All posts in Central Plains

Plan Ahead for Early-Season Soybean Insects
March 12, 2018 · No comments

Adult bean leaf beetle Soybean planting is around the corner, so now is the time to brush up on what early-season insects to scout for. Left unrestricted, these pests damage yields at the critical growth stage. One early-season pest to watch for is the bean leaf beetle, which can overwinter and become active as early as April. Bean leaf beetles move quickly through fields, so early-planted fields usually suffer the most damage. The best way...

Managing Palmer Amaranth to Delay Resistance
March 7, 2018 · No comments

Young Palmer amaranth Palmer amaranth’s reputation as a difficult-to-control weed often precedes its arrival. After working its way through the South, Palmer amaranth is now moving into the Midwest. According to Joe Wuerffel, research and development scientist at Syngenta, Palmer amaranth has now been reported as far north as Minnesota. A small-seeded broadleaf weed, Palmer amaranth produces thousands of seeds that are well adapted to today’s minimum and no-till practices. Seeds typically germinate close to...

2018 Stripe Rust Predictions
March 6, 2018 · No comments

Although stripe rust was present across the U.S. last year, USDA-ARS Research Plant Pathologists observed fields in late fall 2017 and has predicted that stripe rust will not be a major factor for growers this season. This may be due to a combination of resistant varieties, timely fungicide application and less favorable winter conditions. While stripe rust is not expected to be a huge threat in the 2018 season, you should still be prepared to...

Planting Season 2018: Do Your Cleaning Before the Spring
March 2, 2018 · No comments

As you get ready for the upcoming planting season, it’s important to make sure your equipment is in proper working order. Taking the time to clean your planters from last year can make for an easier planting process, and ultimately increase yield as more seed makes it into the ground. Here are a few tips for cleaning, which require only a shop vacuum and a few common tools: Seed boxes: Clean out old seed, which...

Develop an SCN Management Plan for 2018
February 28, 2018 · No comments

Protect SCN-resistant varieties with nematicide seed treatments and crop rotation to control SCN and maximize yield.  Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is the most damaging pest to soybeans in the U.S. The University of Minnesota Extension says the pest causes an estimated $1 billion loss annually. Although there is no way to eradicate SCN once it’s present in a field, there are several management practices you can use to reduce SCN population density and increase yield...

Identify and Manage Kochia
February 27, 2018 · No comments

Kochia A number of key characteristics of kochia can make it especially difficult to control. The United Soybean Board reports kochia is tolerant to hot, dry conditions and soils with high salinity. It can produce up to 30,000 seeds per plant, its roots can extend down 15’ and measure 21’ in diameter and the weed itself can grow up to 6’ high. In addition, herbicide-resistant kochia rapidly evolves due to short seed life, high genetic...

Controlling Resistant Weeds is Easier Than You Think
February 22, 2018 · No comments

Clean soybean rows Resistant weeds are spreading, and many weed species are developing multiple forms of resistance against current herbicide modes of action (MOAs). In a 2017 study, researchers at the University of Wisconsin Extension found that from 2013 to 2016, waterhemp and Palmer amaranth with multiple forms of resistance spread throughout the state. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln found that 4 weed species in that state have evolved resistance to multiple herbicides as of 2017....

Managing Tough-to-control Giant Ragweed
February 21, 2018 · No comments

Giant ragweed Giant ragweed is a large-seeded broadleaf weed that lives up to its name. It grows fast and can reach colossal heights of up to 20‘, pilfering water, nutrients and sunlight from surrounding corn and soybean plants as it grows. Its height and voracious appetite for resources aside, giant ragweed – like other large-seeded broadleaf weeds – is difficult to control because its seeds germinate deep within the soil profile where they are shielded...

Watch for Southern Rust in 2018
February 16, 2018 · No comments

Southern rust on untreated corn. When preparing your management strategy for the 2018 growing season, it’s important to remember what diseases were seen in 2017. One disease that is progressing more and has started to affect a larger number of fields throughout the South and Midwest is Southern rust. Southern rust can be expected in corn fields throughout the South, but it’s been spotted in the Midwest with increasing frequency. Although rust diseases rarely cause...