on two new soybean pests, rust and Dectes Stem Borer. This year’s program begins at 9 a.m. Wed., March 5, at the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center in Princeton.

UK Plant Pathologist Don Hershman will begin the program with an update on soybean rust along with a discussion on corn fungicides. Doug Johnson, UK entomologist, will then discuss Dectes Stem Borer and soybean aphids.

The remainder of the morning will deal with herbicide resistance and soil fertility. Paula Howe, UK senior extension associate for soil testing, will discuss Soil Fertility – Where is it going? Howe will review fifteen years of soil testing data from the UK soils testing lab at Princeton. The morning will conclude with Jim Martin, UK weeds specialists, providing information on how to determine if you have herbicide resistance.

The afternoon session will include Lloyd Murdock, UK soil scientist, covering refinements of the UK Lime Recommendations and the new Homeland Security chemical regulations. The final session will be “IPM in an Era of Preventative Tools” presented by Johnson and Patty Lucas, extension specialist for integrated pest management. This session will include information on using insect trap data to assess risk. Registration will open at 8:30 a.m. and the meeting will conclude at 3:30 p.m. The program is free, and lunch will be provided. To guarantee a lunch, call Mary Ann Kelley at 270-365-7541, ext. 216 or e-mail Patty Lucas before March 3.

The IPM meeting has been approved for three general hours and one specific hour of educational credits for pesticide applicators in categories 1a, 10 and 12. It has also been approved for five continuing education units for certified crop advisers: 1.5 in pest management; two in crop management and 1.5 in nutrient management.