Crop Production

Remember to check your hybrids for tar spot ratings, scout your fields

  • April 10, 2019

  • Nathan Kleczewski

It is that time of year again.  Soon corn will be in the ground, and the 2019 field season will be taking off.  It is no surprise that I spent the majority of my time on the speaker circuit discussing tar spot in corn.  We have learned a fair amount since then, but there are many more things that need to be researched and learned before we have excellent tar spot IPM management programs.  However, there are a few points you should keep in mind this season that can help you determine your risk for tar spot and management practices that can help your bottom line.…

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Early-Season Soybean Management for 2019

  • March 11, 2019

  • Emerson Nafziger

Average Illinois soybean yield first exceeded 50 bushels per acre in 2004, when it was 50.5 bushels. It was 51.5 bushels in 2010, and 50 bushels in 2013. Over the five years beginning in 2014, it was 56, 56, 59, 58, and, in 2018, an astonishing 65 bushels per acre. Yield in each of the past five years was above trendline, which is a first—the longest stretch of above-trendline yields in the previous 30 years was for three years.…

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Register now for Tar spot Webinar, March 1

  • February 11, 2019

  • Nathan Kleczewski


3/1/19 at 9:00 am CST
 
 
Join Dr. Nathan Kleczewski from the University of Illinois Extension  for an update on Tar spot in corn.  This disease was first observed in the United States in 2015 in Northern Illinois and Indiana.  In 2018, the disease significantly affected corn production in the Midwest and Florida.  What is tar spot of corn?  How does it work?  What is our current understanding of this disease and its management? …

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Setting the record straight on Tar Spot

  • September 27, 2018

  • Nathan Kleczewski

Remember that game of telephone we played as kids?  One person says something in to the ear of another and after passing through 10 people or so the starting message, “I like peanut butter” ends up as, “John licks turtles.”  Sometimes that can happen with information pertaining to plant diseases.  Lately there have been some interesting things said about tar spot on corn in the community.  To help clarify, and set the record straight, I published an article on my blog,…

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Corn Hybrid Response to Tar Spot

  • September 7, 2018

  • Nathan Kleczewski

Hybrid resistance is a key component for managing many plant pathogens.  To access a new sheet on hybrid response to tar spot in corn click the following link: Corn Hybrid Response to Tar Spotfin.docx.
We are currently rating multiple variety trials in affected areas across states to generate more hybrid-specific data.  More information will be available soon.…

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Tar Spot in corn- requesting your help

  • August 24, 2018

  • Nathan Kleczewski

Tar spot is a relatively new disease in corn.  It was first described in Illinois and Indiana in 2015, and was first located near DeKalb.  Tar spot has been detected to some degree in Northern Illinois each year since.  However, typically infections are sparse and the disease does not come in until later in the season.  Consequently, yield loss due to this disease has been minimal, and the disease mostly considered an oddity.
However, in parts of Latin America,…

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Spray Decisions for Frogeye Leaf Spot on Soybeans

  • July 27, 2018

  • Nathan Kleczewski

Many people have asked about the need to make a fungicide application for frogeye leaf spot on soybeans this season.  I have posted a new article on the Illinois Field Crop Disease Blog which reviews this pathogen, how it works, and some new tools that may help you with these important decisions.  Find the article by clicking here.…

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Is the 2018 soybean crop as good as it looks?

  • July 24, 2018

  • Emerson Nafziger

If the appearance of the soybean crop going into late July predicts how it will yield, the 2018 crop in Illinois is going to be a high-yielding one. The crop in Illinois was rated at 78% good + excellent (G+E) as of July 22. Conditions across the US soybean growing regions are somewhat variable, but the 2018 crop is in good condition overall.
As I did with corn in the Bulletin on July 6,…

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Ewing Demonstration Center Celebrates 50 years of Continuous No-till Research at Agronomy Field Day on July 26

  • July 12, 2018

  • Nathan Johanning

The University of Illinois Extension will host the Ewing Demonstration Center Agronomy Field Day on Thursday, July 26, 2018 at 9 a.m.  Every growing season presents challenges to production, and this year is no exception!  We are happy to host this summer field day to share with local growers current, ongoing agronomy research in southern Illinois, including cover crop trials on corn and soybeans, nitrogen management in corn, weed management in soybean, and our continuous no-till field,…

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