How Will The Western Bean Cutworm Over Winter?

2010 brought a new observed level of the Western Bean Cutworm to NW Ohio corn production. Defiance and Fulton Counties each caught over 400 WBC moths in their respective four traps during summer monitoring and each county located at lease one field with WBC larves in the corn ear. However, 2010 corn fields did not reach economic thresholds that would warrant rescue treatments.

Since 2006, WBC has increased in numbers here in Ohio to the point where NW Ohio might expect the insect to complete its life cycle by over wintering rather than only moth flight migrating to Ohio during the growing season.

How do they survive the winter? Large larvae (6th or 7th instar) emerge from the ear and fall to the ground, burrow 3 to 6 inches into the soil, and construct an earthen overwintering cell (Figure). They spend the winter inside this cell in a pre-pupal stage. Larvae pupate in late May followed by adults crawling up through the soil with emergence starting in early July.

OSU Ext Factsheeet: http://ohioline.osu.edu/ent-fact/pdf/0040.pdf

reference: http://tinyurl.com/37asbqe (Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln)

Dry Soils Impacting: Tillage and Soil Sampling

Moderate rainfall yesterday and overnight gives promise that area farmers might find relief to hard, dry soils. The Defiance Memorial Airport NOAA weather station reports 0.75" of rainfall during November 16 & 17, 2010. Farmers are reporting machinery repairs every 3-4 days or every 50-60 acres from excessive wear and tear on tillage tools.

An area farmer shared that "Replacement bolts, shanks, etc quickly add up to $1,200 each week. A small bag of high grade bolts seem to cost more this fall and they don't last long. The deep shanks bend and bow to follow the cracks in the soil rather than busting through."

Private consultants and farmers collecting soil cores are also feeling resistance. Power augers and hand probes are bending and worn and need maintenance and replacement more regularly.

Agronomists and farmers should anticipate that soil test results reported from very dry soil samples collected may have drought induced lower pH and potassium levels this fall. OSU and Purdue Ag Answers addressed this effect in an October 2010 article: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/aganswers/story.asp?storyID=6109

Crop Development as of July 16- Fulton County

I finally got a chance to go through my normal Fulton County survey route on July 14 and 15. I headed across County Roads L & B from boarder to boarder. I looked for insect and disease as well as crop development. Here is what I saw

Corn

This year there are 40 corn field on the route and 67% are in the R1 stage where pollination is occurring. The other 33% of the fields are in late vegetative stages V7 to V13. Most of the corn seems in pretty good shape but there are areas particularly west of 66/south of 20 and the south east corner that are under moisture stress.

Diseases are minimal to nonexistent. A little bit of rust. I have heard reports of gray leaf spot but did not see any. Areas of southern Ohio have been seeing a greater amount of gray leaf spot in 2010.

Insects we did find the first larval feeding of western bean cutworm in corn early in the week and have confirmation from OSU Entomologist. The infestation levels are low but it does indicate that this pest has advanced in from the west. For 2010 it more of a novelty and academic observation. At season end we will have a better idea of the extent and based on experiences from other areas help discuss management changes for 2011. You can also find European corn borer feeding as well but at fairly low numbers in non bt hybrids.

Soybeans

Soybeans have improved dramatically over the past two weeks. Rows have closed in and we are entering the flowering stages even pod set in some cases. There are 46 soybean fields on the route. Forty three percent were in vegetative stages and had not begun to flower. About 47% of the field were in R1 (a flower at any node) or R2 (flowers at the two top nodes) stage. Nine percent were in the R3 stage with pods setting on the upper nodes.

Disease were not a concern here as well. A little bit of brown spot could be found but that was basically it.

Insects were at very low levels. There was a little foliar Japanese beetle feeding but a extremely low levels. Soybean aphids were found in three fields in the southeast corner of the county with levels were less than 5 per plant.

Tips for th eapproaching wheat harvest

Wheat is ahead of schedule and likely will see some area harvest in the next 10 days. Reports from other areas of the state are indicating an average to below average year and test weights ranging from 49 to 59 pounds per bushel and an average of 54. Head scab and associated vomitoxin levels rate from very low near zero to 9.1 regionally.

