Soil acidity is an issue that’s gaining attention in the Northern Plains, especially in areas where no-till practices have been paired with high surface-applied nitrogen rates. “They’re seeing this advancing a lot faster in parts of North Dakota and Montana, under traditional zero till conditions where they broadcast urea fertilizer. They find they’re acidifying the… Read More
Category: Corn Disease, Weeds & Insects
Tar spot has been spreading across North American corn growing regions ever since the leaf disease was first detected in 2015. Characterized by tar-like speckling on the upper surface of corn leaves, the fungal pathogen can deliver yield hits ranging from 20 to 60 bushels per acre (in highly infected fields). On this episode of… Read More
Are drop hoses that travel through the canopy the best way to apply in-crop fungicides? That’s a question Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) application technology specialist Jason Deveau has worked on for the past four years. It all started in 2019 when Deveau joined forces with OMAFRA plant pathologist Albert Tenuta… Read More
The Christmas holidays are here! What better way to spend the time than catching some of the 30 Corn School episodes RealAgriculture published in 2022? We kicked off the season in January with Purdue University agronomy professor Dr. Tony Vyn who tackled the question: where does yield come from? Vyn notes that hybrid research over… Read More
Fungicides are a key tool in the tar spot management toolbox. But what’s the best time for growers to apply a fungicide to get optimal control of the disease and the best return on their crop protection investment? On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School we catch up with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food… Read More
Why is there an irrigated corn crop growing in the middle of the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus? On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, host Bernard Tobin takes a trip into the research maze to get a look at what happens in this corn misting nursery. Tobin first encounters University of Guelph associate… Read More
It appears in 2022 that Ontario growers have little to worry about when it comes to corn ear moulds such as gibberella contributing to elevated levels of mycotoxins in the corn crop. In late October, the annual Ontario corn ear mould and deoxynivalenol (DON) mycotoxin survey found 98 percent of samples tested low — less… Read More
Tar spot was found in many regions of Ontario again in 2022 but dry weather conditions throughout the growing season reduced the leaf disease’s impact on the corn crop. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, we pay a return visit to the provincial tar spot nursery at Rodney, Ont, where Ontario Ministry of… Read More
High residue, continuous corn, lack of nitrogen, drought — they’re all growing conditions that can make life stressful for corn plants. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, PRIDE Seeds agronomist Matt Chapple shares how seed companies stress test hybrids to ensure only the best, most resilient hybrids make it to market. He also… Read More
It pays to manage corn stalks. That message was heard loud and clear when agronomists Pat Lynch and Jonathan Zettler asked farmers why they till soil following a corn crop. The pair publish The Cropwalker — a weekly agronomy newsletter, and heard from 372 respondents in a Twitter poll. The top reason for tillage, cited… Read More
When it comes to planting and establishing corn in a cereal rye cover crop, the growing corn can be adversely impacted by rye’s allelopathic effects, the release of chemicals that inhibit the plant’s growth. But rye can also limit the amount of light, and quality of light, available to corn when it’s growing in the… Read More
Biostimulants designed to enhance performance and yield are nothing new in the corn management world. But growers can expect to see more and more of these products as manufacturers look to bring to market management solutions that alleviate the abiotic stresses plants experience when growing conditions are either too hot, cold, wet or dry. On… Read More
Protecting yield potential from northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) and a newer pest, tar spot, requires being well-armed and ready to apply the right fungicides at the right time. That’s because these diseases are not only big yield robbers, but the window to provide adequate control is quite narrow, and gets narrower with certain weather… Read More
Corn growers often turn to tissue testing to diagnose a problem. When plants in a field are yellowing or pale, grabbing a sample and sending it to the lab can seem an obvious way to confirm a nutrient deficiency. But there’s more to the tissue testing story than simply identifying a problem and finding a… Read More
The race is on for many corn growers as they hustle to apply post-emergent herbicides to control yield-robbing weeds. The duration of the post-emergence application window depends on the herbicide. A product like glyphosate can be applied all the way up to the 8-leaf stage. But other herbicides have tighter timing and need to be… Read More