Links to these articles are strongly encouraged. Articles may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If articles are used in any other manner, permission from the author is required.
By Rich Pope, Corn and Soybean Initiative
Today's article is the first weekly post that monitors accumulation of degree days through the 2009 growing season. The map below shows the base 50 degree F days that have accumulated in each of Iowa's nine crop reporting districts, and the departure in accumulations from long-term averages.
The 2008-2009 Iowa winter was unusually cold, and overwintering bean leaf beetle populations may be considerably lower than in previous years.
By Roger Elmore, Department of Agronomy
Corn spikes through fertile soil of early-planted fields in most parts of Iowa as I write. According to the May 4, 2009 USDA-NASS estimates, 2 percent of Iowa's corn is emerged compared to none last year and the five year average of 7 percent.
Spring weather has given winter annual weeds a great start. Now is the time to take action against them and protect crop yields.
This week's crop and weather report includes interviews with Elwynn Taylor, Iowa State University Extension climatologist; integrated pest management specialist Rich Pope; soybean agronomist Palle Pedersen; and soybean entomologist Erin Hodgson.
It appears that La Niña is dead—effective Monday, May 4, 2009, according to Taylor. He doesn't guarantee ideal growing season weather, but says it should eliminate extremes in temperature and precipitation.
By Sorrel Brown, Ag and Natural Resources Extension
Heavy rains on recently planted crop fields may create soil crusting that can affect the emergence of the crop.
By Stephen Barnhart, Department of Agronomy
There have been reports of localized areas of winterkill and winter injury to forage and winter cereal grain crops this past winter in Iowa.
The reports indicate damage on sites across the state, but the most extensive areas are in northeast Iowa. There are reports of damage to alfalfa, orchardgrass, perennial ryegrass, winter wheat and winter triticale.
By Doug Cooper, Extension Communications and External Relations
On April 27, Doug Cooper, Extension communications specialist, interviewed Iowa State University Extension climatologist Elwynn Taylor, integrated pest management specialist Rich Pope and corn agronomist Roger Elmore for the weekly crops and weather update.
By Palle Pedersen, Department of Agronomy
A few people have called me this week regarding planting soybean after soybean. All cases were from southeast Iowa where many river bottoms were flooded for an extended period of time last year and growers were forced to plant soybean even though their plan was to plant corn. To get back into their field rotations this year soybean would need to be planted after soybean. Is that a problem?
