Category Archives: Corn

Popping Corn in the Heat

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Rich Lee (Iowa)

Next time you find yourself laying in the shade of a 97° F day gasping for air and someone comes up to you and says, “Sure, it’s hot but it’s good for the corn,” you have my permission to disagree with them. True, corn does like heat and it grows best with warm weather, but I use the term “warm” weather, not blast furnace weather, like we are experiencing throughout the summer. Heat can be good, but too much of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn, Iowa, Japanese Beetle, Profitability, Rootworm Beetle, Yield | View Comments

Getting Clipped

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Rich Lee (Iowa)

You just have to admire the way Mother Nature can change things up. Until just a couple of years ago, we just had to worry about silk clipping from rootworm beetles. Now, just to make life more interesting, along comes the Japanese beetle. This new pest coming from the East is rapidly adapting to Iowa. It is sometimes found in heavy populations in our corn and soybean fields. Usually the leaf feeding caused by Japanese beetles is minor enough that … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn, Iowa, Japanese Beetle, Pests | View Comments

Goss’s Wilt in……Illinois?!

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Barry Soliday (Illinois)

Goss’s What? Why Goss’s Wilt of course….you mean to say you have never heard of it? Well to be honest, I usually checked out of the conversation when it turned to Goss’s Wilt. It was always an issue for the guys to the left of the Mississippi River, but now it has become a real issue for us on this side of the river too.  For most of us, Goss’s Wilt did come in last summer. But it came late … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn, Disease, Fungicides, Genetic diversity, Goss's Wilt, Illinois, Nebraska, Profitability, Syngenta | View Comments

How is Heat Affecting Indiana Corn?

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Mark Lawson (Indiana)

It’s really hot. As I write this from my comfortable air conditioned office, the thermometer in the shade of the back porch is registering an even 100° F, and the sensor near the corn plot is reading 106° F. Much of the corn in my part of central Indiana has started pollination and my neighbors are worried whether these temperatures might affect the pollen activity and yield potential. Here is a quick summary of the biology of corn pollination: Anther … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn, Indiana | View Comments

The Invasion of the Corn Earworm!

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Mark Ellis (Kansas)

As we go through the corn crop growing season, we see a multitude of insects. We generally start with black cutworm and end the season with corn earworm. This insect is tough to scout for and to control because the actual damage is done inside the husk to the corn ear kernels during and after tassel stage. Unless you get out in your fields, you may never see the damage until the corn is harvested and in the truck. Even … Continue reading →

Posted in Agrisure Corn Traits, Agrisure Viptera, Corn, Corn Earworm, Disease, Infestations, Insects, Kansas, Minnesota, Mycotoxin, Ohio, Pests, Profitability, Scouting, State, Syngenta, Texas | View Comments

An Eye on the Crop: Evaluating Seedling Growth

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Gary Prescher (Minnesota)

Yield preservation starts when the planter rolls and ends when the combine stops at the end of harvest. I have found that an extended planting season is often very distracting. Heading into the end of May, it will be time to monitor stand emergence and track several early season pests. Planting the crop over a long period of time can set up extended scouting and response windows. Good record keeping becomes more important when monitoring the crops progress as well … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn, Emergence, Infestations, Insects, Minnesota, Northern Plains, Pests, Scouting | View Comments

Be Aware of Black Cutworm This Spring

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Mark Ellis (Kansas)

Black cutworm (BCW) is typically the most damaging species of cutworm to infest corn fields in Kansas. Black cutworm infestations are often characterized as random and unpredictable. Light infestations of black cutworm are common, but often go unnoticed without scouting. Heavy infestations can devastate a corn stand, and generally the problem is not identified until the major damage has already occurred. These untimely infestations may result in stand reductions of greater than 70 percent in some areas of the field. … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Cutworm, Corn, Emergence, High Plains, Infestations, Insects, Kansas, Multi-Pest Complex, Pests, Planting, Profitability, Syngenta, Uncategorized | View Comments

How Late Can I Plant Corn?

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Mark Ellis (Kansas)

Weather conditions have a lot of growers scratching their heads about planting. Wanting to plant but doing it too soon or being afraid of waiting too late is like being caught between a rock and a hard place. The table below shows how late you can plan on planting your corn, as well as what the effects of waiting would be. What corn maturities should be used when planting late? Growers should stick with their planned seed corn choices until … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn, High Plains, Kansas, Planting | View Comments

Don’t Get “Pizza Mouth” Planting

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Rich Lee (Iowa)

Ever bite into a hot slice of pizza before it was cool enough to eat and burn the roof of your mouth? I have, and it is a condition I call “pizza mouth.” The same thing happens during planting each spring. Typically, in the excitement to start planting it is common to have most – but not the entire – field ready to go. Still, we move ahead and plant, including those areas that are not quite ready yet. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn, Emergence, Iowa, Planting | View Comments

Cool Conditions Mean Slow Corn Emergence

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Mark Ellis (Kansas)

Many growers in Kansas are concerned about corn that was planted about two weeks ago but has yet to emerge. Besides the cool temperatures, many locations have experienced a heavy, pounding rain that has caused a crust to form on the soil. Because of this situation many people are thinking about using a rotary hoe to help the corn emerge. Do I need to hoe my corn fields? Perhaps. While there is truly a crust on many fields, the actual … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn, Kansas, Planting | View Comments