Aaron Hager Email

This author has written 182 articles

The Agenda for the 2014 University of Illinois Corn & Soybean Classics

  • November 22, 2013

With the 2013 harvest mostly completed, I would like to take this opportunity to announce the agenda for the 2014 University of Illinois Corn & Soybean Classics.  We look forward to welcoming back many who have attended one or more of our previous meetings and extend a warm welcome to those who will attend for the first time.  The program will feature nine presentations that emphasize crop production, pest management, economics, and the interactions among them. …

Read This Article

Fall Herbicides to Control Marestail (Horseweed)

  • October 2, 2013

Widespread and often very dense populations of marestail in soybean fields last spring caught the attention of farmers and other weed management practitioners.  Many came to the difficult realization that marestail is not a problem weed species only in the more southern portions of Illinois.  It’s difficult to say with complete accuracy how far north these infestations occurred, but mature marestail was easily observed during recent travels through Kankakee and Will counties.  As we mentioned earlier this year,…

Read This Article

Update on Palmer amaranth Distribution in Illinois

  • September 24, 2013

Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) has garnered much attention recently in both academic discussions and popular press releases, and with good reason.  Among the weedy species of Amaranthus, Palmer amaranth has the fastest growth rate and is the most competitive with the crops common to Midwest agronomic cropping systems.  Soybean yield losses approaching 80% and corn yield losses exceeding 90% have been reported in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.  Palmer amaranth can be effectively managed in Illinois agronomic crops,…

Read This Article

Soybean rust: status and risk

  • August 19, 2013

Observations of soybean rust in southern states indicate that the pathogen (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) is beginning to move northward towards Illinois. Based on current movement, soybean rust likely will arrive in Illinois again this year, but it may not be in the state early enough to cause any yield losses. Late-planted fields would be the most at risk to losses caused by soybean rust. In general, once soybean plants reach the R6 stage (full seed stage),…

Read This Article

Southern rust of corn observed in Illinois

  • August 14, 2013

Southern rust of corn has now been observed in different areas of Illinois.  Southern rust is one of two different rust diseases of corn that can be observed in the state (the other is known as common rust).  Because nearly every corn hybrid grown is susceptible to southern rust, yield reductions can occur if infection takes place early enough in the season.  Late-planted corn fields are at the highest risk for yield losses associated with southern rust and should be scouted for the presence of this disease. …

Read This Article

Palmer amaranth: what should you do if you find it in your fields?

  • August 6, 2013

Recently, we have identified populations of Palmer amaranth in several Illinois counties.  The density of many populations is relatively low, and often these plants occur only in small patches.  However, a few scattered plants this year can lead to severe infestations within only a few years.
We continue to accept tissue samples from suspected Palmer amaranth plants and use tools of molecular biology to identify whether the sample is Palmer amaranth or another species of Amaranthus. …

Read This Article

Assessing the risk of white mold (Sclerotinia stem rot) of soybean in 2013

  • July 22, 2013

White mold of soybean (a.k.a. Sclerotinia stem rot), caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a disease that can occur in the northern half of the state in cool, wet years.  The most recent white mold epidemic in Illinois occurred during the 2009 season, where several fields in the northern half of the state were affected.
The white mold fungus overwinters in the soil as, small, black, and dense structures known as sclerotia. …

Read This Article

Brownstown Agronomy Research Center Field Day – July 25

  • July 15, 2013

The 2013 Brownstown Agronomy Research Center Field Day, presented by the University Of Illinois Department Of Crop Sciences, will be held on Thursday, July 25. Extension researchers and specialists will address issues pertinent to the current growing season. Tours will start at 8 a.m., with the second and third groups leaving the headquarters around 8:20 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. The tours will last about two and a half hours and will be followed by lunch provided by U of I Extension.…

Read This Article

Controlling Large Horseweed and Waterhemp in Soybean

  • July 3, 2013

The volume of inquiries about how to control large (taller than 12 inches) horseweed (a.k.a. marestail) and waterhemp in soybean has remained consistent over the past 10 days.  The answer can be summarized as follows: there are NO postemergence herbicides that will consistently control these very large weeds in soybean, especially if these weeds are resistant to glyphosate.
Glyphosate-resistant waterhemp can be controlled by foliar-applied PPO inhibitors (such as lactofen (Cobra), fomesafen (Flexstar) or acifluorfen (Ultra Blazer)) in conventional or glyphosate-resistant soybean varieties,…

Read This Article

Count Down to the Northwestern Agricultural Research Center Field Day

  • July 2, 2013


Preparations are underway for the 32nd Annual University of Illinois’ Northwestern Agricultural Research Center Field Day. The program will begin at 8 am on Wednesday, July 17th.
Buses will carry members of the public to different stops in the research center where specialists from the University of Illinois’ Department of Crop Sciences or Extension personnel will present their most current crop and pest management research and recommendations.
 
Topics and speakers include:
Identification and management of Goss’s wilt of corn –…

Read This Article
Back To Top