cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

2020 Applied Research Results now available

  • January 27, 2021

  • Nick Seiter

Every year, University of Illinois entomologists and plant pathologists conduct a variety of field experiments to evaluate control methods, survey for invasive and established pests, and inform management decisions for plant diseases and insect pests. We publish the results of these experiments in an annual report, which is available to view or download for free at the following link: https://uofi.box.com/v/2020PestPathogenARB
Image of the 2020 Applied Research Results cover
In addition to control evaluations on a variety of pests, this years guide includes:

  • Surveys of red crown rot and corn nematodes
  • A (thankfully negative) survey for the potential invasive soybean gall midge,

…

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2021 Weed Control Guide Now Available

  • January 20, 2021

  • Aaron Hager

The 2021 Weed Control Guide for Ohio, Indiana and Illinois contains 236 pages of weed management information, including weed response ratings for corn and soybean herbicides.  Information and recommendations for managing weeds in small grains and forages are included, along with specific information about, and control recommendations for, several problem weed species.  The 2021 Weed Control Guide is available in pdf or print format and can be ordered at:
https://extensionpubs.osu.edu/search.php?search_query=789&section=product
 
…

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Make Sure You Know ALL the Changes for 2021 Dicamba Applications in Soybean

  • January 14, 2021

  • Aaron Hager

In late October 2020, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) announced new five-year registrations for the dicamba-containing products XtendiMax, Engenia and Tavium.  These labels include new and/or additional application restrictions that were not included on previous labels.  Annual dicamba-specific training (which we hope begins soon) offered by the product registrants will undoubtedly cover many/all of the new label changes, but there are a few changes that some currently might not be aware of and might come as a bit of a surprise. …

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Coming soon… CropFlix! Your 2021 Virtual Crop Management Conference

  • January 5, 2021

  • Chelsea Harbach

 
 

Registration is now open for CropFlix, the virtual iteration of the 2021 Illinois Crop Management Conference.
CropFlix will provide you with binge-worthy content that is accessible right on your computer, tablet, or mobile device. CropFlix will be available on the Learn @ Illinois Extension platform, the same platform on which the Pesticide Safety Education Program’s online version is using.
All of the content for CropFlix will be available starting February 1 through February 28.…

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Soil temperatures and fall ammonia application

  • October 26, 2020

  • Emerson Nafziger

As we indicated in a recent Bulletin article, nitrogen applied as anhydrous ammonia in the fall is an effective source of N for the corn crop, but is also a little more subject to loss compared to N applied in the spring. One of the main factors that determines how much of the fall-applied N is subject to loss is how much of the ammonia converts to nitrate (is nitrified) in the fall and early spring,…

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2020 Insect Numbers Low in Many Areas of the State

  • October 1, 2020

  • Kelly Estes

Despite the chaos that 2020 has brought us, the Illinois statewide corn and soybean insect survey was completed this past summer. With the goal of estimating densities of common insect pests in corn and soybean cropping systems throughout the 9 crop reporting districts in Illinois, this is the 9th year the survey has been done (2011, 2013-2020).
 
Like previous years, 4-5 counties are surveyed in each crop reporting district, with 5 corn and 5 soybean fields sampled in each county.…

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Is Fall a Good Time to Apply Nitrogen?

  • September 30, 2020

  • Emerson Nafziger

Applying anhydrous ammonia in the fall to provide N to the corn crop the following year has a long history in Illinois and in other parts of the Corn Belt where rotation, tillage, and manure management practices allow it.  Fall application means getting a major field operation done when soil conditions are generally more favorable than they are in the spring, and it helps to spread the work load across more months. Historically, the cost of ammonia has also been lower in the fall than in the following spring,…

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Midwestern Hemp Database: A New Tool for Hemp Growers

  • September 11, 2020

  • Phillip Alberti

A “new” crop to Midwestern agriculture, best management practices (BMPs) and varietal performance of industrial hemp have yet to be determined. Hemp producers are required to grow hemp that contains less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to comply with state and federal regulations. Failing to do so will result in crop destruction and potentially significant financial losses. There is a lack of university published resources regarding “THC compliant” varieties which produce adequate amounts of cannabinoids,…

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Wrapping Up Insect Management for the Year: Pod and Seed Feeding in Soybean

  • September 9, 2020

  • Nick Seiter

In terms of insect management, we are pretty close to the finish line for corn and soybean in Illinois. However, there has been a late-season onset of bean leaf beetles in soybean in some parts of the state. Pod and seed feeders are one of the last insect pest threats we face in soybean, so let’s review our management guidelines as we wrap the season up.
Bean leaf beetles and pod scarring
We have seen some fairly large bean leaf beetle populations in central and northern Illinois over the last couple of weeks.…

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Assessing Corn Rootworm Damage – Now is the Time

  • August 18, 2020

  • Nick Seiter

Corn rootworm activity, in general, appears higher in much of Illinois than it has been for the last several years. Along with higher activity, resistance to Bt traits in western and northern corn rootworm remains our top insect management concern in Illinois corn. We are at a bit of a disadvantage with this insect in that the damage occurs below ground – it is not always obvious that we have a rootworm problem until it is severe enough for lodging to occur.…

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