Integrated Crop Management News

By Mark Hanna, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

Many Iowa planter operators are faced with wet soil conditions this spring. Operators will want to wait for suitable conditions to avoid “mudding in” a crop with significant investments in seed, fertilizer, machinery and time.

By Stephen K. Barnhart, professor, Department of Agronomy

By Stephen K. Barnhart, Department of Agronomy

Spring hay and pasture seedings are normally done from late February through late April in Iowa. The extended period of wet weather in 2008 has many producers still waiting to get their forages planted.

Can they still successfully plant forage crops? 

By Bob Hartzler, Department of Agronomy

2,4-D is commonly added to glyphosate for burndown of existing vegetation in no-till fields. The advantages of including 2,4-D include:

By John H. Hill  and Alan L. Eggenberger, Department of Plant Pathology

By Palle Pedersen, Department of Agronomy

By John Sawyer, Department of Agronomy

A recent article in The Des Moines Register newspaper has caused considerable controversy regarding nitrogen in Iowa streams and rivers. The article (High ammonia levels threaten D.M.’s water, April 6, 2008) featured information about “ammonia” levels in certain Iowa surface water systems during the recent winter time period.

By Rich Pope, Department of Entomology

Warm-blooded animals including humans generate their own internal heat and have regulatory systems to hold maintain body temperature in an operational range. These systems provide insulation from fluctuations of temperature in the environment and allow growth and development based on the passage of time in minutes, hours, weeks, months and years.

By Antonio Mallarino, Department of Agronomy

By Mahdi Al-Kaisi, Department of Agronomy and Mark Hanna, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

By Greg Tylka, Department of Plant Pathology

By Greg Tylka, Department of Plant Pathology

The frequency of occurrence of winter annual weeds in Iowa fields has increased as more fields are managed with no-till production practices. And in recent years, scientists have discovered that the winter annual weeds purple deadnettle, henbit and field pennycress are moderate to good hosts for the soybean cyst nematode (SCN).

By Greg Tylka, Department of Plant Pathology

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) can be managed effectively by growing SCN-resistant soybean varieties. There currently are more that 700 SCN-resistant soybean varieties available in maturity groups 1, 2 and 3 for Iowa growers. Information on the varieties is available in ISU Extension publication Soybean Cyst Nematode-Resistant Soybean Varieties for Iowa (PM 1649, pdf).

By Greg Tylka, Department of Plant Pathology

Damage due to the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) can reduce soybean yields in Iowa by 50 percent or more, particularly under very dry conditions. And some believe the chances of severe drought conditions occurring in Iowa are greater for 2008 than for any year since 1990.

By Mahdi Al Kaisi, Department of Agronomy, and Mark Hanna, Department of Agricultural and BioSystems Engineering

By Elwynn Taylor, Department of Agronomy

An area of warm sea surface temperature has formed off the Peru coast. Watch this to possibly “kill” La Nina.  By March 3 the water north of Australia was cooling and west of Peru was warming.Two signs of a La Nina about to fade (and with it the risk of serious Midwest drought diminishes somewhat).