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July 2016

Disease Management: If, not when, Asian soybean rust makes it to the Midwest

We’ve all heard rumblings of extremely early Asian soybean rust (ASR) confirmations in the South and many are wondering if this may be the year tropical storms spread the disease into the Midwest. The truth is no one can know with certainty, but early presence of ASR, a few tropical storms and the right temperatures could pave the way for an outbreak in 2016. The NAOO’s 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook predicts a total of 10 to 16 named storms, 4 to 8 hurricanes, and 1 to 4 major hurricanes this year. Although this report is within the “normal average,” [...]

By |July 19, 2016|

Agronomy: Strategies for finishing out the soybean season

It’s after mid-July; do you know what your soybeans are doing? Here we sit either waiting on a rain or waiting for it to stop, most of the corn has tasseled and life is good as we wait for harvest. We have done all we can for this crop…..or have we? Have you scouted your soybeans fields lately? Have you checked for insect problems… any late weed issues… or maybe a disease popping up? And what does the crop look like from above, are their pockets of stress that you can’t see from the road? Well, maybe you shouldn’t get [...]

By |July 19, 2016|

Agronomy: Soybean Development

It is important from time to time to review soybeans’ development system. The original Iowa State University (How A Soybean Plant Develops, ISU Special Report No. 53) staging system divides plant development into vegetative (V) and reproductive (R) stages. Subdivisions of the V stages are designated numerically as V1, V2, V3, through V(n) except for the first two stages, which are designated as VE (emergence) and VC (cotyledon stage). The last V stage is designated as V(n), where (n) represents the number for the last node stage of the specific variety. The (n) will fluctuate with variety and environment. The [...]

By |July 18, 2016|

Agronomy: Field Day Preview: LibertyLink System

As we continue to battle herbicide-resistant weeds, especially in the pigweed species, it is important to use multiple herbicides with different modes of action, as well as to rotate modes of action in an effective herbicide resistance management plan. One mode of action with limited weed resistance is Group 10 – glufosinate, otherwise known as Liberty® herbicide. Come to the ILSoyAdvisor field days in August (2nd in Hinckley, 3rd in Seymour, 4th in Benton) as Bayer CropScience reviews the importance of managing Liberty’s use by applying at the right weed height, volume and spray pressure to optimize its efficacy. To [...]

By |July 14, 2016|

Plan and Soil Health: Identifying and correcting manganese deficiency in soybeans

Manganese deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency seen in soybeans in Michigan. The manganese deficiency symptoms depicted in photos 1 and 2 are likely to occur on muck or dark-colored sands with pH levels above 5.8 and lakebed or out-wash soils having pH levels above 6.5. Lately, I’ve seen more situations where manganese deficiency symptoms are occurring on coarse-textured soils having low organic matter levels. In these cases, the soil pH was above 6.5 and in one field, the pH was 7.0. The high pH was the result of applying too much lime. Michigan State University Extension advises that [...]

By |July 13, 2016|

Agronomy: Taking the Six Secrets to Your Own Field

Dr. Fred Below at the University of Illinois been conducting his Six Secrets of Soybean Success research project at sites across Illinois for the past four years. Now entering its fifth season, his research has focused on an omission strategy approach where he stacked a number of technologies together and then eliminated them one at a time to see which technologies had the most impact. Below’s work examined six factors with the greatest impact on yield: weather, fertility, genetics, foliar protection, seed treatment and row arrangement. At this summer’s ILSoyAdvisor field days Monsanto technical staff will be presenting the results [...]

By |July 13, 2016|

Agronomy: Are Starters of Value?

To add or not to add—starters on soybeans. I would like to put this debate to bed once and for all. Over my years as an agronomist, writer and reader, we have seen articles every spring extolling the virtue of applying starters when planting soybeans. But we also receive a word of caution, because they may not increase yield or return a profit. Now that soybeans are planted and up I noted an article posted online in Ag Professional provided by Kansas State University. You can read it here. It was written by Dorivar Ruiz-Diaz, a Nutrient Management Specialist. His [...]

By |July 12, 2016|

Plant and Soil Health: Soil Health Takes Time, but is a Worthy Investment

Farmers are showing increasing interest in learning how improvements to soil health can benefit both the environment and the economic bottom line. While many questions still remain about the links between soil health, economic viability and environmental benefits—farmers know that soil health does not change overnight. It takes a commitment to embrace a new farming system and patience to watch your soil change over time. The Soil Health Partnership began in 2014 as a way to help farmers better understand the improvements that can be made to their soils through a change in farming practices. An initiative of the National [...]

By |July 11, 2016|

Agronomy: U of I Agronomy Day

Join us on Thursday, August 18th for Agronomy Day! Discover the latest research, technology, and industry data from University of Illinois faculty and staff in the College of ACES. The event will be hosted in a new location: 4202 South First Street in Savoy, Illinois. In addition to a new location, we’ve made many improvements for participants including: disabled parking, shorter walking distances between tours, new faculty speakers, and a tour of SoyFACE.  Field tours begin at 7 a.m. with presentations from researchers covering: nutrient management, drone demonstrations, farm economics, weed management, plant diseases, and more! Don’t miss new Illinois Athletic Director, Josh [...]

By |July 8, 2016|

Disease Management: Webinar: Managing Soybean Diseases

Stephanie Porter, Soy CCA Envoy from West Central Illinois and Sales Agronomist with Burrus® Hybrids, reviews the most prevalent soybean diseases, all of which have the potential to lower yields. She explains the set of conditions needed for each disease to infect soybean plants, ways to prevent the disease, and how to manage it if it’s present in growers’ fields. Key Takeaways: The disease triangle consists of the environment, host and pathogen Growers should choose a variety that will protect against diseases that they typically see out on their acres Crop rotation is a good practice to adopt, but [...]

By |July 8, 2016|
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