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Northern Illinois Agronomy Day, July 9th

  • July 3, 2015
  • Russel Higgins

The Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center will be hosting its summer Agronomy Day on Thursday, July 9th in Shabbona. Join University of Illinois Extension specialists and researchers as they address issues pertinent to the 2015 crop growing season.
The program begins at 9:00 a.m. and will finish with a noon meal provided at no cost. It is open to all who wish to attend and there is no registration fee. Certified crop adviser continuing educational units will be available.…

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Corn disease update and farewell

  • June 30, 2015
  • Aaron Hager

Last week, I visited all of the University of Illinois corn variety trials in the northern half of the state.  Gray leaf spot and northern leaf blight were beginning to appear in most of the locations, but were the most obvious at the trial located near Perry, IL (Pike County).
With the amount of rainfall received in the past few weeks, it is not surprising that these diseases were beginning to appear.  Since hybrids differ in their level of susceptibility to these diseases,…

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Stink Bugs Observed in Soybean Fields of Southwestern Illinois

  • June 25, 2015
  • Michael Gray

Byron Hendrix, Agronomist with Terayne AG Specialties, Venedy, IL, observed green and brown stink bugs in soybean fields in Washington County on June 25. The field in which stink bugs were observed was planted in early May. Management of stink bugs in vegetative stage soybeans is not typically necessary. As plants enter the reproductive stages of development and pods begin to fill, rescue treatments may be warranted. Growers should consider a rescue treatment when adult bugs or large nymphs reach densities of 1 per foot of row when pods are filling.…

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Western Corn Rootworm Adults Present in Some Central Illinois Fields

  • June 25, 2015
  • Michael Gray

In spite of the very heavy precipitation and saturated soils in many fields across the state, some western corn rootworm adults have survived and have been sighted in several fields in central Illinois. Matt O’Whene, Research Associate with DuPont Pioneer, observed western corn rootworm adults in a cornfield located in Piatt County on June 24. The western corn rootworm in Matt’s photograph appears to be a male. Males typically emerge first followed by the emergence of females a few days later.…

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Corn Rootworm Emergence Just Around the Corner for East Central Illinois

  • June 23, 2015
  • Michael Gray

Joe Spencer, an entomologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, observed 2nd and 3rd instar corn rootworm larvae earlier today (June 23) in his research plots located north of Urbana, Illinois. He anticipates the emergence of adults from these plots by early next week. As we begin the 4th of July Holiday, I suspect initial sightings of western corn rootworm adults will begin to occur across central Illinois. Overall, I anticipate the statewide population of western corn rootworms to be reduced this season due to the heavy precipitation many areas have received throughout June leading to saturated soils at the time of larval hatch.…

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Corn and Nitrogen as Rains Continue

  • June 19, 2015
  • Emerson Nafziger

Some rain has fallen somewhere in Illinois nearly every day for the past 3 weeks, and rainfall totals for this period exceed 7 inches – two to three times normal – over more than half of the state (Figure 1). This has a lot of people wondering if enough nitrogen remains in the soil to supply the corn crop.
Daily high temperatures have averaged close to normal over the past three weeks, while night temperatures have been 3 to 4 degrees above normal,…

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Reminder…Weed Science Field Research Tour

  • June 18, 2015
  • Aaron Hager

The 2015 University of Illinois Weed Science Field Day will be held next Wednesday, June 24th at the University of Illinois Crop Sciences Research and Education Center, located immediately south of the main campus. Coffee and refreshments will be available under the shade trees near the Seed House beginning at 8:00 a.m.
Similar to past years, we will car pool to the fields where participants can join in a guided (but informal) tour format. The tour will provide ample opportunity to look at research plots and interact with weed science faculty,…

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Armyworms Inflict Damage to Corn in Northeastern Illinois

  • June 9, 2015
  • Michael Gray

On June 8, I received a report from Stephanie Porter, Burrus Sales Agronomist, concerning a severe infestation of armyworms in McHenry County. Significant damage had been inflicted to a field of no-till corn in which rye had been used as a cover crop. Throughout my career, the most common reports of damaging infestations of armyworms have occurred in corn when rye has been used as a cover crop. For more information on the biology, life cycle and management of this pest,…

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Western Corn Rootworm Hatch Update: Typical Timeline this Season

  • June 9, 2015
  • Michael Gray

The annual western corn rootworm hatch appears to be similar this spring to the two most recent growing seasons. Thanks to Larry Bledsoe and his entomology colleagues at Purdue University, we have compiled a list of hatch dates over the past 20 years! Beginning on May 21 (and at 3-day intervals), Larry examined the root tissue of untreated corn plants for first instar larvae. On June 4 in Tippecanoe County, Indiana he found his first corn rootworm larva and estimated that hatch occurred the day before.…

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International Agronomy Day

  • June 1, 2015
  • Aaron Hager

The Department of Crop Sciences will host International Agronomy Day on August 31, 2015 at the Crop Sciences Research and Education Center at the University of Illinois. We have developed International Agronomy Day as an opportunity for international visitors to attend a field tour at the University of Illinois and interact with many of our faculty and staff.  International Agronomy Day will take place the day before the Farm Progress Show opens in Decatur to provide an opportunity for international visitors traveling to the United States to attend the Farm Progress Show to learn more about the research being conducted by our faculty and staff.…

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