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How to Detect Stalk Rots
Stalk rots are an issue this growing season. Alison Robertson with Iowa State University’s Department of Plant Pathology, says she’s seen significant blighting of the leaves in the upper canopy predominantly from Goss’s wilt. We normally see that disease west of the Missouri River but it has been moving east over the past few years.

Northern corn leaf blight, gray leaf spot and anthracnose top dieback have also been prevalent this season. When significant leaf blight occurs in the upper canopy, the risk of stalk rots increases. Overcast conditions, such as we had throughout most of the grain filling period, also favor stalk rot development.

Since stalk rots reduce standability, fields in which greater than 10% of plants are affected by stalk rots, should be scheduled for an early harvest. In the following video, Nick Benson shows how to identify stalk rot.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c064-2Pd-do[/youtube]

To help prioritize fields, Robertson offers these tips:
- Target fields that have had significant foliar disease.
- Target hybrids with low stalk rot and/or standability scores. Evaluate at least 100 plants per field (20 plants in 5 locations).
- Use the “push test” or the “pinch test” to determine standability. If 10 to 15% of plants lodge or are rotted, schedule an early harvest.
Click here to read Robertson’s entire article on stalk rots and standability: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2010/0913robertson.htm
Team Latham

September 21, 2010

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Fungicide, General
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Seed2Soil: Precision Agriculture at its Best

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ Seed2Soil® program helps farmers take precision ag to the next level by planning for variability in their fields. Seed2Soil organizes GPS data and then generates user-friendly information that will allow growers to make better informed decisions and lead to increased overall profitability.

Peter Bixel, Seed2Soil Specialist, and Tom Larson, Latham RSM, discuss how Seed2Soil can help growers make better decisions for hybrid/variety placement that can lead to increased profitability.

The Top Performers Report is a tool that uses real-world fields to select what corn hybrids or soybean varieties will work best on each farmer’s field. A Top Ten report allows farmers to see agronomic trends that can be hidden when looking at printed maps. These reports also help farmers see a correlation between yield and factors like planting speed, CSR rating, organic matter, potassium, magnesium and soil type.

Farmers interested in a Seed2Soil membership must have: GPS yield monitor data, grid soil samples, variety/hybrid information, and basic fertilizer and chemical application records. Membership has several benefits including one-one-one meetings for fertilizer planning, variety placement and VRT planting. For more information, contact Mark Grundmeier at 641-692-3258.

Team Latham

September 13, 2010

Agronomics, General, Precision Ag
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

SDS: What to watch for and how to choose a soybean brand

In recent blog posts, we’ve mentioned the struggle many Midwest farmers are experiencing with SDS in their soybean fields this year. You may have seen one or two of the videos we’ve posted with Mark Grundmeier, soybean product manager at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds providing tips on SDS management and prevention.

Below are the final two videos in Mark’s SDS series. In the first video, Mark speaks about what symptoms you should watch for in your fields to help identify SDS, including yellowing or dark blotches on the leaves, and in later stages, dropping leaves.

Symptoms of Sudden Death Syndrome

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sdx4EqpNw4[/youtube]

In the second video, Mark speaks about the importance of variety selection in preventing outbreaks of SDS. Mark recommends finding those brands that have the strongest SDS tolerance, and taking notes about what varieties performed best against the disease in your field if you do experience SDS.

The Best Tolerance Against Sudden Death Syndrome

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9_pXGl7y_Y[/youtube]

Did you have any SDS outbreaks in your fields this season? If so, how do you plan to manage these fields in the future?

Team Latham

September 7, 2010

Agronomics, Crop, Disease, General, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Weather Conditions Right for Stalk Rot

Written by Nick Benson, regional sales manager for Northeast Iowa

Keeping a watchful eye on stalk quality this season may prompt farmers to harvest some corn hybrids before soybeans this fall. Early identification of anthracnose and other stalk rots can help prioritize fields and minimize loss at harvest.

Conditions throughout the summer were nearly ideal for anthracnose: warm, moist weather with extended periods of overcast skies and high humidity. High yield potential and other stresses, such as foliar diseases and insect damage, are often associated with stalk rot as the plant must pull carbohydrates and sugars from other tissues. This cannibalization weakens stalks and roots, making them more susceptible to stalk rot.

Plants affected by stalk rot generally show signs of early death. A shiny, black discoloration develops in blotches or streaks on the stalk surface, particularly on the lower internodes. Internal stalk tissue may become black and soft, starting at the nodes. Lodging typically occurs higher on the stalk than with other stalk rot.