While the local survey showed some scab our number tended to be lower than other parts of the state. We also seemed to have a high incidence of glume blotch which reduces yield but does not produce toxins. (see previous article)

As we approach harvest I think we can maximize yield with some good harvest practices. I found an excellent reference from Kentucky. The highlights of the article are:

1. While we tend to harvest once wheat reaches 13-15% moisture we can capture more yield by beginning harvest at 20-24% moisture and doing some drying. The amount of drying depends upon the equipment available. If you have a high speed dryer moisture of 21-24% can be harvested, with a bin dryer with heat and stirring we can harvest15-20% and bin dryers without heat 15%. We also need to be aware of temperature. Heat above 140 degrees F affect milling quality and heat above 110 affects seed germination, so stay below these temperatures. Field trials have shown a 1.7 bushel yield loss per acre when wheat dries naturally from 23% to 13% moisture.
   
2. Adjust cylinder speed, concave clearance, screen opening and fan speed by manufacture's recommendations. If you have a field with high levels of head scab raise the cylinder or fan speed to blow out light weight kernels. If you have glume blotch you will not necessarily need to blow out the kernels but will have a lower test weight. Kernels on the ground equal to 20 seeds per square foot is equivalent to 1 bushel per acre yield losses.
3. Avoid over dry to below 13.5% which cost in excess energy usage and loss of weight of grain.

There are a number of potential adavtages to harvesting wheat and drying.

• Reduce potential for weather losses from sprouting and/or storm shatter or hail.
• Higher test weights. Test weights seem to go down when wheats goes through wetting drying after initial dry down.
• Potential for double cropped beans.

The full article from Kentucky on wheat harvest and drying is worth a quick read.

Head Scab Low in Northwest Ohio

If you have been following the news you may have heard about high levels of head scab and potential for vomitoxin issues in wheat. The best summary of the statewide information can be found in our Crop Observation and Recommendation Network Newsletter. Locally in the afternoons of June 17 and 18 I made scab head counts on 10 fields in Fulton(6) and western Lucas County(4). The range of head scab was 15% on the high end to 0% on the low end with an average of 3.6%. Our later flowering date coupled with a dry stretch at that time around Memorial Day gave us the right conditions to miss out on the higher infection rates that others are seeing.
Slight adjustments to the combine to blow out light weight kernels should help us avoid vomitoxin issues at the elevator.

I saw a higher incidence of wheat glume blotch than head scab in many fields. This was particularly true on our high sand areas of fields with low organic matter. While this disease may cause lighter weight kernels, it does not produce a toxin.

Decision Tips for a Late Planting Season

As farmers wait for another planting window, there are a number of decisions that need to be made in order to be ready to finish planting. If you participate in the Federal Crop Insurance Program there are a set of decision to make that affect coverage for 2010. Other common questions are: If you do not have your entire corn crop planted do I stick with the plan or switch crops to soybeans? Do I need to change any production practices considering the later planting date?

From the crop insurance standpoint the best advice is to check with your agent before starting planting again. The last planting dates without affect crop insurance coverage were June 5^th for corn and will be June 20^th for soybeans. For many the last planting dates will affect decision for both crops. Many have both unplanted corn and up to 30% of their soybean crop unplanted. These unplanted fields are likely wetter fields and will take some time to dry.

After the June 5 and 20 dates are reached farmer have three options to consider.

First farmers can plant a crop but insurance coverage will be reduced by 1% per day for each day planting occurs after the final planting date for 25 days from the original coverage level. After 25 days coverage will be fixed at the 60% of the original coverage level.

The second option is to take a prevent planting payment which is 60% of the original coverage and plant no crop except a cover crop that could be grazed after November 1.

The third option is to take 35% of the prevented planting payment and plant an insured second crop after the late planting period for the first crop has passed. This becomes difficult if the crop we are talking about is soybeans since there are no viable alternative crops but soybeans could be an option to corn.

