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Black cutworm feeding possible in coming weeks

  • May 17, 2023

Black cutworms have been observed in traps across the state for the past couple of weeks. Several counties have reported significant moth flights (9 or more moths over a 2-night span). We can use the date of the significant flight to predict potential cutting dates based on degree day predictions.
For more complete information about the biology, life cycle, and management of black cutworms, a fact sheet is available from the Department of Crop Sciences,…

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Wheat and Double-Crop Soybeans

  • May 15, 2023

Planted wheat acreage in Illinois increased by 35%, from 650,000 acres in 2022 to 880,000 for the crop to be harvested in 2023. Wheat acreage by county or crop reporting district is not available, but indications are that some of the additional acreage is in parts of central Illinois where wheat acreage has been limited in recent decades. Wheat yields in Illinois were record-high (79 bushels per acre) in both 2021 and 2022, which along with high wheat prices added to expectations that wheat would be a profitable crop in 2023.…

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Illinois Crop Update – May 12, 2023

  • May 12, 2023

Russ Higgins – Extension Commercial Ag Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Wet (soil is wetter than normal, local vegetation is healthy)
Sunshine and heat, finally! Favorable growing conditions in NE Illinois. The sunshine, warmth, and needed rain gave a boost to both corn and soybean that had been slowly trying to emerge and grow. Despite concerns, I have heard few reports of emergence issues with seed sitting in cool soils for extended periods.…

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Recommendations to Manage Herbicide-Resistant Weeds: It’s Not as Easy as Some Believe

  • May 9, 2023

One of the most daunting challenges facing agronomic crop production is the continuing evolution of weeds resistant to herbicides. The magnitude of herbicide resistance is best measured on a global scale. The most recent summary indicates 520 unique cases of herbicide resistance—encompassing 268 species—occur globally. Approximately 11–12 cases of unique resistance are discovered each year. In contrast, our understanding of how and why weeds are evolving various resistance mechanisms is evolving much slower. This introduces a somewhat precarious situation: if we do not fully understand how/why these resistance mechanisms evolve,…

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Illinois Crop Update – May 5, 2023

  • May 5, 2023

Nick Seiter – Extension Field Crops Entomologist, University of Illinois
Champaign County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry
Reports of insect activity so far have focused on large/early flights of black cutworm and true armyworm, likely helped along by storms out of the southwest a couple of weeks ago. Both species are more likely to be a problem if dense vegetation is present in the field; black cutworms are especially attracted to winter annual weeds,…

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Low temperatures and Illinois crops

  • May 5, 2023

The first half of April was dry and warm in Illinois, and 159 growing degree days accumulated, compared to the average of 99. The second half of April was also dry in most areas, but only 92 GDD accumulated, compared to the average of 132. Some producers who would normally plant as fast as possible during the second half of April decided to delay planting due to low temperatures. That’s very unusual when soils are in good working condition,…

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Dust and Foliar-Applied Herbicides

  • May 4, 2023

Dry soil conditions across many areas of Illinois have contributed to accelerated crop planting. It is a bit unusual at this point in the season that such a high percentage of corn and soybean acres already have been planted. Soon, postemergence herbicide applications will begin. However, one potentially adverse consequence of very dry soil is the often large amount of dust propelled into the air by either application equipment or high winds.
Airborne dust has been shown to reduce the activity of some foliar-applied herbicides,…

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Dry Soils and Soil-Applied Herbicides

  • May 3, 2023

While conditions during much of April were conducive for planting, these same conditions were NOT conducive for good performance of soil-residual herbicides. Many surface-applied herbicides received neither timely precipitation nor mechanical incorporation to move the applied herbicide into the soil solution. Herbicide effectiveness can be significantly reduced when a soil-applied herbicide is sprayed on a dry soil surface with no incorporation (mechanical or by precipitation) for several days following application. The amount of precipitation required to move the herbicide into the soil and how soon after application the precipitation is needed are difficult to define and can vary by herbicide,…

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Soil-Residual Soybean Herbicides Applied Postemergence

  • May 2, 2023

Soil-residual herbicides are important components of integrated weed management programs.  Reducing the number of weeds exposed to foliar-applied herbicides helps reduce the selection intensity for weeds to evolve resistance to foliar-applied herbicides. Residual herbicides applied with postemergence soybean herbicides also can reduce the need for a second postemergence application. However, simply applying a soil-residual herbicide does not guarantee the product will provide the desired level or duration of weed control. Many edaphic and environmental factors influence the level of weed control achieved by soil-residual herbicides.…

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Soil-Residual Herbicides Applied to Emerged Corn

  • April 27, 2023

A potential scenario encountered each growing season is corn planted in fields where no soil-residual herbicide was applied. If the corn has not yet emerged, the soil-residual herbicide can be applied as originally planned. But, what if the corn has emerged and the soil-residual herbicide has not been applied? Can the application proceed as planned, or will a different product need to be selected? The answer depends on the respective herbicide.
Most, but not all, soil residual herbicides can be applied after corn has emerged.…

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