The 2016 cropping season was a good one in Illinois, with planting a little ahead of normal and good May moisture and temperatures to get the crop off to a good start. June was warm and, in most parts of Illinois, drier than normal; parts of western Illinois received less than an inch of rainfall for the month. Temperatures and rainfall returned to normal in July and August, though there was the usual variability from region to region,…
This past growing season personnel from Southern Illinois University, Iowa State University and University of Illinois evaluated more than 580 soybean varieties from 22 seed companies in USB-sponsored sudden death syndrome (SDS) variety trials. The varieties that were evaluated ranged from the very early (MG 0) to late (MG V) maturity groups. Maturity groups were divided into early and late categories; for example, MG II was split into early (2.0 to 2.4) and late (2.5 to 2.9) categories in order to more easily monitor crop development and assess disease at the appropriate growth stage (Figure).…
The long-awaited label allowing dicamba use in dicamba-resistant soybean was granted November 9, 2016, by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), although only one commercial product received that label. Many Illinois farmers anticipate this technology will provide a much-needed solution to challenges caused by weed populations resistant to herbicides from multiple site-of-action groups and other difficult-to-control species. Without question, there are instances and scenarios in which dicamba will improve control of certain weed species, but dicamba will not bring back the “good ol’ days” of POST-only weed control programs in soybean. …
Registration is open for the 2017 Crop Management Conferences. These regional conferences provide a forum for discussion and interaction between participants and university researchers and are designed to address a wide array of topics pertinent to crop production in Illinois: crop management, pest management, nutrient management, soil and water management.
Certified Crop Advisers can earn up to 8 hours of continuing education credit. Advance registration, no later than one week before each conference, is $100 per person.…
The 2016 growing season has been a very good one for corn in Illinois, with the November yield estimate of 202 bushels per acre, slightly higher than our previous best of 200 bushels per acre in 2014.
In sharp contrast to the wet June of 2015, most of Illinois received below-normal rainfall in June 2016, with parts of western and southwestern Illinois receiving less than an inch for the month. With May rainfall close to normal across the state in 2016,…
Herbicides applied in the fall often can provide improved control of many winter annual weed species compared with similar applications made in the spring. Marestail is one example of a weed species that is often better controlled with herbicides applied in the fall compared with the spring. An increasing frequency of marestail populations in Illinois are resistant to glyphosate, and recently we confirmed resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides also is present in Illinois populations. Targeting emerged marestail with higher application rates of products such as 2,4-D in the fall almost always results in better control at planting compared with targeting overwintered and often larger plants with lower rates of 2,4-D in the spring.…
Producers in western and west-southwestern Illinois may have observed symptoms of Diplodia ear mold during harvest.
Diplodia Symptoms and Machinery Adjustments at Harvest. Diplodia ear mold can cause lightweight kernels with a dull grey to brownish color and sometimes small black structures call pycnidia (Figure). The infected kernels are prone to breakage and can result in poor test weights, poor grain quality and fine materials in the hopper or grain bin. Adjusting combine settings can help to maximize grain cleaning and minimize breakage.…
Soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) has been found in southern Illinois. Samples were collected in Williamson county on 9/11/16 to make observations for other fungal foliar leaf disease. Soybean rust was found sporulating in pustules on the bottom surface of the leaves. The field was at R6 so yield loss to that field is unlikely. While this very late in the season, there are still many fields in southern Illinois that are green and producers should consider scouting for soybean rust.…
Several questions about injury on corn ears has made it way to my desk the past week.
Insect injury to corn ear (photo courtesy of Duane Frederking).
Damaged ear tips, missing kernels, and fungal pathogens are all being reported. Several insect pests in Illinois could be the culprit. Corn earworm, fall armyworm, European corn borer, and western bean cutworm are pests of Illinois cornfields. Their larvae all feed on the ears of corn plants.…
Corn leaf samples from LaSalle county have been positively identified by the University of Illinois Plant Clinic to be infected with Tar Spot Phyllachora maydis. Commercial Agriculture Extension Educator Russ Higgins found the disease while field scouting. The fungal leaf blight was identified in numerous northern Illinois and northern Indiana counties in 2015.
Tar Spot has distinctive signs and symptoms. The fungal fruiting body, called an ascomata, looks like an actual spot of tar on the leaf. …