August 27, 2013

                The heat is on! This past week we have been lucky enough to receive some much needed rain around the area. With rain falls ranging from .6” to 1.9” throughout the area this might be just what the doctor ordered.

                We have been busy scouting soybeans for aphids. Within the past week we have noticed an increase in the aphid population. We have been treating fields where the economic threshold has been reached. The economic threshold for soybean aphids according to Iowa State is 250 aphids per plant. Aphids generally start on the field boarders and work their way into the field as time goes on. A good place to start to look is on the newer growth on the bottoms of the plant. Generally there under the leaves but as the infestation gets worse they will work their way up the plant and infest the stems.

                Economic thresholds are appropriate until the plants reach the R5.5 stage. Spraying at R6 or later has not produced a consistent yield benefit, according to Iowa State University. A good majority of the beans that we have been scouting are anywhere from R2-R4. Below is a good picture of what the bean pods look like at numerous stages.

 

                On the corn end of things we haven’t been noticing a great amount of disease in the corn plant. Where fungicide was sprayed the common rust has been held at bay. We are seeing a little more gray leaf spot every week and would have to say while northern corn leaf blight is out there it really has yet to spread in the canopy.

Company Plot Days:

                Jackson Junction Plot Days: August 29, 2013, At Ernie’s starting at 11 A.M.

                Bremer’s Plot Days: August 29, 2013, 4.5 miles North of Bremer on V21 starting at 4:30 P.M.

                Fredericksburg’s Plot Days: August 28, 2013, Along Highway 18 starting at 11:30 A.M.