Recovery from early season damage to corn is strongly dependent on the health of the main (apical) growing point region following the damage.
Recovery from early season damage to corn is strongly dependent on the health of the main (apical) growing point region following the damage.
Our rainy wet weather conditions have certainly caused a lot of delays in field operations this spring. One of these challenges we face in a spring like this one is the process of getting crops terminated and summer annual crops like corn and soybean planted in fields where cover crops have grown somewhat large.
The risk of damaging spring frost events is one of the downsides to planting corn earlier than normal, but is one growers often accept when early spring field conditions are otherwise suitable for planting. However, the threat of low temperatures in late May or early June also raises the specter of frost or low temperature damage to young corn plants, regardless of planting date. Early morning temperatures in the 30so(F) coupled with clear calm conditions overnight certainly are favorable for frost formation on exposed surfaces, including leaves of young corn plants. In other words, temperatures do not need to drop to 32oF or cooler in order for frost to form. When significant frost develops on young corn plants, it is tempting to jump to the logical conclusion that significant plant mortality will soon follow. However, frost by itself is not a guaranteed “kiss of death” for young corn plants. What[Read More…]
Ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) is commonly added to liquid nitrogen (N) solutions to provide sulfur (S) to crop plants. Sulfur response trials have shown ATS to be an effective S fertilizer, however, thiosulfate and its first breakdown product, tetrathionate, are not utilized by plants.
Soils in Indiana have been too wet for field work almost since last fall. What I mean by “too wet” is so wet that the soils would not even support the weight of the field equipment without creating ruts or the equipment literally getting stuck.
There are many no-till fields across Indiana that have either not been burned down or those that will need to be sprayed again because of wet weather and planting delays.
I have heard that wheat is starting to flower in parts of southern Indiana, and the Fusarium risk forecast is still red for most of the state indicating a high-risk potential for infection. Recent weather conditions will only continue to promote the high risk.
Moth flights for both black cutworm and armyworm have been impressive this spring. Unworked/untreated fields are plentiful, and so is the plant life, meaning that there has been no shortage of egg-laying opportunities for these pests. Once soils dry, there will be no luxury of time to prevent a green-bridge, that is to starve the small larvae before they switch from feeding on the dying weeds/cover crops to the emerging crop. So, should one be tempted to be proactive and add some “cheap” insecticide in with the burn-down herbicides. A few factors to consider: First, seed-applied insecticides and many varieties of Bt-traited corn offer some suppression of black cutworm. The systemic activity of the seed-applied insecticide, and/or the protein production of the Bt-corn are optimal when the corn seedling is actively growing, not so much when corn is stressed. Their performance against larger larvae, >0.5”, is greatly reduced, meaning the[Read More…]
The biggest topic seems to be how wet it is and how much more rain Indiana can expect. So far, May has experienced near-normal precipitation throughout the central part of the state with 0.5”-2” in southern and northern regions (Figure 1).
Adoption of Xtend soybeans is expected to reach 70-80% of the soybean acres in the U.S. in 2019. The approval of Enlist E3 soybean imports by China and the Philippines earlier this year has allowed for full commercialization in the U.S. and provided farmers with another auxin herbicide (2,4-D choline) in their soybean weed management programs.
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