Crop Updates Crop Updates Get monthly updates on current crop conditions along with tips for increasing your overall soybean yield.
Crop Updates
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Looking for that Extra Soybean Yield (8-27-2010) Soybean harvest will happen much earlier this year than the last two. Most soybeans are somewhere in the R6 growth stage, and a few varieties of earlier maturity groups are at R7 (one mature color pod) and starting to turn and drop leaves. In a few areas, sudden death syndrome is the culprit of the early color change and leaf drop, but some of both is occurring naturally at this point. The change in soybean doesn't in general appear to be happening as fast as in corn, so I expect most growers are getting combines ready for corn and will harvest some of that crop first.
Blizzard of Small Yellowish-Brown Moths Reported Across Some Areas of Central and Northern Illinois (8-4-2010) It continues to be an odd summer in the entomology arena for much of Illinois. Corn rootworm and Japanese beetle numbers are down. Overall rootworm pressure is about as low as I have observed in the past quarter-century. Yet some insect oddities are occurring, and I have encouraged soybean producers to be vigilant in scouting for new stink bug species in their fields. This past week, there have been numerous reports of small yellowish-brown moths across much of central and northern Illinois.
New Stink Bug Species May Show Up in Illinois Soybean Fields: Scout Vigilantly (7-28-2010) Stink bugs are attracted to soybean plants in the bloom to early pod-fill stages. They use their piercing and sucking mouthparts to remove plant fluids, injuring tender plant tissues, especially developing seeds. For this reason, they are capable of causing economic losses to soybeans, and an economic threshold of 1 bug per row foot during the pod-fill stage has been suggested.
New stink bug suspected in Illinois soybean fields (7-22-2010) Illinois soybean producers should be on alert for suspicious-looking stink bugs. A stink bug resembling the red-shouldered stink bug was observed south of Champaign, but the report could not be confirmed because the actual specimen was not available for physical examination.
Soybean Foliar Disease Update (7-16-2010) Several foliar diseases can currently be seen in Illinois soybean fields - Bacterial blight, Downy mildew, Septoria brown spot, Frogeye leaf spot and Soybean rust. Some diseases are more likely to cause yield loss than others, so proper identification is important.
Soybean Condition Update (7-9-2010) Most soybean fields appear to have green, or at least greener, color again. That is a very welcome sign, attributable to the excellent weather last week that offered great sunshine, cool temperatures, and little rainfall. The excellent weather not only perked up the existing crop, it also allowed most growers to finish planting in previously wet fields and to patch-in wet holes.
Midseason Soybean Growth Update (7-5-2010) As I have driven around the upper three-quarters of Illinois recently, it has been clear that this is a year for most growers either to appreciate or to desire good fields. Rainfall in most areas has continued to be abundant in both amount and frequency. Since April 1, most of Illinois is at least 4 to 14 inches above normal for rainfall, with the amounts highest above normal in the west and northwest. Temperatures are also an average of 3 to 5°F above normal over the same period.
Q&A About White Mold of Soybean (6-25-2010) White mold (aka Sclerotinia stem rot), caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a disease of soybean and other broadleaf crops. Historically, white mold has been observed on soybean sporadically in central Illinois, more frequently in northern Illinois, and rarely in southern Illinois. In 2009 it was prevalent in central and northern Illinois, causing yield losses in many fields.
A Few Weed Control Reminders (6-17-2010) Plentiful and frequent precipitation has caused some delays in the application of postemergence herbicides. Weed size (both broadleaf and grass weeds) increases rapidly with warm air temperatures and adequate soil moisture, so be sure to scout before spraying to determine if the herbicide application rate should be adjusted for optimal control of larger weeds.
