Scouting Alfalfa For Insects

This spring, growers may have seen corn plants turn a dark reddish or purple color in their fields. Don’t be alarmed, this actually quite common during cold and/or wet springs. So, what causes this phenomenon?

One of the biggest changes to the in-crop dicamba herbicide labels involves downwind buffers. In comparison to Enlist™ herbicides, in-crop dicamba herbicides have always required larger buffers, but the new labels increase these and impose new restrictions for endangered species areas.

With planting well underway,  you may have questions about the recent changes in the in-crop dicamba herbicide labels. Here are some of the high points to note, including how these changes compare to EnlistTM herbicides

Every planting season brings about different planting conditions. Several producers have made comments about late April (April 26th or later) planted corn coming up faster than corn planted around April 5th. People have asked if this is a difference between varieties? Why did the earlier planted corn take longer to emerge and seem to grow slower?

When talking soybeans, all the attention recently seems to fall on the latest weed control technologies like Enlist E3® soybeans. However, even the best-yielding varieties with the newest traits can be compromised when phytophthora is present.

When nematodes infest a field, they can do extensive damage to the roots and, by season’s end, to yield. Due to their small size and patchy distribution pattern, nematodes are often overlooked for the yield-impacting problem they are.

Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) and Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) are two yield-robbing pathogens which have spread throughout most states in the U.S. and Canada. While these can be found in fields independent of each other, the indirect effects of feeding from SCN can increase SDS levels as they weaken plants and create wounds favorable to invasion by other pathogens.