Planting conditions are almost ideal across northern Indiana according to Mary Gumz, area Pioneer agronomist. She said weekend rains provided just enough moisture, “Field conditions are very good right now, many areas received several tenths of an inch of rain over the weekend.” She told HAT seed beds are working up well and both corn and soybeans are going into the ground. But strong winds are making working conditions very dusty, “Fields that have been worked have a fine powder on them, and the dust is an issue.” Gumz said she is concerned that some fields may be drying out too quickly. She added the gusty conditions are playing havoc with any kind of spraying operations.
Gums told HAT overnight lows in the 40s and upper 30s have not impacted the corn because the growing point is still below the ground but the wheat crop has been hurt, “I have seen a lot of frost damaged wheat.” She said the damage ranges from just cosmetic freeze burn on the upper leaves to severe damage to the flag leaf that will impact yield.
In some areas the corn has been planted for more than 3 weeks, but Gumz said some emergence issues are beginning to show up, “Crops that were planted about 3 weeks ago are starting to show uneven development. One part of the field will have plants at V while other parts of the field are at V1.” She said as there is not a more than 2 leaf collar difference between different areas of a field, yield should not be impacted.
More crop condition reports and agronomy recommendations are available at the Pioneer Agronomy page.
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