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.
It is a little early to be discussing Fusarium head blight (FHB) , but it is something that always seems to come up in conversation. Currently our wheat has yet to to hit jointing, and it will be a while before we are at the flowering stage. …
Beginning in 1949, a conference was organized by faculty and staff from several departments at the University of Illinois to provide clientele and stakeholders with the latest pest management research and recommendations. The conference was brought into existence by Dr. H.B. “Pete” Petty, the first extension entomologist with the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Illinois, to meet the educational needs of Illinois pest management practitioners. From its inception in 1949 through 1986, the conference was known as the Illinois Custom Spray Operators’ Training School (often referred to as Spray School),…
It’s difficult to recall the debut of a weed management technology that generated more divisiveness than the 2017 introduction of dicamba-resistant soybean varieties and the accompanying use of dicamba. Damage to off-target vegetation from myriad sources of exposure resulted in not only monetary losses, but also untold costs to professional and personal relationships. Trust that took years to build was damaged or lost in the span of one growing season. This includes the public trust in pesticide use.…
I wrote a short article here about a month ago asking for everyone’s cooperation on a project in which we (Corn Belt states) are gathering field-level information on soybean fields to feed into a study, funded (with soybean checkoff dollars) by the North Central Soybean Research Program, looking at weather, soil, and management effects soybean yield over the Corn Belt.
While we got some response to that article, we have so far gathered information on less than half the fields in Illinois that we,…
Authors: Nick Seiter, Joe Spencer, and Kelly Estes
Rootworm management is a yearly consideration for most corn producers in central and northern Illinois. Western corn rootworm (Fig. 1) is the primary pest species throughout most of the state, but areas in northern IL can experience pest pressure from the northern corn rootworm (Fig. 2) as well. Adult population densities have been low in recent years compared with historical averages, although they did creep up a bit in 2017.…
An article posted to the Bulletin last November outlined several changes made by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to the labels of XtendiMax, Engenia, and FeXapan. The intent of these label amendments is to reduce sensitive plant species exposure to dicamba primarily through physical movement (i.e., drift during the application or particle movement during temperature inversions) and via dicamba residues dislodged from application equipment. Those in Illinois who have completed the required dicamba training being conducted by registrant personnel likely heard repeatedly that preventing off-target movement during the application is solely and completely the responsibility of the applicator. …
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.
This year many in the Illinois agricultural community have had questions and concerns regarding soybean seed quality. If you recall, many areas in Illinois suffered from persistent late-season rains which delayed harvest by several weeks. Unfortunately, these wet conditions also favored infection of soybean seed by fungal diseases. …
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.
A new tar spot publication is now available through the Crop Protection Network. This publication includes our current knowledge of the disease and management. To access the CPN library click here. Then, scroll down and click on the tar spot link.…
Test your knowledge of integrated weed management (IWM) with this short quiz (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SD9RT6R). The quiz is anonymous, and the answers will be revealed at the end.
Effective long-term weed management requires integrating multiple effective techniques, as opposed to relying solely on one or two tactics. This is particularly true as troublesome herbicide-resistant weeds continue to develop and spread throughout the US. Diversifying weed management tactics, preventing the introduction of new weeds, and varying herbicide modes of action reduces the spread and establishment of resistant weeds.…
The EPA recently opened a public comment period on ecological risk assessments of four neonicotinoid insecticides as part of the ongoing registration review for these materials. The purpose of this comment period is to allow stakeholders and the general public to provide input on the risks and benefits of these materials related to their use in agricultural production. A press release detailing this announcement can be found at the following link: https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-releases-neonicotinoid-assessments-public-comment. At the bottom of the page,…