Hoegemeyer - the right seed

With drought concerns from last year, farmers have made decisions to best navigate what Mother Nature has given them while trying to find ways to increase their bottom line.  Whether it is reducing tillage, cutting back plant populations and fertilizer, or switching the cash crop grown altogether, some farmers have made adjustments to their management plans.  This growing season, we have been  blessed with a cool wet spring in many areas throughout the Midwest, but it also delayed emergence in some earlier planted fields.  This can open the door for some potential plant health issues which can cause problems later in the growing season such as lodging, stalk rot, etc.

Strobilurin fungicides do a great job controlling disease, but manufacturer’s supplemental labels list that their product will also have improved plant health benefits like improved plant tolerance to hail, drought, cold temps, and frost.  Some labels also state that their use can increase tolerance to bacterial and viral infections and also improve plant use of nitrogen.  These plant health factors are relevant, but fungicides do what fungicides do best -  and that is treat foliar diseases such as gray leaf spot and southern rust.
 

That all being said, many farmers yield potential has increased dramatically from two months ago with the rainfall and may warrant increased management.  To preserve yield potential this season it may be beneficial to use strobilurin fungicides to prevent disease and promote plant health.  This spring some corn sat underground for nearly a month before it emerged, diminishing overall plant health which can make these plants more susceptible to diseases.  With corn around $6/bushel, it makes more sense to fork out $28/A cost of spraying with only a minimum 5 bushel yield increase to justify an application.

When identifying what fields to treat, look for fields with hybrids that are susceptible to disease.  These fields are more easily justified for fungicide application.  Other contributing factors in addition to hybrid susceptibility are heavy residue (no-till) which can be an inoculum source for disease.  Also, pay attention to these fields during extended cool wet periods which can vector disease.  Finally, consider the management level of the field (i.e., irrigation, high plant populations, and high input rates) which can increase susceptibility of disease.  The best two times to apply strobilurin fungicides are V4 to V6 when yield potential is determined or during pollination VT to R1.

If you have questions, contact your local Hoegemeyer District Sales Manager or Agronomist.

Volunteer corn is bound to be a problem this year with the drought conditions and the wind events which laid ears of corn on the ground last fall. Whether it was from ear drop or if the plant completely blew over, volunteer corn can become a potential problem. 
 

Volunteer corn can be more difficult to kill due to the GMO traits in the corn.  Glufosinate and glyphosate traits are common in most hybrid corn and make control a little trickier.  Volunteer corn in soybeans can be easier to control than in corn. Control of volunteer corn in soybeans should take place when there are 1 to 4 volunteer corn plants per acre depending on the price of the commodity.  Control of volunteer corn in soybeans is managed with the following chemicals, timing, and rates.

Key from Purdue University
 

Volunteer corn in corn is most difficult to control due to the stacked chemical traits.  Yield lost due to volunteer corn in production is almost always a non-economic concern.    If there are more than 1 to 2 volunteer plants per square yard or 5,000 to 10,000 volunteer plants per acre (potential ~6% yield loss), then management to control volunteer corn is warranted.  Crop rotation and cultivation are the most common ways to control volunteer corn, and limited chemical options such as Paraquat can be effective if volunteer corn emerges and is sprayed prior to planting corn.  Delayed planting will also allow tillage to destroy volunteer plants.  Typically a planted corn field will out-compete volunteer corn.  No-till corn-on-corn is less likely to have volunteer problem due to poor seed to soil contact and ears of volunteer corn will be less competitive than individual volunteer corn plants.  If you have additional questions, contact your Hoegemeyer agronomist or District Sales Manager.

The Japanese beetles are invading corn and soybean fields in the Midwest.  Mild winters and earlier-than-normal planting conditions (first 2 weeks of April) will create a suitable environment for emerging beetles to wreak havoc on pollinating corn fields.  I have noticed increasing pressure from these beetles in the eastern part of Kansas.  Some farmers have sprayed for these insects in pollinating corn fields and in parts of Missouri high numbers of Japanese beetles have been noticed in corn and soybean fields.  Japanese beetles can injure corn fields during multiple stages in the insect’s lifecycle.   In the spring, overwintering grubs can feed on root hairs decreasing a plants ability to find nutrients and moisture and the adult beetle can defoliate the corn plant to levels warranting treatment.  Economic damage most commonly occurs to corn fields because the beetles will congregate on the ears and feed on the emerging silks which can significantly reduce pollination and yields.  Typically where you find one on an ear, you will find many because they release a pheromone which attracts other beetles to that feeding site.  It is important when scouting to look beyond field edges which typically will have higher numbers of feeding Japanese beetles, and look throughout the field as feeding could be much less.  Economic thresholds can be met when silks are clipped to less than ½” before 50% of the field is pollinated, and/or 3 or more Japanese beetles per ear.  Defoliation estimates need to be made when determining economic thresholds for soybeans.  Typically Japanese beetle feeding alone does not warrant treatment but multiple pest feeding together will. Defoliation is much more of a problem when soybeans are flowering and pod fill is taking place - 20% defoliation at this time call for chemical treatment. 

• Be prepared for grasshoppers, scout grassy field margins and if 20 to 30 grasshopper nymphs are found per square yard than treatment is warranted (10 to 15 in the field)
• The recent blessing of rains efforts need to be made in scouting fields for Grey Leaf Spot (GLS) especially on low lying fields along creek and river bottoms, and where irrigation is present.  Conditions are right in river valleys, north central Kansas, and around the Dodge City area.
• If you missed an opportunity to double crop, or if you had a crop failure consider trying a cover crop mix to improve soil health, add N, reduce weed pressure, and/or to conserve moisture for next years crops.

If you have any questions, contact your local Hoegemeyer District Sales Manager or Agronomist.