More information on:

Crop Insurance: Prevented Planting, Final Planting Dates, and the Late Planting Period

Crop Insurance/Cropping Decisions When No Crop Has Been Planted and a Farm-Level Crop Insurance has been Purchased

The description here provides an overall look at options but with several type of insurance available you need to check with your agents to know for sure what your coverage is.

The question of switching from corn to soybeans is an easier discussion. With a late June planting date we can expect approximately a 50% yield loss with corn over early May planting. Soybeans planted in late June will yield 65-75% of normal yield. Generally this information will lead us to switch to soybeans unless we are planting corn for silage.

Soybeans planted in late June do require a change of management strategy to maximize yields. Varieties of soybean plantings should be the longest season variety that will reach physiological maturity before the first killing frost. Generally, stay with the same planned maturity (unless it is earlier than 3.0). For northern Ohio, a 3.5 may be used until July 1. Planting rate should be increased when planting after June 15 to 225,000 to 250,000 in 6-7.5 inch rows. More details on planting decisions can be found in The Crop Observation and Recommendation Network (C.O.R.N.) Newsletter.

More details on the decisions can be found on the Ohio State University Extension Website at http://fulton.osu.edu or by calling the office at 419-337-9210.

Wheat entering heading and flowering stage

On May 20th most wheat fields in the Fulton County area were hitting the heading stages. The wheat head is starting to pop open the sheath of the flag leaf with the wheat head emerging. The beginning of pollination or anthesis happens in 3-10 days after heading. The most mature part of the head is the center with flowering proceeding up and down the head florets until complete. For a more detailed description of wheat plant development click here.

As heads emerge farmer may note the anthers getting caught in the sheath and the head is bent or appears stuck. This phenomenon has happened over the years especially with a cool spring. Some time it is accompanied by twisted flag leaves. The picture at the left is from the spring, 2000. Often the continued emergence of the head will cause the head to break free even though it may stay bent until harvest. Pierce Paul, OSU Extension Plant Pathologist recently comment on the issue.

Wheat Heads Trapped in the Boot – Pierce Paul

Wheat in Ohio is between Feekes 9 (full flag leaf emergence) and Feekes 10.5.1 (flowering). Reports are coming in from some field going through the head emergence growth stage (Feekes 10.1-10.5) of a fairly high incidence of heads being trapped in the boot. This is not an entirely unusual occurrence in wheat fields, however, incidence as high as 20 or 50% in some cases is alarming and causing some producers to be concerned. One of the main causes of this is cold temperature. Relatively warm temperatures allow the heads to emerge quickly and easily from the leaf sheath, whereas cold temperatures slow down this process and may even prevent the heads from emerging completely, leaving them trapped by the tip. Since May 1, we have had fairly cool conditions, with an average high of 66F and low of 47F.

Fields planted with varieties that are more sensitive to cold temperatures were the ones most affected. However, this does not necessarily mean that these varieties with automatically suffer a yield reduction. Once the heads remain green and healthy and water and nutrients still travel up the stem to the spikelets, these plants will produce grain. Yield will only be affected if the heads are distorted to the point of blocking or stopping the flow of water and nutrients to the spikelets.

The last issue of the Crop Observation and Recommendation Network had a couple of good articles on head scab potential. If the weather as currently predicted for next week happens we should have a low potential for head scab. Click here for head scab articles.

Hail Damage to Wheat

The storm on May 7 literally mowed off several hundred acres of wheat in southern Henry County and substantially damage the crop in other areas. Area farmers say the air after the storm had the smell of freshly mowed hay. The area of Henry County along and south of State Route 281 and east of Road 8 had some of the greatest crop damage. There was a progression of damage with the severest injury where the hail cut the stem at or below the head, while in other fields a percentage from 5-80 of the stems were bent over to the least injurious situation where only the flag leave was damaged.

Wheat Mowed Off Below Head.













