For the last two years, planting has been difficult in Indiana; it was either too dry or too wet. While this year planting was later than average, the conditions were ideal. “We could not have asked for any better conditions at planting,” said Stephanie Smith, field agronomist with DuPont Pioneer. She told HAT much of the Northern Indiana corn crop has been planted and is beginning to emerge, but heavy rains this week are causing some problems, “We have seen some very heavy rains, and there are some fields in the Grant County area that have standing water on them.” She added the extent of any damage will not be known for a few days yet.
Smith’s advice for growers is that, as the crop emerges, evaluate your stands, “Get out there and measure a 17’5″ strip on your 30 inch rows. If you have less than 25 plants, that will translate to 25,000 plants per acre. You are probably in some trouble and should consider replanting.” She said it is still early enough that replanting should not be a problem. Another concern Smith has is uneven emergence, “We planted into some dry soils; and, depending on seed placement and seed depth, we may have some uneven stands.”
She also suggested some early scouting for insects, “The concern this year is cutworms. Moth flights have been heavy, so getting out and scouting fields will be important.”
Listen to the complete report from Stephanie Smith on the Agronomy page at our web site and app for Smartphones and tablets, sponsored by DuPont Pioneer.