C.O.R.N. Newsletter: 2023-32
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See you at the Farm Science Review!
Join the Agronomic Crops Team at Farm Science Review this week at our plot area between Gates B and C where we will be displaying a snapshot of research projects conducted throughout Ohio, along with Tailgate Talks with Extension specialists.
The Agronomic Crops Team Plots this year feature a wide range of topics, including biostimulants, irrigation and nitrogen management, Battle for the Belt planting date study, and more. You can also test your weed ID knowledge to win a prize. Learn more about our plot area at https://agcrops.osu.edu/farm-science-review/osu-agronomic-crops-plots.
Make sure to also stop in for our Tailgate Talks at 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. These in-field sessions will include information from our State and Field Specialists and an opportunity to interact and have your questions answered. Topics will include precision agriculture, disease management, and more.
We look forward to seeing you at Farm Science Review! -
Wheat Planting Management Considerations for Fall 2023
This year, wheat yields were extremely high across Ohio. In the Ohio Wheat Performance Test (https://ohiocroptest.cfaes.osu.edu/wheattrials/default.asp?year=2023), grain yield averaged between 86 and 126 bu/acre across five Ohio counties. Cool temperatures and adequate subsoil moisture led to a long grain fill period. The long grain fill period coupled with low disease resulted in high-yielding conditions. Mother nature certainly helped us out in 2023; however, fall wheat management is important to set your crop up for success.
Now that we’ve entered mid-September, wheat planting is just around the corner. Here are our key management strategies for this fall:
- Plant within the 10-day period starting after the county fly-safe date. It can be tempting to plant wheat before your county’s Hessian fly-safe date (Figure ; however, the best time to plant wheat is the 10-day period starting the day after the fly-safe date. Planting before the fly-safe date increases the risk of insect and disease problems including Hessian fly and aphids carrying Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus. Our wheat planting date field trials have shown no yield benefit of planting prior to the county fly-safe date.
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Select high-yielding varieties with high test weight, good straw strength, and adequate disease resistance. Do not jeopardize your investment by planting anything but the best-yielding varieties that also have resistance to the important diseases in your area. Depending on your area of the state, you may need good resistance to powdery mildew, Stagonospora leaf blotch, and/or leaf rust. Avoid varieties with susceptibility to Fusarium head scab. Plant seed that has been properly cleaned to remove shriveled kernels and treated with a fungicide seed treatment to control seed-borne diseases.
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Optimum seeding rates are between 1.2 and 1.6 million seeds/acre. For drills with 7.5-inch row spacing, this is about 18 to 24 seeds per foot of row. When wheat is planted on time, the actual seeding rate has little effect on yield, but high seeding rates (above 30 seeds per foot of row) increase lodging and risk of severe powdery mildew development next spring.
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Planting depth is critical for tiller development and winter survival. Plant seed 1.5 inches deep and make sure planting depth is uniform across the field. No-till wheat seeded into soybean stubble is ideal, but make sure the soybean residue is uniformly spread over the surface of the ground. Shallow planting is the main cause of low tiller numbers and poor winter survival due to heaving and freezing injuries. Remember, you cannot compensate for a poor planting job by planting more seeds; it just costs more money.
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Follow the Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations for Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, and Alfalfa (https://agcrops.osu.edu/FertilityResources/tri-state_info).
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Apply 20 to 30 lb of actual nitrogen per acre at planting to promote fall tiller development. A soil test should be completed to determine phosphorus and potassium needs. Wheat requires more phosphorus than corn or soybean, and soil test levels should be maintained between 30-50 ppm (Mehlich-3 P) for optimum production (Table 1). Do not add phosphorus if soil test levels exceed 50 ppm.
Soil potassium should be maintained at levels of 100-130 and 120-170 ppm (Mehlich-3 K) on sandy soils (CEC < 5 meq/100 g) and loam/clay soils (CEC > 6 meq/100 g), respectively. If potassium levels are low, apply K2O fertilizer at planting, depending on soil CEC and yield potential (Table 2).
Soil pH should be between 6.3 and 7.0. In Ohio, limed soils usually have adequate calcium and magnesium. -
Battle for the Belt: Episode 28
Episode 28 of Battle for the Belt is now available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD45tjuxTJM
In Episode 28, we talk with Dr. Anne Dorrance about late-season soybean scouting with a focus on Frogeye Leaf Spot and Phytophthora. Dr. Anne Dorrance celebrated her retirement last month, working for Ohio State for 27 years. She was Ohio State Extension’s State Soybean Pathologist. Dr. Anne Dorrance’s work has had a lasting effect on our farmers and agronomists. Thank you Dr. Dorrance for your hard work and dedication to Ohio soybean farmers!
