The “walls” of dark green corn as the crop begins its push to fill grain and make yield is always an inspiring sight, and the 2014 crop is the best I’ve seen at stage of development. It’s been almost this good in June several times, but not at the end of July. The crop condition rating has been stuck at about 80% good to excellent, and this remarkable uniformity is apparent in travels around northern and western Illinois in recent weeks.…
A journal article published recently (July 2014) confirms that rotation resistant and rotation susceptible western corn rootworms are affected by Bt root tissue in a similar fashion. The citation for this article is provided below.
Tinsley, N.A., J.L. Spencer, R.E. Estes, J.R. Prasifka, P.M. Schrader, B.W. French, and M.E. Gray. 2014. Larval mortality and development for rotation-resistant and rotation-susceptible populations of western corn rootworm on Bt corn. Journal of Applied Entomology. doi: 10.1111/jen.12149
Based upon some earlier research,…
From a field crop entomology perspective, this summer remains exceptionally quiet across most areas of Illinois. Japanese beetle and soybean aphid densities have remained very low, seemingly near absent in many fields. With 82% of the corn silking process completed statewide by July 20 and soil moisture plentiful in most areas, the threat of insects negatively affecting the pollination process have largely diminished. We intend to conduct some insect surveys in corn and soybean fields across the state as we move through early August.…
The 2014 Dixon Springs Agronomy and Horticulture Field Day presented by the University of Illinois, Department of Crop Sciences will be held on Thursday, August 7 at the Dixon Springs Ag Center. The research center is located on IL Route 145, near Glendale, IL, 25 miles south of Harrisburg and 25 miles north of Paducah, KY.
Tours will start at 9:00 AM with the final bus leaving at 9:30. A lunch to follow will be provided by sponsors and UI Extension.…
The weed science program at the University of Illinois would like to take the opportunity to remind everyone of the Palmer amaranth field research tour scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on July 30. The tour will feature presentations about Palmer amaranth identification, biology, and management and provide participants the opportunity to view several field experiments conducted by the University of Illinois and scientists from Bayer CropScience. Advanced registration can be accomplished by visiting bayerrespecttherotation.com. …
The 2014 Brownstown Agronomy Research Center Field Day, presented by the University Of Illinois Department Of Crop Sciences, will be held on Wednesday, August 6. Extension researchers and specialists will address issues pertinent to the current growing season. The tour will start at 8 a.m. and will last about two and a half hours. It will be followed by lunch provided by U of I Extension.
Shaded tour wagons will take participants to each stop. These topics will be addressed:
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Each year the University of Illinois Extension’s Crop Management Conference series brings 13 hours of training to farmers, Certified Crop Advisors and other professionals working in agriculture. Extension personnel captured the audio from four different presentation during the 2014 Crop Management Conferences. Personnel in the Extension Web Development Team synced visual content with the captured audio to produce interactive online courses.
Three courses have been completed and one in still in development. Dr. Emerson Nafziger’s crop management presentations “…
The 2014 Orr Agricultural Center Field Day presented by the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois will be held on Wednesday, July 16 at the Orr Center, which is located roughly halfway between Jacksonville and Quincy on Route 104, four miles west of the junction of Illinois Routes 104 and 107.
The first tour group will start out at 9:00 AM, with the second and third groups leaving the headquarters at about 9:20 and 9:40.…
Nearly all herbicide labels (soil-applied or postemergence) have rotational crop intervals that specify the amount of time that must elapse between herbicide application and planting a rotational crop. Adhering to these intervals is always important, but becomes particularly important with late-season herbicide applications or when soil moisture is limited. These intervals are established to reduce the likelihood that herbicide residues will persist in sufficient quantities to adversely affect the rotational crop. Some herbicide rotational restrictions are based solely on time,…
The University of Illinois weed science program would like to extend an open invitation to join us on July 30, 2014 for a field tour and discussions at our Palmer amaranth research site, located approximately ½ mile east of the intersection of county roads 14000 west and 3000 north (see Google map following this article) near the community of Union Hill. The tour will provide an excellent opportunity for farmers, input suppliers, members of the media,…