Wheat with Bent stems 80%+













Wheat With Flag Leaf Torn













At this stage of May, the crop has gotten all the herbicide, and pest control inputs invested. Salvaging some value from the crop will be difficult in many cases. The follow are some considerations for farmers with damaged fields.

1) Contact your insurance agent. Hail insurance is an obvious claim to file. If you do not have hail insurance but do have some of the other crop insurance products for production and price still at least make a call to your agent. Replanting to another crop and other questions should be clarified before destroying a crop. You will also want to report to Farm Service Agency with your summer reporting changes in cropping. It is better to ask now rather than after you have destroyed a standing crop and miss out on benefits.

2) Harvest as a grain crop. The following chart was published in the Wisconsin Crop Manager Newsletter May 18, 2000 7(9):52. The chart gives yield potential based on stage of growth and 100% of the stems being bent. Most of the local crop was pre boot to the boot stage so 28-39% is the area of loss we are working in where the main damage was bent stems.











3) Abandon the grain crop and harvest as a forage. This is dependent on there being a livestock producer close enough to harvest as green chop. Another option is harvesting as hay. Some of the worst fields have half the dry matter on the ground plus as the crop continues to mature the feed value is lowering. So before harvesting for hay, some estimation of value should be made to see if it makes economic sense. In addition feed value the labels of products (insecticide, herbicides and fungicides) that have been used in the last 30 days should be consulted for harvest restriction. For example "Harmony and Harmony Extra labels state "do not graze or feed forage or hay from treated areas to livestock". Quilt has a 30-day restriction. Warrior has a 21-day restriction. " The CORN Newsletter Issue 12 has some other consideration for harvesting wheat as a hay crop.

4)Destroy crop and replant to corn or soybeans. Sometimes damaged plants can be very difficult to control. The following recommendations come from Dr. Mark Loux, Ohio State University Extension Weed Scientist, "Definitely plant a RR crop so the option of POST glyphosate applications to finish off the wheat can be made. At this time, use 1.5 lbs ae - 64 oz of generic, 44 oz PowerMax/WeatherMax, or 48 oz of Touchdown. Add AMS and don't mix any residual herbicides with it. Application in 10 gpa may be more effective than higher volumes."

Surrounding corn fields were also sheared off in a similar fashion but were only in a V1 growth stage with the growing point located below ground where it was protected. These plants will recover without difficulty. The only thing growers should remember is that the injury occurred and when staging the plants for future pesticide applications that the growth stage is 1 to 2 stages more advanced depending on how many leaves were destroyed. This is important for some herbicide applications.

A couple of soybean fields were just coming up as well. Plants were broken off below the cotyledon eliminating the only growing points on the plant. Fields where populations are less than 85,000 plants per acre or with large open areas will need to be replanted.

Planting Progress 5/12/2010

Planting in the area has been held up by wet weather. Cool temperature have limited the growth of what has been planted but slowly we have seen crop emerge. It seems we are headed for a repeat of the spring of 2009 with a early window and then the rest of the crop planted around Memorial day.

Planting and crop progress at this point:

Corn around the county seems to be about 60% planted. Planting occurred from April 19- to the 24th. The majority of the fields were up as of May 6th with about half in the V1 stage and the rest just spiking through. Stands are generally good but there is some uneven emergence and in one case no emergence with a crusty compacted soil. In doing some digging where plants are not up no rots were noticed and a little warm weather may yet get the un-emerged crop up. Flea beetle activity was very light but with cool temperatures and slow growth this would be something to monitor fields for. As far as frost or in some cases hail damage, the growing point is still well protected below the soil surface until V5-V6. Plant can be completely cut off and will still survive.

Soybean planting is very limited with less than 10% of the crop in. In travels last I saw just one field planted and it was emerging with a good stand. The crop is vulnerable once emerge to hail and freeze injury if the injury kills the top portion of the plant below the cotyledon.

Wheat is progressing toward the boot stage and head emergence and is generally in Feekes stage 9-10. Overall the crop looks good with little disease presence. There has been some significant hail injury in southern Henry County to fields in the path of the storms Friday night. A followup article on this will be available on May 13th.