Photo courtesy of Iowa State University Extension

Team Latham

September 2, 2010

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, Fungicide, General
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Widespread SDS has many asking, “What do I do?”
In last week’s crop report, we highlighted the fact that SDS has been widespread in Iowa and surrounding states. One reason we’re seeing widespread SDS this year is because fields have experienced the perfect storm: soils that were compacted last fall due to a late and wet harvest were also wet and cool during the 2010 planting season. As a result, ideal conditions were created for the soil-borne fungus that causes SDS.

Farmers throughout Latham service areas, including Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri and South Dakota, have been asking repeatedly, “What should I do?”

Although there isn’t anything you can do right now to minimize the severity of damage from SDS this season, there are multiple management practices you can employ to help ensure SDS doesn’t strike again in the future. Ways to avoid future SDS damage include:
1. Crop rotation – Make sure you don’t plant beans-on-beans in fields that have been hit with SDS. Note fields where SDS is especially prevalent. Crop notes will help you plant a soybean brand with high SDS tolerance in those areas the next time you plant soybeans.
2. Tillage – No-till practices allow soil to remain cooler and wetter longer, which can increase the severity of SDS. Tilling helps change soil conditions to be more adverse to SDS.
3. Planting Date – Planting at a later date can help reduce the risk of SDS, as well.
4. And Variety Selection – Variety selection is incredibly important. Choose soybeans brands that have high SDS tolerance. Latham^® brands that have done very well in SDS-affected soils include the following:
  1. L2085R
  2. L2767R2
  3. L2987L
  4. L2648R2
  5. L2875R
  6. L3268R2
We will follow up with additional blogs on SDS this week. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have about your own fields. Are you seeing SDS in your fields? If so, to what degree?
Team Latham

August 24, 2010

Agronomics, Crop, Disease, General, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

How to Check Fields for Soybean Cyst Nematode

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a small, plant-parasitic roundworm that attacks the roots of soybeans. SCN is widespread throughout Iowa and surrounding states, and can cause as much as 40% yield loss without symptoms appearing on the soybean plants.

Symptoms to Watch For

A recent Wallaces Farmer article highlighted what symptoms to watch for when checking for SCN in your field. Symptoms are usually not apparent when temperatures are moderate and rainfall is adequate to excessive in the growing season. Symptoms generally begin to appear in mid-July and last through the growing season, and include stunting of plants, yellowing of foliage (not just leaf margins or areas between leaf veins) and mid-day wilting.

Dig, Dig, Dig

The only way to check for SCN is to dig roots, gently remove soil from the roots, and look for the egg-filled, round, white SCN females on the roots (see image). Females are about the size of the head of a straight pin or a period at the end of a sentence in a magazine – for most people – females can be seen with the unaided eye. SCN females should be apparent on infected roots through August.

While this is an effective way to identify SCN, it’s also an effective way to see which soybean varieties are controlling nematode reproduction in fields known to be infested. If a soybean variety is effectively controlling the nematode, there should be only 10-20 SCN females present on the roots.

Click here for the full article.

Photo courtesy of Iowa State University Extension.

Team Latham

August 5, 2010

Agronomics, Crop, General, Insects, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Keep an eye out for Aphids, SDS and White Mold

Aphids

A recent e-newsletter from the Iowa Soybean Association reminds growers it’s time to begin monitoring fields for soybean aphids and diseases. As you saw in our recent crop report, there have been reports of aphids in Northeast Iowa, but those numbers remain low (about 5% as of July 21). Although aphid numbers may grow in the next two weeks, the impact of the state’s excessive moisture on these numbers remains to be seen.

SDS

Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) may begin showing up in fields early to mid-August, which is two weeks earlier than normal as a result of the wet soil conditions experienced after planting.

Early symptoms of SDS appear on apparently healthy plants in patches within a field. Scout fields with high-yield potential closely; symptoms will first appear in areas with high moisture. The first symptoms of SDS are interveinal chlorotic (yellow) blotches that progress to large irregular patches. The vein tissue remains green.

White Mold

While it’s a little early for white mold symptoms, according to the article, there’s little doubt white mold will prove a highly problematic for fields again this year. Symptoms will begin showing up after pod set.

Feel free to comment in the field below if you have any questions about the above soybean diseases, and we’ll be in touch with a response shortly.

Team Latham

July 27, 2010

Agronomics, Crop, Fungicide, General, Insects, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Iowa Fields at Risk for Corn Earworm

It’s that time of year again — when corn earworm moths are taking flight throughout the state. Here’s a little information on what to look for as you scout your fields for ear feeding pests like corn earworm.

