cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

What effect will cold temperatures have on pests and pathogens?

  • February 10, 2019

  • Nathan Kleczewski

Nathan Kleczewski Research assistant Professor and Extension Field Crop Pathologist
Nick Seiter- Research Assistant Professor and Extension Field Crop Entomologist
 
Many in the Illinois agricultural community are wondering what effects the recent extreme cold might have on pests and pathogens. While it would be nice if the cold temperatures we are experiencing could help to reduce our potential for pest damage, past experience tells us that the most serious pests we deal with are unlikely to be impacted much by these conditions.…

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New Tar Spot Publication Available

  • February 8, 2019

  • Nathan Kleczewski

A new publication on Tar spot of corn is available through the Crop Protection Network.  In this publication we have summarized our current knowledge of the disease, it’s impacts, as well as presented management suggestions.  You can access the link to the library by clicking here.
In addition, I will be presenting a webinar on Tar spot at the end of February.  Pay attention to the Bulletin and my Field Crop Disease blog for additional details in the near future.…

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Soybean Quality Issues in 2019

  • February 8, 2019

  • Nathan Kleczewski

I have had several conversations with members of the agricultural community regarding seed quality resulting from issues derived from delayed harvest and persistent wet conditions encountered in many parts of Illinois in 2018.  For more information on what seed producers and soybean farmers should keep in mind going into this season, see my new article published on the Illinois Field Crop Disease blog, found by clicking here.…

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Field Performance of Seed Treatments and Soil Insecticides for Corn Rootworm Control

  • January 29, 2019

  • Nick Seiter

Authors: Nick Seiter and Joe Spencer
Producers across east-central Illinois have enjoyed low western corn rootworm pressure for several years, due to a combination of saturating rains during rootworm egg hatch and widespread use of Bt corn hybrids. Following a low point in the rootworm population in 2015, statewide monitoring of corn and soybean fields has documented a slow western corn rootworm population rebound in some areas.  Recent low corn pest abundance (combined with lower commodity prices) provides an opportunity to become reacquainted with rootworm monitoring and non-Bt options for their management.…

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Despite local Bt resistance, growers still have options

  • January 18, 2019

  • Joe Spencer

The development of resistance to Bt Cry toxins by the western corn rootworm is a growing concern, highlighted by the recent confirmation of field-evolved resistance to Cry34/35Ab1 in Iowa (https://www.agriculture.com/crops/corn/why-managing-corn-rootworm-just-became-more-complicated). Across the Corn Belt there are western corn rootworm populations with resistance to multiple Bt Cry toxins expressed in Bt corn. In Illinois, Bt resistance can be found in western corn rootworms from both continuous and first-year cornfields; rotation-resistant populations are vulnerable to Bt resistance.…

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2018 Applied Research Book now available

  • December 25, 2018

  • Chelsea Harbach

The following is posted on behalf of Dr. Nathan Kleczewski, Field Crops Pathologist for Growmark. This content is from the Field Crop Disease Hub webpage Dr. Kleczewski curated. 
Kelly Estes, Nicholas Seiter, and I will be compiling an annual report detailing the applied research trials and data that are available to share with the public.  These reports will be permanently housed on this website along with new factsheets and reports in Spring, 2019.
Data included in these unbiased research trials are for informational purposes only.…

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Dicamba Buffers, Training and Licensing: What to Know for 2019

  • December 17, 2018

  • Aaron Hager

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) renewed the labels of three dicamba-containing products used in dicamba-resistant soybean varieties on October 31, 2018.  These renewed labels also contain new restrictions and requirements that did not appear on the original labels.  Each application must completely satisfy all label requirements and restrictions, but the following three new requirements might necessitate additional forethought and planning.
Additional in-field buffers
Fields that exist in counties that might harbor endangered terrestrial dicot plant species must have an in-field,…

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Dectes Stem Borer and Lodged Soybeans

  • November 28, 2018

  • Nick Seiter

Many soybean growers have had problems with lodging at harvest this year. The primary culprit for this (as for many of our woes this fall) was the extended period of unfavorable weather that we have suffered. However, in parts of southern Illinois damage by the dectes stem borer contributed to this problem.
The adult dectes stem borer (Figure 1) is a “long-horned” beetle that can often be found in soybean and on other plants. The adult female chews a hole into the surface of the plant (usually at the petiole),…

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Too wet or cold to sample for SCN?

  • November 18, 2018

  • Chelsea Harbach

The following is posted on behalf of Dr. Nathan Kleczewski, Field Crops Pathologist for Growmark. This content is from the Field Crop Disease Hub webpage Dr. Kleczewski curated. 
Soybean Cyst Nematode is an extremely important, yield-limiting pathogen of soybeans in Illinois, reducing yields an average of 1-3% across the state.  As I have written in earlier posts, sampling your fields every 3-5 years to assess SCN levels and HG types is the first step in managing this issue. …

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