cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

Update on Palmer amaranth Distribution in Illinois

  • September 24, 2013

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.  Palmer amaranth can be effectively managed in Illinois agronomic crops,…

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Late-Season Dry Weather and Soybean Prospects

  • September 12, 2013

Soybean planting was very late in Illinois in 2013; it was early June before 50 percent of the crop was planted, and well into July by the time planting was completed. Even so, the crop condition ratings were good by mid-season, with some 70 percent of the crop rated good or excellent in mid-July.
With the late planting and some cool temperatures in July, soybean flowering and pod-setting started late, with half the crop flowering by July 21,…

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Late-Season Dry Weather and Corn

  • September 11, 2013

The 2013 corn growing season has had its share of ups and downs, with late planting due to early rainfall, more rain in June, and temperatures that were at or below normal most of the season until recent weeks. Pollination conditions were good in most places, with adequate soil moisture and generally good temperatures. By late July most fields were in good shape, with good kernel counts and good canopy color and leaf health.
Much of the crop reached the middle part of August in good shape,…

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2013 Ewing Demonstration Fall Field Day

  • September 11, 2013

The University of Illinois Extension will host its annual Ewing Demonstration Center Fall field day on Thursday September 12, 2013 at 9 a.m. at the farm in Ewing.  The farm is located north of the Ewing grade school on north Ewing Road.  The 911 address is 16132 N. Ewing Rd; Ewing, IL 62836.  Watch for signs.
The ongoing research this year consists of a Liberty Soybean plot, insecticide/fungicide trial on soybeans, treated vs. untreated double crop soybeans,…

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Preliminary Root Ratings Posted for Corn Rootworm Products in Urbana, Illinois Trial

  • September 6, 2013

Each year, the performance of corn rootworm products (Bt hybrids and planting-time soil insecticides) are evaluated in several trials at University of Illinois Education and Research Centers located near DeKalb, Monmouth, Perry, and Urbana. The experiments are conducted in plots that were planted to a trap crop (late-planted corn, interplanted with pumpkins) the previous year. A trap crop system is used to help ensure greater levels of rootworm pressure from year to year. In 2013, the level of root pruning in three of the locations,…

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Severe Corn Rootworm Injury to Bt Hybrids in First-Year Corn Confirmed

  • August 27, 2013

On August 26, Joe Spencer an entomologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, and I traveled to Livingston and Kankakee counties and confirmed significant western corn rootworm larval injury in first-year cornfields that had been planted to Bt rootworm hybrids (VT Triple PRO RIB – expresses the Cry3Bb1 protein). The fields in question were brought to our attention by Bryan Johnston, Cabery Fertilizer, Cabery, Illinois. Bryan indicated that many first-year Bt cornfields in the area had severe root pruning and lodging.…

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Statewide Surveys in Illinois Reveal Overall Low Numbers of Corn and Soybean Insects

  • August 20, 2013

Recently, statewide surveys of insects in corn and soybean fields were conducted in 28 counties across Illinois. The surveys were performed by sampling five corn and five soybean fields (randomly selected) per county during two periods (August 1 through 6, and August 14 through 16). In each cornfield, 20 consecutive plants were examined for western corn rootworm adults. In soybeans, 100 sweeps were taken (at least 12 rows from the field edge) per field. Densities of western corn rootworm adults exceeded the 0.75 per plant (continuous corn) or 0.5 per plant (first-year corn) beetle thresholds during the August 1 to August 6 time frame in the following counties: Christian (0.91 adults per plant),…

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Soybean rust: status and risk

  • August 19, 2013

Observations of soybean rust in southern states indicate that the pathogen (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) is beginning to move northward towards Illinois. Based on current movement, soybean rust likely will arrive in Illinois again this year, but it may not be in the state early enough to cause any yield losses. Late-planted fields would be the most at risk to losses caused by soybean rust. In general, once soybean plants reach the R6 stage (full seed stage),…

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Southern rust of corn observed in Illinois

  • August 14, 2013

Southern rust of corn has now been observed in different areas of Illinois.  Southern rust is one of two different rust diseases of corn that can be observed in the state (the other is known as common rust).  Because nearly every corn hybrid grown is susceptible to southern rust, yield reductions can occur if infection takes place early enough in the season.  Late-planted corn fields are at the highest risk for yield losses associated with southern rust and should be scouted for the presence of this disease. …

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Soybean Aphid Activity Picks Up in Northern Illinois

  • August 12, 2013

On the morning of August 12, Russ Higgins, University of Illinois Extension Commercial Agriculture Educator, Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center, sampled soybean fields in DeKalb, Grundy, Kendall, and LaSalle counties. In four of seven commercial soybean fields, he detected soybean aphids in low numbers. Typically, Russ found one to two aphids per leaf. He also noted that beneficial insects were abundant within the soybean fields.
The economic threshold for soybean aphids remains at 250 aphids per plant with 80% of plants infested. …

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