Still Time For Corn to Catch Up
According to the latest crop update, 22% of Indiana corn is silking which is behind the 76% at this time last year and the average of 39%. But, July’s warmer weather will help the crop catch up. Due to our cool and wet spring and early summer, crop development is well of its average pace. TC Huffman, Field agronomist with DuPont Pioneer in Eastern Indiana, says the warming temperatures in July will help the crop make up time, “We are starting to see corn tassel, so we are set for pollination in the next few weeks.” He added that soybeans are also moving along with most fields in the R5 stage. He expected pod set to begin in the next few weeks.
This past week there was a slight decrease in the crop condition rating in Indiana in the USDA weekly crop brief. Huffman says there are still some issues that will impact yields. The first involves nitrogen, “We have lost a lot of nitrogen because of saturated soils or leaching. That means the corn will be short of nitrogen when it needs it at a critical time down the road.” He also said the recent increase in humidity has increased disease pressure, “I am seeing some evidence of gray leaf spot on some of the lower leaves.” He recommends that growers begin to think about a fungicide application after pollination if the disease is present.
Listen to the complete report with TC Huffman on the DuPont Pioneer agronomy page at this web site and in the audio section of our app for smartphones and tablets.