cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

“Tip-back” and the 2016 corn crop

  • August 4, 2016

  • Emerson Nafziger

Although my post last week reflected the current optimism about yield prospects for the 2016 Illinois corn crop, there has been some recent discussion about unfilled ear tips and whether or not this might mean lower yields than the appearance of the crop leads us to believe.
Corn ears with kernels missing at the outer end of the ear are often said to have “tip-back.” The term is a little obscure, but the idea is that the end of the cob has been exposed by lack of kernels there,…

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Remain Vigilant for Palmer amaranth

  • August 3, 2016

  • Aaron Hager

Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) has garnered much attention recently in both academic discussions and popular press releases, and with good reason.  Among the weedy species of Amaranthus, Palmer amaranth has the fastest growth rate and is the most competitive with the crops common to Midwest agronomic cropping systems.  Soybean yield losses approaching 80% and corn yield losses exceeding 90% have been reported in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.
While most concern focuses on Palmer amaranth in agronomic cropping systems,…

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Soybean: crunch time to come

  • July 27, 2016

  • Emerson Nafziger

The 2016 Illinois soybean story is similar to the corn story; current (July 24) crop ratings for both crops are similar to those we saw in 2014, when we produced the highest-ever yields for both crops. Illinois producers matched the 2014 soybean yield (56 bushels per acre) in 2015, despite the crop’s getting off to a very rocky start last year. Few surprises in crop production have been greater than that of seeing fields that looked marginal in July 2015 go on to produce 60,…

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Is the 2016 corn crop as good as it looks?

  • July 27, 2016

  • Emerson Nafziger

With the exception of a few cool and wet periods in May and some areas of southeastern Illinois that stayed wet and were planted late, the 2016 growing season has been very good so far. The Illinois corn crop was planted a little earlier than normal, stands are excellent, and the crop has had outstanding leaf color throughout the spring and into mid-summer. On July 24, 82% of the crop was rated good or excellent. That matches the late July rating in 2014,…

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Insect Briefs – Soybean Aphids, Syrphid Flies, and More

  • July 20, 2016

  • Kelly Estes

–  Russ Higgins, University of Illinois Extension reports finding a couple of soybean aphids in LaSalle County this week. This follows some earlier reports in July of soybean aphids being found in low numbers in Iowa. Despite some of the recommendations floating around, direct yield loss from soybean aphid feeding does not occur when the first (or five or ten) aphids begin feeding. Today’s soybean varieties are equipped to handle minor challenges, including a few aphids.…

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2016 Ewing Agronomy Field Day – July 28

  • July 14, 2016

  • Nathan Johanning

We invite everyone to the University of Illinois Extension Ewing Agronomy Field Day Thursday, July 28, 2016 starting at 9 a.m. at the Ewing Demonstration Center.  Every growing season presents challenges to production, and this year is no exception!  We are happy to host this summer field day to share with local growers current, ongoing agronomy field research, including cover crop trials on corn and soybeans, nitrogen management in corn, soybean variety trial and row spacing study,…

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2016 Orr Center Field Day Set For July 20

  • July 6, 2016

  • Emerson Nafziger

The 2016 Orr Center field day will be held on Wednesday, July 20, beginning with sign-in and refreshments at 8:00 AM. The format will be new this year, with three UI Extension specialists making presentations in indoor classrooms:

  • Weed scientist Aaron Hager will talk about weed management
  • Agronomist Emerson Nafziger will discuss crop conditions and nitrogen management
  • Ag economist Gary Schnitkey will discuss crop income projections

Indoor sessions will be followed by a short wagon tour to look at crop conditions and some of the research trials underway at the Center.…

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Preharvest Intervals for Postemergence Soybean Herbicides

  • June 28, 2016

  • Aaron Hager

Almost all postemergence soybean herbicides have a preharvest interval or a soybean developmental stage beyond which applications cannot be made specified on their respective label.  Labels of some products may indicate both a developmental stage (before soybean bloom, for example) and a preharvest interval.  Preharvest intervals indicate the amount of time that must elapse between the herbicide application and crop harvest.  Failure to observe the preharvest interval may result in herbicide residue levels in the crop in excess of established limits. …

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How might soybean yield be affected by hail damage?

  • June 24, 2016

  • Aaron Hager

In the early morning hours on Wednesday, June 22 a severe storm moved through western Illinois affecting crops throughout much of Henderson, Warren and Mercer Counties, including those at the University of Illinois’ Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center in Monmouth.  Preliminary data collected by instruments maintained by the Illinois Climate Network at the center had the wind gusting to 78.1 mph and more than 1 inch of rain falling in a 10 minute period contributing to the nightly total of 3.34 inches.…

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Storm Damage in Corn

  • June 23, 2016

  • Emerson Nafziger

High winds hit parts of central and north-central Illinois on June 22 and 23, flattening corn that was at stages V10 to V13 or so (4 to 7 feet tall.) Hail damaged leaf area in some places as well, but hail was not as widespread as wind damage.
Figure 1 shows corn completely flattened at our Monmouth Research & Education Center, following wind gusts up to 78 mph between 2:45 and 3:00 AM on June 22.…

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