Crop Production

Conditions favorable for Fusarium head blight (scab) in southern Illinois

  • May 9, 2013

  • Aaron Hager

Wheat plants are now beginning to head out and flower in parts of southern Illinois. During this critical time of wheat development, wheat becomes susceptible to infection by Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB; also known as scab) (Fig. 1).  This disease can cause reduced grain yield, test weight, and quality.  In addition, the fungus can produce toxins that will contaminate grain such as deoxynivalenol (DON; also known as vomitoxin). …

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Wheat – foliar disease update and outlook

  • May 3, 2013

  • Aaron Hager

Symptoms of some foliar diseases of wheat are apparent in Illinois wheat fields, and the threat of other diseases is on the horizon. Current wheat diseases that have been observed in the state are Septoria and Stagonospora leaf blotch, Barley yellow dwarf, and other virus diseases.
Of these diseases, only the fungal leaf blotches (Septoria/Stagonospora) can be managed with foliar fungicides.  Although a flag leaf emergence timing for a foliar fungicide application may be recommended sometimes,…

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Getting Soybeans Planted

  • May 2, 2013

  • Emerson Nafziger

With corn planting off to a very slow start this year, few people have been worrying about getting soybeans planted. Though we’ve been saying in recent years that early planting of soybean helps increase yield potential, corn typically loses yield faster than soybean as planting is delayed. So it is appropriate to plant corn first, before soybean.
How early is “early” when it comes to soybean planting? Based on planting date responses we have seen in recent years,…

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Planting Delays and Corn Prospects

  • April 24, 2013

  • Emerson Nafziger

April 2013 has turned into a “second March”, with wet weather and cool temperatures persisting into the last week of the month, and corn planting progress stuck at 1 percent, with little chance of much additional progress before the calendar turns to May. Nationally, only 4 percent of the corn crop was planted by April 21, and none of the Corn Belt states had more than 1 percent planted. The corn that has been planted is struggling mightily to survive the soil conditions and to emerge.…

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The Trapping Line: April 23

  • April 23, 2013

  • Dennis Bowman

UPDATE(4/25): Additional volunteers needed. Kelly Estes, Coordinator of the Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey suggests anyone interested in monitoring traps contact her at:  kcook8@illinois.edu or 217-333-1005.
Currently, black cutworm moth pheromone traps are active in the University of Illinois insect monitoring program.  Traps for other species will be brought online as the season progresses. Extension Educators and volunteers monitor the traps and report the results through the North Central IPM PIPE system,…

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Corn Planting Time in a “Normal” Spring

  • April 10, 2013

  • Emerson Nafziger

Yes, a year does make a lot of difference – in 2012, we had 5 percent of the Illinois corn crop planted by April 1 and 17 percent planted by April 9. This year, the April 8 issue of Illinois Weather & Crops from the Illinois office of NASS gives no percentage planted as of April 7, which means that less than 1 percent had been planted. There has been some planting this week,…

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Spring Soil Nitrogen Following the Drought of 2012

  • April 2, 2013

  • Emerson Nafziger

Last fall, with funding provided through the Illinois Council for Best Management Practices (C-BMP), GROWMARK, C-BMP, and the University of Illinois initiated the N-Watch soil sampling program to see how much inorganic N remained in the soil following the drought of 2012.
Fall sampling revealed fairly high amounts of soil N, with 151 samples statewide averaging 19.5 ppm of nitrate-N in the top foot of soil. We multiply this time 4 to get lb of N per acre,…

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