2011: Heavy Rains Hit Latham Country

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Shannon Latham, Vice President

Northeast Iowa

Here’s an update on corn in northeast Iowa on June 29, 2011. This Jencks field of LH 5877 VT3PRO corn is part of the WHO Radio “Watch it Grow” Crop Tour.

Soybeans are also in great shape throughout northeast Iowa. Here’s a video update on a field of L2440R2′s from this region. Our RSM in northeast Iowa also gives tips on scouting for aphids that have started to surface in his territory.

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Southwest Wisconsin
Second crop alfalfa is on the way if weather holds. Rains have pushed leaf hoppers back.

The corn is looking really good in fields across my area. Many growers are applying their second pass of Roundup®. Corn is getting too tall for side dressing, so that will most likely come to an end this week. Latham® Hybrids LH 5033 3000GT is looking great. LH 5266 3000GT had perfect stand in 4 out the 6 fields I walked on Monday morning.

The soybean crop is developing nicely; 15-inch rows will canopy within the next 5 days. Growers are making their last pass of Roundup or their first pass Extreme®. As I was scouting, I noticed some bean leaf beetle but nothing at thresh hold.
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Northwest Iowa
Northwest Iowa received 1 to 5 inches on Sunday night with some extremely strong winds. Over all, crops throughout the region are good but need some heat units. Corn is in stages 6 to 8 collar; soybeans are in 2nd and 3rd trifoliate with some into the 4th. Alfalfa has came to a halt with the rain.
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Southeast South Dakota
Soybeans are 95% planted, but saturated fields left farmers with minimal gains in late-season planting last week. Flooding is still a factor, especially with the amounts of rain we have been getting. Wet weather has also hindered the growth of many crops and slowed spraying. Heavy rains occurred over a large part of the region, ranging from 2 to 4 inches. Corn height is an average of 13 inches, which is behind the 5-year average of 21 inches. This week we’re expecting to receive the best weather we’ve had since the week of Memorial Day. With crop stages of corn from VE to complete canopy (V7), we really need more growing degree day units. Lots of sunshine and heat are needed to progress this year’s crop.
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Eastern Nebraska
We experienced more wet weather across Nebraska, this week with most of the state receiving between 1 and 5 inches of rain. I’ve noticed some nitrogen deficiencies in a few race horse hybrids. Wet spots seem to be shorter and more yellow do to the lack of nitrogen. Soybeans are looking great as well, especially the beans that are not in low ground.
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North Central Iowa
It was another solid week across North Central Iowa. Rain totals ranged from 1 to 2 inches, with a few areas getting heavier rains. Temperatures were cooler this week, giving some corn an opportunity to catch up.

Corn is in good to excellent condition across the region. We’re seeing some yellowing and twisted appearance in hybrids that have grown especially fast. From the road, these hybrids appear to have a white, yellow or rouge tint the whorl has yet to unfurl. Therefore, the leaves are wrinkled and pale as if there is chemical damage. This is something the corn will grow out of (and already has in 99% of fields) without any yield impact. We are also seeing some uneven growth due to wet spots and compaction issues. Heat units will go a long way towards fixing all of these problems.

Soybeans also look excellent throughout the region and are quickly progressing. We’ve seen nice growth throughout, beans continue to develop towards R1. Latham’s L2084R2 looks great in all the fields I’ve seen them in this season. This is one of my favorite numbers as it’s a very defensive bean with a tremendous yield potential.
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East Central Iowa
Central Iowa has received lots of rain as of late; one morning we had 1 inch and the following morning we got another 1.5 inches. After a couple of days of great weather, we received another 1 inch of rain. Field tiles are paying off once again. Despite all the rain, crops are looking excellent except where there are low spots. Corn and soybeans that are in the low spots look yellow, short and even dead in places.
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Southeast North Dakota
Most acres of planted corn have emerged and about 75% of the soybeans are poking out of the ground. Some parts of Southeast North Dakota received up to 4 inches of rain, so most of the ground is quite saturated. While taking a tour doing field scouting, you can easily find water standing in almost every field. Saturated soils are going to make it a challenge to apply herbicide with ground applicators in a timely manner. If timing gets delayed for too long, we’ll need to watch weed and crop growth stages for correct application rates and products.
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Southwest Iowa
Most corn is in v6 to v7. Soybeans are in v3 to v4 some into R. Unfortunately, crops went from good to bad on Sunday night when high winds caused green snap.
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Causes of Uneven Stands, Part 2

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Laura Cunningham, Marketing Coordinator

Submitted by John Toft
CCA, Tekamah, Nebraska

Yesterday, I blogged about the importance of determining the causes behind uneven corn stands in the field. Things to consider included: planting conditions at the start of the season, possible excessive planter speed over rough soil or residue, planting in unfit soils, shallow or excessive planting depth, failure to close the furrow or worn planter parts. I also provided a link to help make planter adjustments that promote those “picket fence” stands in your field.

