The Bulletin Archives - Page 20 of 72

Managing Crops after a Lot of Mid-Season Rain

July 19, 2021
Emerson Nafziger

In an article posted last week I described the effects of rainfall and standing water on corn plants, especially corn roots, and what this might mean for corn crop prospects. Here, we’ll consider the extent to which damage from wet soils can be addressed by management during the second half of the 2021 season.
A short trip on Saturday made clear that a lot of corn and soybeans in fields and parts of fields where water hasn’t stood are in outstanding shape,…

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Wet Soils and Corn

July 15, 2021
Emerson Nafziger

The 2021 cropping season in Illinois (and the Corn Belt) continues to be a story of haves, have-nots, and have-way-too-much with regard to rainfall. In the first three weeks of June, nearly all of Illinois had below-normal rainfall, and concerns about dryness increased. That ended abruptly: in the three weeks from June 25 through July 14, rainfall totals ranged from below normal in the northwestern counties to 25 to 75% above normal in southern Illinois to 100 to more than 200% above normal in central Illinois,…

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Preharvest Intervals for Herbicides Applied Postemergence in Soybean

July 12, 2021
Aaron Hager

Nearly all herbicide labels (soil-applied or postemergence) have rotational crop intervals that specify the amount of time that must elapse between herbicide application and planting a rotational crop. This becomes particularly important with late-season herbicide applications, and when soil moisture is limited. Additionally, the labels of almost all postemergence soybean herbicides indicate a preharvest interval or a soybean developmental stage beyond which applications cannot be made. Labels of some products may indicate both a developmental stage (before soybean bloom,…

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Guess Who’s Back – Japanese Beetle Emergence Begins in Illinois

June 22, 2021
Nick Seiter

Japanese beetle emergence is beginning throughout Illinois. While they get a lot of attention every year, the real impact on corn and soybean yield is generally pretty minor. (If you have roses, sassafras trees, or a golf course, different story). A few things to keep in mind when you scout:
Check the field interior as well as the edges. It’s not uncommon to find higher numbers (and damage) at the edge of the field than the interior.…

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Mid-June Notes on the 2021 Soybean Crop

June 17, 2021
Emerson Nafziger

The 2021 Illinois soybean crop was planted relatively early, with the 50%-planted date of May 5, more than two weeks ahead of normal. As in most recent years, some producers began planting soybeans before they started planting corn, although the first official record of soybeans planted (5% by April 19) was a week later than that for corn (5% by April 12). Planting conditions for soybeans were fair to good, but weather after planting was not consistently good.…

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Reminder: University of Illinois Weed Science Field Research Tour

June 17, 2021
Aaron Hager

The weed science program at the University of Illinois invites all weed management practitioners to our annual weed science field tour on Wednesday, June 23 at the Department of Crop Sciences field research location known as the Clem Farm, located at 1114 County Road 1200 East, Champaign. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the tour will start at 9:00 a.m. Preregistration is not required, but please let us know in advance if you will be bringing a large group of participants so we can plan accordingly for meals.…

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Mid-June Notes on the 2021 Corn Crop

June 16, 2021
Emerson Nafziger

The 2021 corn crop was planted ahead of normal, although “normal” includes the very late planting in 2019 and late planting in 2020, so “typical” might better describe 2021 planting progress. There were no extended wet periods in April or May, but wide swings in temperatures affected emergence and early growth. Crop ratings are about average for mid-June, but have slipped some, probably due to dry conditions in some regions. June temperatures have been favorable for crop growth,…

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New for 2021: Join the Corn Rootworm Adult Monitoring Network in Illinois (Updated contact information)

June 8, 2021
Nick Seiter

Nick Seiter, Joseph Spencer, and Kelly Estes
Update: please email nseiter@illinois.edu if you are interested in participating in this effort.
Are you interested in learning more about the corn rootworm populations in your field? Have you seen more northern corn rootworm adults over the last few years? Our
colleagues Dr. Erin Hodgson and Ashley Dean at Iowa State began a volunteer-driven corn rootworm monitoring network in Iowa last year, and we are cooperating with them to bring this effort to Illinois in 2021.…

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University of Illinois Weed Science Field Research Tour

May 27, 2021
Aaron Hager

The weed science program at the University of Illinois invites all weed management practitioners to our annual weed science field tour on Wednesday, June 23 at the Department of Crop Sciences field research location known as the Clem Farm, located at 1114 County Road 1200 East, Champaign. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the tour will start at 9:00 a.m. Preregistration is not required, but please let us know in advance if you will be bringing a large group of participants so we can plan accordingly for meals.…

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Watch for early-season pests when crop development is slow

May 17, 2021
Nick Seiter

While cool temperatures are not necessarily “good” for pests (they need heat units to develop too), conditions that delay growth do leave the crop in a vulnerable stage for a longer period of time. Combined with the stress of wet, cool conditions, early season pests can reduce stands and result in replants.
Seedcorn maggot. We have been receiving reports of seedcorn maggot damage in soybean this year, driven by slow germination in many fields during the window of larval activity.…

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