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By Meaghan Anderson, ISU Extension Field Agronomist, East Central Iowa
Palmer amaranth’s presence in the state is currently confirmed in five counties. Keep an eye out this summer for this weed with Iowa State’s identification resources.
By Erin Hodgson, Department of Entomology, Adam Sisson, Integrated Pest Management, and Laura Jesse, Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic.
By Bob Hartzler, Department of Agronomy, Sue Blodgett and Steven Bradbury, Department of Entomology, and Richard Hellmich, USDA-ARS
The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium was established in February 2015 through the efforts of numerous Iowa farmer, livestock producer, commodity and conservation organizations; Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
By Adam Sisson, Integrated Pest Management, and Daren Mueller, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology
Do those soybean leaves have frogeye leaf spot or herbicide injury? Is that Palmer amaranth or common waterhemp growing near the field entrance? Are twospotted spider mites or soybean sudden death syndrome causing the yellow patches at the Peterson Farm?
By Mark Licht, Ranae Dietzel and Sotirios Archontoulis, Department of Agronomy
Determining when to plant soybeans and selecting variety maturities are two critical decisions that Iowa farmers make each year. These two decisions greatly affect yield potential and economic return. Typically, soybean variety selection occurs months before soybean planting occurs. An added complexity is current weather conditions at the time of planting.
By Gerald Miller, Professor Emeritus, and Lee Burras, Professor, Department of Agronomy
The equation for calculating Iowa’s Corn Suitability Ratings (CSR) was recently updated and designated Corn Suitability Rating 2 (CSR2). The updated equation provides every user an opportunity to calculate the rating for each soil map unit identified in Iowa.
Corn Suitability Rating 2 remains an index to the inherent soil productivity of each kind of soil for row crop production. The index is scaled from 100, for the most productive soils, to 5 as the least productive.
By Erin Hodgson, Department of Entomology, and Adam Sisson, Department of Agronomy
By Erin Hodgson, Department of Entomology
Adult alfalfa weevils begin moving as soon as temperatures exceed 48°F and begin laying eggs in alfalfa. Alfalfa weevil eggs develop based on temperature, or accumulating degree days, and hatching can start around 200-300 degree days. Start scouting alfalfa fields south of Interstate 80 at 200 degree days and fields north of Interstate 80 at 250 degree days. Based on accumulated temperatures since January, weevils could be active throughout Iowa (Fig. 1).
By Antonio P. Mallarino, Department of Agronomy
When Is Starter Fertilizer Beneficial?
Starter fertilizer can be used to complement pre-plant fertilization of crops to increase yield and economic returns to production. However, its use will not be beneficial in all production conditions.
By Charles Hurburgh, Department of Ag and Biosystems Engineering
The first significant warmup of the year should be a reminder to check stored grain frequently. If good practices were followed through the fall and winter seasons, grain temperatures should be in the 30s or below. Grain moistures last fall were above average, and there are many bins with corn moistures in the range of 16-20%. This wetter grain will spoil quickly if grain temperatures rise.
