Just because tar spot was mostly a no-show in 2022 and 2023 doesn't mean that will be the case in 2024. Charting humidity levels can help predict if the disease will strike.
In a year with razor-thin margins, at best, corn and soybean growers can use a variety of new technology and tried-and-true agronomic tools to score higher yields this season.
Data — a word that packs a punch but can be hard to define. From planting to irrigation, it's necessary to have a digital record of these field activities to participate in sustainability and crop traceability programs.
As the costliest pest in the U.S. for soybeans, this breakthrough means there will finally be options to develop varieties with enhanced SCN resistance.
Scientists from the Agricultural Research Service have identified several different species of fungi and bacteria that can stop tar spot from developing.
The online tool from the SCN Coalition is free and easy to use. It’s backed by research done on more than 25,000 university soybean research plots across the U.S.
Some farmers in central Illinois are making yield estimates of 250 to 270 bushels per acre. Ken Ferrie says in many of those cases a more realistic estimate, though disappointing, would be in the 170 to 220 range.
Corteva Agriscience introduces Viatude and LumiTreo to address tough disease issues and protect soybean yield potential. Both will be available for use in 2024. There are limited supplies of Viatude this season, as well.
Conditions are right for the disease to break loose in parts of the Midwest. If it does, agronomists recommend three steps farmers can take to prioritize affected cornfields for harvest to minimize yield loss.
Corn growers in 13 states have confirmed tar spot outbreaks now. Iowa leads the pack with the disease reported in at least 36 counties. Indiana is a close second. "It’s starting to explode," one agronomist says.
Farmers can use humidity charts for their area to assess when the disease could hit their corn crop as well as the optimum time to make a fungicide application, says Missy Bauer, Farm Journal Associate Field Agronomist.
In Bob Lindeman’s soybean rows, planting populations are on a general decline, and the reduction is not about saving dollars up front, but on combatting mold and rot.
“This is the earliest we’ve reported tar spot in Iowa,” says Robertson, Iowa State professor of plant pathology. She says the early detection could be due to the Tarspotter app. Here's how it works.
Double-digit yield losses are not uncommon. To date, 14 Illinois counties have confirmed the disease, and it's being scouted for elsewhere by seed company and Extension pathologists and agronomists.
Farmers with cornfields affected two years ago need to be ready this season, based on a corn-soybean rotation. Fields with high levels of residue are more susceptible, and beware heavy rains just prior to canopy.
Bayer Crop Science has unveiled a novel approach to the discovery and development of crop protection solutions, called CropKey. Company officials say it is helping them bring new products to the marketplace faster.
From lubricating booms to cleaning and replacing spray tips, ace mechanic Dan Anderson emphasizes the importance of prioritizing upkeep during the spraying season.
The agency recently launched a new initiative called Acres. Scientists plan for the data gathered through the program to help farmers with all kinds of decisions, from water use to what crops to plant and when.
Similarly, Ken Ferrie says to time your post-herbicide application in corn based on weed size and to address cutworm based on the level of damage you find. One pass in the field could work for both, but don't bet on it.
Before planting even starts, diseases are likely on soil residue. That includes tar spot. While many believe rainfall and temperatures are key tar spot drivers, Agronomist Missy Bauer says there's a third indicator.
Problems like tar spot get tons of attention because of the highly visible yield loss they cause in-season. Seedling diseases can pack the same punch. Some experts claim Pythium is the No. 1 disease issue in corn.
Cornfields hit by the disease in 2021 are at risk from a homegrown infection in 2023, if you're in a corn-soybean rotation. Hard rains prior to crop canopy are an added concern. They splash inoculant onto corn plants.
Are your corn hybrids undergoing stress 10 to 15 days before black layer and experiencing top kill? That's going to hurt kernel depth and knock off those top-end yields you want to combine.
Unlike the early tar spot problem farmers experienced in 2021, the disease wasn't first reported in Indiana until August this year. Darcy Telenko studies the timing of fungicide applications in battling tar spot.
If your traditional approach to fungicide applications in corn is to wait until you see signs of disease pressure, it could be time to rethink your strategy.
Availability could be a challenge this season. If you can only make one application, pull the trigger between tassel and R3 in corn and between R2 and R3 in soybeans, advises Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.
As young corn plants begin to canopy, think ahead to another challenge on the horizon. Besides scouting for insects, scouting for early-season foliar diseases is an important way to get ahead of potentially costly...
There's plenty of disease inoculum in cornfields across the Midwest. It's just a matter of whether Mother Nature will unleash the devastation this season that many farmers saw in 2021.
This late season disease is nothing to hit the snooze button on. “This is a disease you have to pay attention to,” says Dr. Nathan Kleczewski, plant pathologist with Growmark.
These biological products have the ability to increase germination, improve nutrient uptake, enhance nutrient-use efficiency and increase tolerance to and recovery from abiotic stresses.
Growing conditions during the summer showed the Eastern Corn Belt had better crop production potential compared to the West. Naomi Blohm and Bob Utterback talk harvest yield reports and the potential market impact.
The disease is shutting down corn crop growth prematurely in parts of Illinois, especially in fields with D hybrids. You may need to harvest those fields sooner than later.
Because of resistance to some of the existing technology in the marketplace, farmers need to evaluate carefully which product can effectively address the specific foliar diseases in their fields.
If disease infects your corn stalks, put the pedal to the metal to get that field harvested before it falls. And it’s not just wet seasons that product stalk rot, dry weather can create them, too.