Soybeans Growth Stages and Soybean Aphid

Yesterday provided an opportunity to visit some soybean fields and check on growth stages and soybean aphid. The four fields I stopped at were all finished flowering and were in the R6 stage of growth. This is the full seed stage and where on pod on the 4 upper nodes has a seed filling the cavity. Soybean aphid counts were still less than 20 per plant but most all plants had aphids on them. It seems that we are getting to the point that soybean aphid will not be a problem for us in 2009.

Once we get into the R6 stage the plants can tolerate soybean aphid with less effect on yield. The last CORN Newsletter had an article which describe thoughts on higher level thresholds for soybean aphids in bean at these later stages.

The August crop report from USDA gives us the first glimpse of yield estimates for the 2009 crop. If yields for Ohio hold true given the number of acres and estimated yield of 165 bushels per acre Ohio is looking at it largest corn crop ever. The big difference over 2009 from 2008 is the weather with more wide spread and timely rains even with a later planted crop. Soybeans will be 11 bushels higher for the state than in 2008. Below is a snap shot of information on average yield from the report.

	2009 Yield		2008 Yield
Crop	Ohio	US	Ohio	US
Corn	165	159.5	135	153.9
Soybeans	47	41.7	36	39.6
Wheat	71	47.2	68	44.2

This does change the inputs for those who look at the ACRE program. Trend line yield for Ohio corn were 154 and soybean 44. Given the August 2009 yield estimates of the 2009 crop, it will take corn prices on a cash basis (US Marketing Year) of less than $3.40 per bushel and soybean prices of less than $8.95 to generate revenues less than the state guarantee. With good yield and good prices we can certainly live without an ACRE payment but these numbers give some idea of the prices that would trigger payment s for the state of Ohio given the current 2009 production estimates.

The Ohio only report can be found at NASS-Ohio if you would like to see the total US picture that can be found at NASS.

Crop Growth Stages are Behind 2008

During my travels this week, I got a good chance to observe crop growth stages. In 2008, this first week of August was also an observation point, so a comparison can be made between 2008 & 2009 growth stages for both soybeans (Table 1) and corn(Table 3) . The majority of the soybean crop is in the R3 stage which is beginning pod. Most of the corn crop is R1-R2 which is silking to blister.

You can see the GDD accumulation chart matches (Table 4) the expected growth stages for corn based off GDD accumulations. So as we progress through the season we can watch the GDD accumulation and predict corn development. Table 5 shows accumulation at OARDC NW Agricultural Research Station from April 1 and May 15 to August 4. We seem to be about 10 days to 2 weeks behind the 2008 growing season in crop development.

Table 1. Comparison of Soybean Stages for Fulton County in 2009 and 2008 During First Week of August (Numbers Represent Number of Fields at this growth stage).

Year	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6
2009	0	9	28	8	4	0
2008	0	1	5	11	15	10

Table 2. Soybean Reproductive Stages.

Stage		Description
R1	Beginning Bloom	One open flower at any node on the main stem.
R2	Full bloom	Open flower at one of the two uppermost nodes on the main stem with a fully developed leaf.
R3	Beginning Pod	Pod 3/16 inch (5 mm) long at one of four uppermost nodes on the main stem with a fully developed leaf.
R4	Full pod	Pod 3/4 inch (2 cm) long at one of the four uppermost nodes on the main stem with a fully developed leaf
R5	Beginning Seed	Seed 1/8 inch (3 mm) long in a pod at one of the four uppermost nodes on the main stem with a fully developed leaf.
R6	Full seed	Pod containing a green seed that fills the pod cavity at one of the four uppermost nodes on the main stem with a fully developed leaf.
R7	Beginning Maturity	One normal pod on the main stem that has reached its mature pod color.
R8	Full Maturity	Ninety-five percent of the pods that have reached their mature pod color. Five to 10 days away from 15% moisture.

Table 3. Comparison of Corn Stages for Fulton County in 2009 and 2008 During First Week of August ( Number Represent Number of Fields at that growth stage).

