Good kernel set — from the tip to the butt of the ear — plays a key role in achieving high corn yield. But every year growers run into environmental and agronomic challenges the can lead to poor pollination, aborted kernels and a significant impact on yield. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School,… Read More
Category: Corn School
Tar spot leaf disease has been a little tardy in 2023, but the later-arriving yield robber is still having an impact on the Ontario corn crop. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plant pathologist Albert Tenuta says a dry start to the growing year meant tar spot arrived a little late in 2023… Read More
Seed corn harvest in southern Ontario typically gets underway in early September. Why so early? It’s all about protecting seed quality, says PRIDE Seeds field production manager Mike Bechard. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, host Bernard Tobin returns to Chatham, Ont. for part three of our series on the critical points of… Read More
A wet growing season plus high humidity and moisture at tasseling has many Ontario corn producers asking about the potential for ear mould and gibberella when combines start to roll at harvest. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, host Bernard Tobin is joined by PRIDE Seeds product manager Matt Chapple for a look… Read More
European corn borer wreaked havoc for decades in cornfields across North America before the adoption of transgenic traits (Bt) in the late 1990s effectively punched out the pest. Earlier this year at Southwest Crop Diagnostic Days at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus, Ontario ministry of agriculture entomologist Tracey Baute noted that the yield-robbing insect… Read More
There’s plenty of crop management data available to growers in our mobile, connected world and it moves at ever-increasing velocity. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, AGRIS agronomist Dale Cowan looks at simple ways growers can tap into this data to make in-season management decisions and also run field trials to evaluate how… Read More
When it comes to producing seed corn, managing pollination and effectively detasseling the crop are critical steps in maintaining genetic purity and seed quality. To get the job done, seed companies use a combination of technology and old fashioned boots on the ground to remove female tassels to ensure they get the unique hybrids they… Read More
What happens when a soil-applied herbicide application is followed by severe weather? For many herbicides it is business as usual, but in some cases a heavy rain can cause a typically safe product to injure the plant. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist Mike… Read More
Can heavy July rains fuel nitrogen leaching and push the valuable nutrient beyond the reach of corn plant roots? That’s a question Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs corn specialist Ben Rosser has been hearing a lot lately as many areas of the province have been dealt a deluge of rain. On this… Read More
Research has repeatedly shown corn’s yield potential starts declining if plants don’t emerge within a tight timeframe, but dry conditions following planting can wreak havoc on best-laid plans for uniform emergence. If one in six corn plants is two leaf stages behind the rest, expect a four per cent yield reduction, says Morgan Cott, agronomy… Read More