Battle for the Belt: Season 3, Episode 29 – Growing Season Overview and Wrap-Up

In Episode 29, Dr. Laura Lindsey and Dr. Osler Ortez, the soybean and corn Extension Specialists for Ohio State University, summarize the 2025 growing season: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szvXBM-gZGY

The 2025 field season is coming to a close, and we are on the third and final crop season of the original Battle for the Belt project – which crop should we plant first? After three years of field research, this project is coming to an end but there is more to come in 2026, which will be the second year of Battle of the Belt 2.0 – replant decision thresholds.

This 2025 growing season gave an important look at the way planting date impacts crop performance across the state. Field trials were conducted at our three research stations in Wood County, Clark County, and Wayne County, Ohio. At each site, both corn and soybeans were planted across five different planting dates, ranging from as early as March 27^th to as late as June 24^th. The widespread planting dates allowed us to observe how the crops responded to differing soil and weather conditions.

Our earliest planting date occurred at Northwest and Wooster, on March 27^th. The cool, wet spring slowed germination and emergence. Just over 15 days after planting, no emergence occurred, and underground growth was moving very slowly (Figure 1). However, western Ohio’s first planting date (April 18^th) experienced warmer soil temperatures, and both crops emerged within nine days of planting.

Cold temperatures and wet soils early in the season led to some visual symptoms, such as yellow banding and purpling in corn, and leaf edge tissue damage in soybeans. However, neither crop saw long-term effects from this initial damage and yield losses are not expected.

Some other observations in corn included evidence of northern corn leaf blight at the V7 growth stage of corn planted in late June in northeast Ohio, likely a result of high humidity and heavy dew. Tassel-wrap was present at the northwest location in late-May planted corn, with anywhere from 20-60% of a given plot being affected. At the Western Agricultural Research Station in Clark County, mid-June planted corn lodging was observed in Battle for the Belt 2.0 (replant decisions). Lodging was associated with higher seeding rates (Figure 2). Corn planted at 40,000 seeds/acre showed more lodging and weaker stalks than lower seeding rates, reinforcing the importance of population management.

Soybean plants faced fewer issues compared to corn. One exception was green stem syndrome, where pods mature and stems stay green through harvest. This is often a result of plant stress that limits the movement of nutrients into seeds. Green stem syndrome was observed at the Western Agricultural Research Station.

Weather-wise, the season started strong, with good rainfall in May through July. Dryness began in early July in just a small portion of western Ohio, but this intensified into September and October, especially in the northwestern region of the state. By this time of the year, most soybeans are harvested across our research sites and will see little impact from continued dryness. Late-planted corn, however, may see some impact since that crop has not matured yet. As of mid-October, corn harvest is getting started, and yield outcomes are being monitored for both crops.

Looking ahead, 2025 results, as well as a full three-year summary, will be presented this winter during OSU Extension meetings across the state. After 2025, next to come is Battle for the Belt 2.0 - replanting decisions of corn and soybeans. This project aims to help determine how low is too low of a plant population before a replanting decision can be justified. The 2.0 iteration is already underway and will continue into the 2026 growing season. Access more information on this project here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9lhEypIBHw  

Updates from the field

Harvest continues, but not without some delays this past week due to rainfall across the state. Soybeans are approaching completion at all three locations. Planting date five at Northwest and Wooster, and planting dates four and five at Westerns are awaiting proper field conditions and continued dry down to the recommended 13% moisture.

Corn harvest has begun at the Northwest location, completing planting dates one through three. Western and Wooster received higher amounts of rainfall but will begin corn harvest shortly. A summary of weather conditions, planting dates, and crop stages can be found in Table 1.

Table 1. Precipitation, soil temperature, average air temperature, and cumulative GDDs at the Western Agricultural Research Station, the Northwest Agricultural Research Station, and Wooster Campus. Weather data retrieved from: https://weather.cfaes.osu.edu/. 

You can find the full video playlist of Battle for the Belt on the Ohio State Agronomy YouTube channel.