Dr. Dorrance found Phytophthora sojae at the Northwest Research Station in the soybeans. Phytophthora thrives in Northwest Ohio, and it has for the last fifty years. However, over time, breeders and pathologists have worked together to create varieties that can withstand Phytophthora. Fifty years ago, Phytophthora would have wiped out an entire field, while in our research trials, it caused death in only a few plants. Phytophthora is a water mold that produces swimming spores. When there is an abundance of moisture (i.e., standing water), the spores can spread to root systems, infect the plant, and cause root and stem rot. The visible symptoms are rotted roots and a chocolate brown canker that moves up the stem. The best way to manage this disease is variety selection. Phytophthora used to be controlled by a single resistance gene, so you will see on the bags RPS (i.e., resistance to Phytophthora sojae) 1A, RPS 1C, and RPS 1K; unfortunately, this pathogen has adapted here in Ohio. Dr. Dorrance conducted a recent pathogen survey and concluded that there is a need to focus on quantitative resistance.
Frogeye was also found at the Northwest Research Station. Frogeye leaf spot is caused by Cercospora sojina, a fungal foliar pathogen. The symptoms of Frogeye are tan circular lesions. The centers of the lesions can vary from gray to tan. However, the signature of Frogeye is looking with a hand lens at the underside of the leaf in the center of the lesion and finding fuzzy gray spores (Figure 1). Frogeye leaf spot in this part of the state was previously unusual. Though Northwest Ohio has had historically harsh winters, Frogeye can overwinter on the leaves and stem, as the winter has become milder. For the past ten years, the Lindsey Lab has scouted for Frogeye Leaf Spot in Ohio, which has been most prevalent in southern Ohio from Clinton County to Preble County, even as far north as Mercer, but for the first time last year encountered Frogeye in Northwest Ohio, specifically, Henry County. An R3 fungicide application resulted in about a five-bushel-per-acre yield increase. Along with selecting the most effective variety, scouting now at these late stages is helpful to identify disease issues within your fields to plan for the upcoming season and evaluate the performance of your varieties. Dr. Anne Dorrance shared her top three soybean disease management tips from her time as the State Soybean Pathologist:
1. Scout in the Fall- scouting in the fall tells you what disease issues you are suffering from and how well your varieties are responding to them.
2. Variety Selection- choosing varieties that have the resistance package that you need for your farm, and what is important for the area of the state that you live in. As breeders develop more resistant varieties or as diseases adapt and resistance is less effective, keep yourself up to date with the recommended genetic package for your area.
3. Seed treatment- This tip is geared toward Northwest Ohio because of poor drainage issues and no-tillage systems. These environments are prone to early-season disease development. Identifying which seed treatment package is necessary to protect your crop from the specific diseases in your field.
Battle For the Belt Location Updates
The Wooster location had a planting date of one corn reach R6. The 100-day hybrid across planting dates and locations, reaches maturity first, however, the black layer is difficult to identify as it is not pronounced. This could be an effect of phenotype. In the soybeans, almost every planting date is at R6, waiting on R7. More time is needed to mature to R7, which is one pod on the plant with the full maturity color. There are a couple of soybean plots that are senescing rapidly, due to continued waterlogging.
Corn at the Western is almost completely at R6. We are gearing up to hand-harvest planting dates one, two, and three to do abnormal ear, disease, and yield component evaluations. As we wind down our ear leaf disease evaluations, planting dates four and five at this location seem to have lower disease severity than older planting dates. All soybeans are in R6 (Figure 3.) except for planting date five. The early planting dates are beginning to senesce and dry down. However, they have not reached R7 yet. There is minimal evidence of late-season diseases at this location.
Harvest in the Northwest has begun for planting dates one and two in corn. Planting date three reached R6 (Figure 2.) Planting dates four and five are at R5 and finished up the disease rating. All soybeans at this location have reached full pod except for planting date five. The soybeans are also beginning to senesce at this location. We do have a while before the soybean harvest will begin.
  
Table 1. Planting dates one, two, three, four and five in the trial at all three locations with day of planting, soil, air temperature averages, and Growing Degree Days (GDDS). Information from CFAES Weather System, https://weather.cfaes.osu.edu/.
Keep following the ‘Battle for the Belt’ this growing season to learn more and get further updates! You can find the full video playlist of Battle for the Belt on the Ohio State Agronomy YouTube channel.
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Lep Monitoring Network Update #20 – Fall Armyworm Update
Introduction
The Ohio Lep Network is in our 20th week of monitoring for agronomic pests across Ohio. This week we will continue to provide an update on fall armyworm (FAW). For more information on these pests and many more, check out our website: https://aginsects.osu.edu
Fall Armyworm
We are in our fourth week of monitoring for the fall armyworm (FAW) in Ohio. Overall, 22 counties monitored 60 traps across the state. Numbers remain low across the state, except for Hardin and Henry counties, which both recorded averages over 7 (Figure 1). To learn more about the fall armyworm moth, click here: https://aginsects.osu.edu/news/fall-armyworm-monitoring-begin
Crop Observation and Recommendation Network
C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.
Contributors
Disclaimer
The information presented here, along with any trade names used, is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is made by Ohio State University Extension is implied. Although every attempt is made to produce information that is complete, timely, and accurate, the pesticide user bears responsibility of consulting the pesticide label and adhering to those directions.
CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For an accessible format of this publication, visit cfaes.osu.edu/accessibility.