Year	RT	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5
2009	1	21	17	2	0	0
2008	0	1	6	21	7	1

Table 4. Corn Reproductive Stages.

Growth Stage	Description	Approx. GDDs	Cum.GDDs	Typical Calendar Date
VT	Tassel	60	1300	Jul 13
R1	Silking	60	1360	Jul 15
R2	Blister	300	1660	Jul 27
R3	Milk	200	1860	Aug 5
R4	Dough	140	2000	Aug 11
R5	Dent	300	2300	Aug 25
	1/2 Milkline	220	2520	Sep 5
R6	Black Layer	200	2720	Sep 17

Table 5. GDD Accumulations from April 1 or May 15 to August 4 of 2007, 2008 and 2009 at Northwest Agricultural Research Station, Custer, OH.

Time Period	2009	2008	2007
April 1-August 4	1921	1939	1968
May 15-August 4	1646	1691	1709

Soybean Aphids Increasing but Not So Fast

Monday and Tuesday afternoon were spent looking at soybean and corn fields along the route I have setup along County Road's B & L. Soybean aphids were an observation to be made in all soybean fields. Basically I do this not to scout a field for threshold information, but get out in the field away from the end rows and look for the presence of aphids.

The route this year has 52 soybean fields. On the 8/3 and 8/4 scouting, 26 fields had aphids and 26 did not have aphids. If you remember back to my last report on aphids on July 17th only 2 of the 52 fields had aphids in them. So aphids are now easier to find. I would not be surprised if you spent time in a field until you found aphids, that you would be able to find aphids in nearly every field.

From my stops the past couple of days though, we still are not close to threshold of 250 aphids per plant. I went to one of the fields that had aphids back on July 17th and population were just 3-4 per plant and only 30% of the plants had aphids on them which was not different than most other fields. Most fields had 3-6 plants out of 20 with aphids on them or 15-30% of the plants. Numbers of aphids per plant were less than 10. As always there was a field that did not fit the mold and had 18 out of 20 plants or 90% of the plants with aphids, but the average was just 15 per plant . This is a field I will go back to over the next couple of weeks.

From a growth stage standpoint, most soybeans are in the R3 growth stage where there is one 3/4 inch long pod at one of the 4 top nodes on the plant.

Western Bean Cutworm in NW Ohio

Since 2007 Ohio State University Extension has been monitoring the progression of Western Bean Cutworm moths as they move from the mid corn belt areas to the east. The first moth catch was in 2007 for Fulton County and the state. In 2008 we caught 13 moths in Fulton County and 105 in Northwestern Ohio. As of August 3rd we have caught 37 moths in Fulton County and 212 in the Northwest Ohio.

Western Bean Cutworm is an economic pest on corn in western states feeding on the ear and more specifically the grain on the developing and mature ear. This pest has a greater capacity to feed than our traditional corn earworm because multiple larvae survive in the case of Western Bean Cutworm versus one larvae per ear with corn earworm. A full description of WBC can be found in this fact sheet from Wisconsin.

We should not expect economic problems from this pest in 2009 but might see evidence of feeding which would be a first time for Ohio. The feeding of larvae on the ear is the most identifiable stage. If you are out in corn this year, whether it is sweet corn, popcorn or field corn and see holes through the husk and multiple worms feeding on the ear please call the extension office 419-337-9210 or send an e-mail to labarge.1@osu.edu. We want to confirm this activity so we can modify recommendations and future monitoring programs.

Dr Ron Hammond has produced a video on identification of injury from Western Bean Cutworm based on a visit to Michigan to observe the injury in 2008.

Pictures in this article are from a University of Nebraska posting on the web.

Wheat Performance Trials Now On-line

The 2009 Ohio Wheat Performance Trials are now available on-line. Sixty soft red winter wheat varieties were included in the trials. A summary of yields and summary of the closest site located in Wood County are below.

Yield information from all test sites.