What to look for

Corn earworms come in a variety of colors: light green, tan, brown, pink or nearly black. The caterpillar’s body is marked with light and dark stripes running lengthwise and the skin texture is coarse due to microscopic spines that cover the surface. Earworms are only in the ear for three to four weeks, but during that short time, they grow to nearly 1.5 inches in length.

Corn earworm can’t live through Iowa’s extreme winters, rather, the moths that lived and grew in southern states on either corn or cotton the year before are blown here during May and June each year to re-infest our state.

Because of the tightness of the husk around the ear, feeding is limited to the ear tip, resulting in small larvae or larvae that leave the ear before completing development. The presence of large numbers of eggs on fresh corn silks indicates the potential for damaging populations; eggs hatch in 5 to 7 days following egg laying.

Managing Corn Earworm

The first step to managing corn earworm is choosing a hybrid with built-in control against the pest to limit damage to both the leaf and ear. Early-planted crops are also most likely to escape peak populations of the egg-laying moths. Once larvae enter the corn ears, control with insecticides is difficult but can be effective with exact timing. One should direct insecticidal control towards young larvae that are feeding on the exposed eartips. Since larvae move down the silk channels as soon as they hatch, insecticides become ineffective once they move down from the eartip under the husk.

Team Latham

July 26, 2010

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, General, Insects
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

U.S. Corn and Soybean Development Ahead of Schedule

According to a recent e-newsletter article distributed by the Iowa Corn Grower’s Association, U.S. corn and soybean crops continue to develop faster than average this year, thanks to generally beneficial growing weather. As of Sunday, July 18, 65% of the U.S. corn crop is silking, compared to 30% a year ago and the five year average of 47%, with all major growing states at or ahead of their respective averages. 8% of corn has reached the dough making stage, compared to 4% last year and 7% on average and 72% of the crop is in good to excellent condition, down 1% from last week. For soybeans, 60% are blooming, compared to 41% a year ago and 56% on average, with 18% at the pod setting stage, compared to 8% last year and the five year average of 15%. 67% of soybeans are in good to excellent shape, up 2% on the week.

Source: Brownfield Network, July 19, 2010 and the Iowa Corn Grower’s Association.

Team Latham

July 24, 2010

Agronomics, Corn, Crop, General, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Should Iowa farmers apply foliar fungicide to corn?
Wallaces Farmer recently reported a summary of a study conducted by the Iowa Soybean Association On-Farm Network, the ISU Corn and Soybean Initiative, and the ISU Northwest On-Farm research program regarding the use of foliar fungicide on Iowa corn. Below are results and recommendations based on the study’s findings.

Is applying foliar fungicide to Iowa corn worth the cost?
- For the total 574 observations included in the above study, the overall mean yield response was 4.04.
- Yield response of small plot trials (173 observations) was 4.39bu/A, compared with 3.89 bu/A for on-farm strip trials (401 observations).
- Applications at the corn growth stages VT, R1 or R2 resulted in the highest mean yield response (4.12 bu/A, 4.21 bu/A and 4/17 bu/A, respectively).
- Based on the price of corn of $3.72 and $24 product + application cost, the breakeven yield response is 6.45 bu/A.
Click here for the full list of study results.

Should you apply fungicide this year?

Alison Robertson and Daren Mueller with the Department of Plant Pathology at Iowa State Extension recommend doing some homework before applying foliar fungicide. Consider the price of corn, price of product plus application, and drying costs. Scout fields to determine disease pressure, consider hybrid susceptibility and the disease history of the field. If you see several spots, and you are growing a susceptible hybrid, you may want to consider spraying a fungicide.

Mark Grundmeier, seed product manager with Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds says to remember that fungicides are effective only on fungal diseases, including Northern and Southern Leaf Blight, Northern Leaf Spot, Anthracnose Leaf Blight, Gray Leaf Spot, Eyespot, Common and Southern Rust, and Common Smut.

For more information about foliar fungicide, and possible best dates for application, click here.
Team Latham

July 12, 2010

Agronomics, Fungicide, General

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

How to Detect Stalk Rots

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Seed2Soil: Precision Agriculture at its Best

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

SDS: What to watch for and how to choose a soybean brand

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Weather Conditions Right for Stalk Rot

Photo courtesy of Iowa State University Extension

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Widespread SDS has many asking, “What do I do?”

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

How to Check Fields for Soybean Cyst Nematode

Photo courtesy of Iowa State University Extension.

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Keep an eye out for Aphids, SDS and White Mold

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Iowa Fields at Risk for Corn Earworm

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

U.S. Corn and Soybean Development Ahead of Schedule

Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Should Iowa farmers apply foliar fungicide to corn?