Weigh The Value Of Midseason Inputs
JIM ERWIN
LAUREL, NEB.
The corn vegetative stage is a critical time for farmers. This growth stage provides opportunities to fix problems in the field and keep yield potential on track. The challenge is to evaluate the crop health in each field and then determine the need for additional inputs.
For the third week of May in Nebraska, farmers should watch for early season insects along with any fertility issues that may be present. This is a critical time for ear development, as the number of rows around the ear and length is determined.
Channel Seedsmen evaluate crop health and share their findings with customers, providing an unbiased opinion about which fields can benefit from vegetative stage input applications. Some choices are easier than others. If weeds are a problem, spraying an herbicide is an obvious choice. If corn is showing yellowed leaves from nitrogen deficiency, the decision to side-dress is necessary.
The criteria for vegetative fungicide applications on corn can be less clear. Farmers may want to protect healthy fields with good yield potential as well as fields at risk for disease from wounded plants or management practices. Fields susceptible to disease include these conditions:
• Continuous corn
• Damage from hail or wind
• Abundant corn residue
• Feeding from insects
Field size and topography are also considerations, as some fields are not well positioned for aerial fungicide applications late in the vegetative stage. During the early vegetative stage, fungicide can be applied with field machinery, along with an herbicide.
Not all fungicide products are created equal. Check product labels to confirm the fungicide you select will eradicate the disease species in your field. Also, verify the fungicide application rate with timing and plant size – in some cases a half rate of fungicide product is appropriate.
Lastly, when tank mixing fungicides with herbicides check labels for guidance to avoid plant injury. Visit the Agronomy Library at Channel.com/Ag for more information about midseason corn growth and inputs. ∆
JIM ERWIN: Channel Technical Agronomist