Location	High Yield	Average Yield	Low Yield
Wood	93.7	85.3	76.9
Crawford	113.6	106.1	98.1
Darke	101.9	88.8	87.1
Wayne	107.7	95.7	83.9

Details from Wood County Site.

	Yield	Test Wt.	Lodging	Powdery Mildew	Head Scab
High	93.7	63.9	19	10	23.4
Average	85.3	61.1	2	6.4	12.6
Low	76.9	58.9	0	2.5	2.8

Full result of the 2009 Trials which can be sorted by different characteristics can be found on the Performance Trial Website. The site also has resistance rating of Ohio common diseases for varieties included in the test as rated by Ohio State University Plant Pathology staff.

Hail Damage Near the Fulton County Fairgrounds

With corn and soybeans in the critical reproductive stages rain is a four letter word we like to have often in the forecast. A four letter word we curse with rain is hail. That is what about a two square mile area between 16 and 17 from State Route 20A up through County Road K experienced on Tuesday evening. Crop injury at this point is an unwelcomed as it comes at the most vulnerable stage.

Below are tables on defoliation and yield loss for corn ( Table E) and soybeans (Table H) from the crop insurance adjuster book. The data charts are similar to other references that I have seen and shows a complete range of growth stages and yield loss.

New Technology for GMO Corn Approved will Reduce Insect Refuge Requirements

Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences announced on July 20 that they have received registration approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are on track to commercialize SmartStax corn hybrids in 2010. This approval, or authorization, was also received in Canada. SmartStax hybrids contain eight transgenic traits - three for below ground insect control; three for above ground insect control, and two providing different types of herbicide resistance. The hybrids will express the following insecticidal proteins: Cry1F and Cry1A.105+Cry2Ab2 for European corn borer, black cutworm, fall armyworm, and western bean cutworm control, and Cry3Bb1 and Cry34/35Ab1 for corn rootworm control. SmartStax hybrids will also provide herbicide tolerance to glyphosate and glufosinate with the addition of the Roundup Ready 2 and Liberty Link genes. The approval will allow growers in the US Corn Belt who use the hybrids to reduce refuge size from 20% to 5%. The companies indicated they intend to introduce SmartStax hybrids across 3 to 4 million acres in 2010. Whether any will be available in Ohio is unknown at this time. Reprinted from the Crop Observation and Recommendation Network Newsletter

Corn Development and Temperature

Every thought about this year would say it has been cooler than normal. Our memory and perception can sometime be a bit cloudy when we start looking at the data. Yes the corn crop is behind last year, no doubt but the reason is planting date rather than Growing Degree Day (GDD) accumulations. A good data source that is convenient to use for GDD accumulation is the weather station at the Northwest Agricultural Research Branch the data base is easy to use. I looked at 2007, 2008 and 2009 GDD accumulation from April 1 to 7/26/09 and May 15 to 7/26/09.

GDD Accumulations from April 1 or May 15 to July 26 of 2007, 2008 and 2009 at Northwest Agricultural Research Station, Custer, OH.

Time Period	2009	2008	2007
April 1 to July 26	1717	1704	1744
May 15 to July 26	1445	1456	1482

Surprising is that GDD accumulations are very similar for the past three years given the same time period. Another good source of GDD accumulations is the Ohio Crop Weather Report which as of July 26th had Northwest Ohio only 102 GDD behind average since April 1. Really the big difference is planting date. We probably had 40-50% of the corn crop planted during the period May 15 to May 30 in this growing season.

A cool season has pros and cons that have been discussed in articles by both Dr Peter Thomison, Ohio State University Extension, Corn Specialist and Dr Bob Nielsen, Purdue Extension, Corn Specialist. Click on the specialist name to see their articles.

Basically the pro's of a cooler season are:
Good for pollination
Good for grain fill
Slow disease development

The con's are:
Slow development meaning wetter corn potentially at harvest
Silk balling where silks to not emerge from husk as normal affecting pollination

A warm late August and Early September would help in advancing corn to dry down and lower our drying bills.

How much does drainage mean to corn and soybean yields?

