|
July 02, 2018 Growers want tall soybeans that canopy over the row and have lots of nodes and a few lower branches to produce a lot of pods. Plant these same varieties in Illinois prairie soils and they grow 5 feet tall and begin to lodge with some corresponding yield loss. And the varieties we grow today were largely developed and tested under 30-inch row spacing and still perform best in that 20- to 30-inch spacing. Dr. Richard Cooper, retired... |
|
June 29, 2018 Planning to plant covers this fall? Plan your residual herbicide strategy accordingly. The increased adoption of soil residual herbicides in soybeans to control herbicide resistant weeds could result in carryover into fall planted cover crops. If you plan to plant covers this fall and had to adjust your herbicide program this spring it is a good idea to recognize the potential herbicide carryover ahead of fall cover crop planting.... |
|
June 29, 2018 Soybean yield is determined largely by number of seeds per acre. The more seeds the bigger the yield. Seed size and weight also plays a smaller role in final yield. Seed number per acre is largely determined by pods per plant and acre. And yes, seed number per pod has an effect, but like seed weight, it’s a smaller component. In my experience if you track seeds per pod across a plant and field it will range from 2.5 to 3 seeds per pod... |
|
June 28, 2018 Spring weather conditions went from cold to dry to hot and wet, creating a perfect storm. The 2018 growing season started off well for many local growers as many reported seeing fast emergence and good stand establishment, for the most part. As recently noted by many growers, beans have raced through the vegetative stage and quickly entered the reproductive phase ahead of schedule. But, a broad portion of central Illinois experienced... |
|
June 25, 2018 Beans got off to a rough start and growers are seeing some unexpected issues pop up. Temperatures across much of Illinois continue to be above normal during June. These conditions may deter you from scouting fields, but it is especially important to observe growing crops to diagnose insect and disease pressure before it reaches economic levels. During late vegetative and early flowering stages of soybeans there are several... |
|
June 23, 2018 If you have ever seen the movie Groundhog Day, you may be able to relate to the main character’s constant dilemma, which is being stuck in the same day, day-after- day. This is how my life, as well as all fellow agronomists and growers, can be feeling this time of year. However, with hard work and persistence comes great reward, which we will glean shortly in the rapidly approaching harvest season.
This coming... |