cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

Notes on fall fertilization

  • October 26, 2018

  • Emerson Nafziger

With harvest winding down in most of Illinois after another year with high to very high yields, it’s time to review some basics of fall fertilization. Neither fertilizer nor grain prices are historically high, so there’s reason to be aware of costs while making sure to cover the nutrient basics.
Nitrogen
In a webinar on October 19 organized by the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association, we looked at some of the nitrogen response data that have come in so far this fall and considered what this might mean in terms of fall N management.…

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Tar Spot on Corn: Setting the Record Straight

  • September 28, 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. 
As we finish our corn harvest in 2018, we have noticed an increasing amount of information pertaining to tar spot circulating through the agronomic community that is not entirely correct.  Let’s take a minute to clarify some of the more commonly encountered rumors and set the record straight.…

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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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And the Survey Says…

  • September 17, 2018

  • Kelly Estes

 
For those that attended Agronomy Day this past August, the title and above graphic may look familiar. As field and research season winds down, we’re able to finish collecting and summarizing data. One of our biggest summer projects is the annual corn and soybean survey. While some of that information was shared at Agronomy Day, the complete results are summarized below.
As a recap, this survey has been carried out across the state for several years (2011,…

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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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Will the August 1 crop yield predictions hold up?

  • September 4, 2018

  • Emerson Nafziger

Illinois corn and soybean yields in 2018 were predicted in the August 1 NASS report (released on August 10) to be 205 and 65 bushels per acre, respectively, both an all-time record for this great state. Corn yields in the U.S. were predicted at 178.4 bushels per acre, a new all-time high, and for U.S. soybean the August 1 prediction was 51.6 bushels, which is very slightly below the 2016 U.S. yield.
Trying to guess which way and how far the yield numbers will move from predicted levels is a popular pastime,…

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Soybean Gall Midge: New Pest of Soybean in Nearby States

  • September 4, 2018

  • Nick Seiter

Producers in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota have been dealing with gall midges in soybean. This is a fly in the family Cecidomyiidae, which is the same family as the Hessian fly, sorghum midge, and several other agricultural pests. We have not confirmed any infestations of this insect in Illinois at this time; the closest confirmed, damaging infestations that I know of are in western Iowa. However, because so little is known about the biology of this insect,…

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Tar Spot Updates in Illinois

  • August 31, 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. 
If you do not think tar spot is an issue for corn production in Illinois and the region, please view this video from our colleague in Northern Illinois.   This is why I have been receiving several calls and emails daily on this disease, and many people are wondering what we know and what they can do to manage it. …

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Looking for Palmer amaranth Populations

  • August 27, 2018

  • Aaron Hager

The weed science programs at Southern Illinois University and the University of Illinois are participating in a research project sponsored by the United Soybean Board to survey and monitor the potential for the evolution of weeds with resistance to glufosinate and dicamba.  Early detection of evolved resistance to these herbicides could alert soybean farmers of the imposing threat in time for changes in management strategies that avoid herbicide failures.  Researchers in Illinois will collect seed from at least two of our most challenging weed species,…

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