Drainage is our most common problem particularly in the spring and fall. You may ask yourself what does it mean to yields if I invest in tile? Bruce Clevenger, Ohio State University Extension Educator recently put together some data from the Northwest Agricultural Research Branch of OARDC. The data helps put some economics to the importance of drainage for us here locally. The soil type is Hoytville Silty Clay and the data goes back to the 1980's but the most recent years are shown here.

The data from 200-2008 shows a 7 bushel advantage to soybean and 43 bushel advantage to corn from drainage over un-drained plots. Star putting in some commodity prices to this shows how quickly returns can be seen from drainage. At 9 dollar beans or $3.50 per bushel corn returns of $63 to $150 per acre are worth a look at.

Worrying about Small Soybeans?

The following information was recently shared by Dr. Chad Lee, Associate Extension Professor, Grain Crops at the University of Kentucky. While most of our soybeans in northwest Ohio have closed rows, there are some fields that have not progressed to that point. In addition our soybean seems to match the description of development which is just a little behind normal and shorter which compares well to the situation in Kentucky. Dr Lee shares some thoughts on soybean development and if any sprays i.e. fertilizer, fungicide or insecticide can help soybean develop faster to reach canopy closure.

Some farmers are concerned that the smaller growth of soybeans could result in reduced yields. Some are questioning the use of foliar fertilizers and/or fungicides to help make up the difference.

Soybeans were planted late across most of the state. According to the latest Crop and Weather Report from NASS, soybean flowering is at 35%, behind the five-year average of 47%. Most farmers' "internal clock" says that soybeans should be larger by now. Most years, that is correct. This is not most years.

Some soybeans are getting to flowering (growth stage R1) and may be a little smaller than in previous years. The cooler temperatures combined with later planting dates will cause smaller plants. The smaller plants could be a concern if rows are not closed in shortly after flowering. If the soybean rows are closed, then height is less of an issue. As long as the rows are closed, tall plants do not automatically equal high soybean yields.

If the rows are not closed and the soybeans begin to flower, then yield potential is likely lost. As the soybeans move into pod development and the rows are not closed, yield potential is likely lost. If the soybeans get to seed fill and the rows are not closed, yield potential is lost. This brings us to the main question: will a foliar fertilizer or a foliar fungicide help? The short answer...probably not.

Fungicides will not improve the speed at which soybeans grow and will not help with canopy closure, in the absence of a disease. Fungicides will help soybeans retain leaves, if a disease is present in the field. However, the cooler night temperatures and the smaller soybean plants both contribute to less of a threat from diseases this season.

Foliar fertilizers will not compensate for lower temperatures. They will not increase the speed of growth, assuming P2O5 and K2O levels are adequate in the field. They will make the plants greener and that might make someone feel better.

If your, or your neighbor, is absolutely set on spraying something, then consider the foliar fertilizer. It will likely make the plants greener and it should cost a little less than the fungicide. Or, take that money you would have spent on the foliar product(s) and take a trip someplace warm. Someplace where you don't have to see the soybeans for a couple weeks. It just might make everyone happier, including your friends! For others, keeping that money in the bank may be the best stress reliever right now.

Bottom Line:
Small soybeans or late-planted soybeans that do not reach full canopy by flowering probably have lost some yield potential. Cooler temperatures also reduce the chances of soybeans reaching full canopy by flowering. In hindsight, the best management practice would have been to plant in 7.5-inch rows. The narrow rows would have improved the chances of getting complete canopy closure by flowering. Foliar fertilizers and fungicides will not make up the difference in temperatures, planting date or row spacing.

The July 20th Ohio Crop Weather Report from National Agricultural Statistics Service has 51% of the soybean crop blooming compared to a 2004-2008 average of 65%. The 2009 season is comparable to 2008 where 48% were in bloom. The percentage of the soybean crop setting pods are 6% in 2009 compared to an 2004-2008 average of 12% and 2008 number of 4%. So we are behind development wise from 5 year averages but comparable to 2008. Even though the development is similar to 2008, if we can keep the moisture coming, our yield outcome can be better for 2009.