cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

Screening Waterhemp for Herbicide Resistance

  • June 17, 2013

  • Aaron Hager

We are pleased to announce that, with continued financial support from the Illinois Soybean Association, we are offering free screening for herbicide resistance in waterhemp during the 2013 growing season.  To date, over 1000 plant samples have been screened through this collaborative effort between the weed science program at the University of Illinois and the Illinois Soybean Association.  This valuable service helps farmers and researchers better track and understand the evolution of herbicide resistance in waterhemp across the state.…

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Purple and Yellow Corn Plants

  • June 13, 2013

  • Emerson Nafziger

The corn crop that was planted in May is up and growing in most fields, but there have been numerous reports of fields with uneven plant sizes and colors, including purple and yellow plants. Many are wondering if this will decrease potential yields.
Based on past experience many people expect to see purple corn when soils are cool and dry during early plant growth stages, or in that rare field with low soil test phosphorus levels.…

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How Late Can We Plant Corn and Soybeans?

  • June 11, 2013

  • Emerson Nafziger

The latest report from NASS indicates that 96 percent of the corn and 62 percent of the soybean crop in Illinois had been planted as of June 9. Some of the corn is struggling, however, with 13 percent of the crop rated as poor or very poor. Much of this is due to heavy rainfall, which has caused problems with stands, including areas in fields where the crop has drowned out from standing water. In other cases,…

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Dates and Locations for the 2014 University of Illinois Corn & Soybean Classics

  • June 11, 2013

  • Aaron Hager

The dates and locations for the 2014 University of Illinois Corn & Soybean Classics are set for next January.  Our next series of meetings marks the 17th year of the Classics and will continue the program’s tradition of providing our clientele with the most current and timely information related to crop production, marketing and pest management.
The dates and meeting locations for the 2014 Corn & Soybean Classics are:
▸ January 6 (Monday): Champaign I Hotel and Conference Center
▸ January 7 (Tuesday): Mt.…

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Wheat scab rearing its ugly “head”

  • June 10, 2013

  • Aaron Hager

Head scab of wheat (a.k.a. Fusarium head blight) is showing up in Illinois wheat fields.  Incidence is ranging from low (less than 10% of the heads affected) to moderately high (over 25% of the heads affected).  Affected wheat heads will appear “bleached” in color.  Heads often are partially affected, with both healthy green and affected bleached areas being present in the same head.  Although I have not been in all wheat production areas in the state,…

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Western Corn Rootworm Hatch Confirmed in West Central Indiana

  • June 10, 2013

  • Michael Gray

Entomologists (Christian Krupke, John Obermeyer, and Larry Bledsoe) at Purdue University have confirmed that the annual larval hatch of western corn rootworms is underway. They found the first corn rootworm larva on June 6 and believe that hatch was initiated on June 4. This event was a little later than heat-unit totals predicted. I suspect that the drought of 2012 forced much deeper egg laying in the soil contributing to the slightly later hatch this spring.…

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Early Season Soybean Aphid Observations

  • June 10, 2013

  • Michael Gray

On May 15-19, 2013, Drs. David Voegtlin (retired entomologist, Illinois Natural History Survey) and Dave Hogg (Professor, University of Wisconsin, Madison), surveyed the overwintering hosts of soybean aphids — the common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus). Their 2,000 + mile survey of these primary hosts took them across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. A synopsis of their observations by state are provided below.…

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Armyworms Reach Impressive Levels in Southwestern Illinois Wheat

  • June 7, 2013

  • Michael Gray

Wheat producers, especially in southwestern Illinois, should be scouting their fields for armyworms and considering the need to apply a rescue treatment. Kevin Black, Insect and Plant Disease Technical Manager, Growmark, Inc., reported on June 7 that large numbers of armyworms were leaving roadside ditches, moving into adjacent wheat fields, and inflicting heavy damage. Armyworm densities and damage in one wheat field located northeast of St. Louis was particularly impressive. Because of the heavy rains this spring and the lack of mowing,…

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New Mobile Corn Replant Decision Aid

  • June 7, 2013

  • Dennis Bowman


Deciding on whether or not to replant can be a difficult decision. Cutworm, compaction and seedling blight are some of the problems that can lead to reduced plant populations. The sight of an uneven reduced stand is often more than many farmers can take, but the desire to “fix-it” may not make sense agronomically or economically.
For fields where the stand has been relatively evenly thinned out the following advice is most relevant.…

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Potato Leafhoppers Active in Central Illinois

  • June 6, 2013

  • Michael Gray

On June 5, I sampled an alfalfa field in Champaign County and found potato leafhoppers by using a sweep net. These small insects have the potential to cause injury to subsequent cuttings of alfalfa. Typically, the first cutting across much of Illinois is not at economic risk to this migratory pest. Producers are encouraged to scout their fields for potato leafhoppers and recognize that very low densities of these insects equipped with piercing and sucking mouthparts can cause economic losses to alfalfa soon after the first cutting.…

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