But what if everything I mentioned in yesterday’s post was done properly and you still end up with uneven corn? Dig up those poorly performing plants! Nearly all unevenness results from a problem under the soil surface. Some potential culprits to check for include:

Insect damage by pests such as wireworms, seed corn maggots, white grubs, sod webworms and black cutworms.
Seedling diseases and/or rotted kernels.
Fertilizer injury, including Anhydrous ammonia or the subsequent nitrate salt formed in the ammonia injection band. This injury can be eliminated by applying ammonia in good soil conditions and not planting directly into the ammonia injection band.
Varying amounts of residue cover in a field, which can affect soil temperature and soil moisture.
Cooler soil temperatures not only affect plant growth but also microbial activity responsible for nitrogen and/or sulfur mineralization and the micorrhizal fungal activity instrumental in phosphorous acquisition from the soil. It’s not uncommon to observe soil temperature under varying amounts of residue differing by as much as 10 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit into June.
Soil Compaction.
Patchy weed growth left to compete too long within a field often results in uneven corn.

It’s not uncommon for fields to emerge and appear even until the plants reach the V2 stage of growth. Until V2 a young plant survives mostly upon food storage in the kernel and water and nutrients received through its primary root system. At approximately V2, the plant’s photosynthetic area has increased in size until it provides significant food and energy and the secondary root system (main plant root system) has developed enough to gather significant water and nutrients.

Plants at V2 that have lost or diminished primary root systems and underdeveloped secondary root systems will become smaller, poorer doing plants when compared to the increasing growth of their unimpaired neighbors. As time goes on, the healthy, rapidly growing plants accentuate the unevenness as they “grow away” from the poor performing plants. Fields emerging the same day but exhibiting unevenness prior to V2 usually contain plants with rotted kernels or have lost their primary root systems.

A large number of uneven corn stand cases are always tied back to unfit soils at planting time and resulting soil compaction. Having mentioned that, I’ll leave you with a link and the Top Ten Reasons to Avoid Soil Compaction as provided in a recent issue of Corn and Soybean Digest.

Top 10 Reasons to Avoid Soil Compaction

Causes nutrient deficiencies
Reduces crop productivity
Restricts root development
Reduces soil aeration
Decreases soil available water
Reduces infiltration rate
Increases bulk density
Increases sediment and nutrient losses
Increases surface runoff
Damages soil structure

Causes of Uneven Stands, Part 1

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Laura Cunningham, Marketing Coordinator

Submitted by John Toft
CCA, Tekamah, Nebraska

It’s important to examine the cause of uneven corn to avoid the situation in the future, if possible. Some common reasons for uneven corn may be a result of: the planting trip; varying planting depths due to excessive planter speed over rough soil or residue; planting in soils that are too wet; shallow planting depth; excessive planting depth; failure to close the furrow; or worn planter parts.

To help provide “picket fence stands,” make planting and planter adjustments. It’s important to match the planter speed to field conditions and to avoid planting seeds in extremely poor soil conditions.

Photo of root development on corn plant enduring sidewall compaction after being planted in wet soils.

Planting in soils that are too wet can lead to sidewall compaction. This spring I saw where two sidewalls compacted, causing the plant to come out of the ground in two halves. The under-developed root systems resulting from the compaction are often confined in a flat plane within the furrow trench. Planting in too wet of soil, especially with coulters, allows sticky soil to build up on gauge wheels resulting in planting depth differences.

Shallow planting places seed in differing soil moisture levels and can potentially delay emergence dates. Shallow planting also can lead to a shallow secondary root system. “Rootless corn” may result, or plant development may be greatly delayed compared to neighboring plants. Excessive planting depth, especially in challenging environment seasons, can result in uneven emergence, too. However, I have far greater problems over the years with planting too shallow than I have with planting too deep.

Failure to close the furrow is usually caused by poor soil conditions, improper closing wheels for field conditions, incorrect down pressure, or planting in sod. Worn or improperly adjusted planter parts can cause or aggravate all the previously mentioned problems.

Although the 2011 planting season may be over and done, it’s important to monitor crop progress throughout the growing season and take notes. Avoiding these same mistakes during next year’s planting season can help improve plant stands and lead to healthier, higher yielding plants.