With the 2024 planting season fast approaching, we wanted to give a quick update as we begin thinking about planting.  Keep in mind that planting conditions (be it soil temperature, soil moisture, crop residue) will be much different than what we have experienced the past couple of years.   Soil temperatures this spring will warm up quickly as soon as we get a ‘warm spell’ to come through.  Along with higher soil temperatures, overall soil moisture for planting is also much wetter than the past two years; and crop residue should be more manageable this year, as this past late-fall and winter has led to increased residue breakdown as compared to past few years….tilled fields look much darker this spring before planting than the past few years…

Topics for this Update:

• Early Spring conditions and weather outlook…
• Cold soils and Corn/Soybean Emergence & Disease…
• Things to Keep in Mind when Planting Early…
• Plant First & Hybrid Stress Emergence Ratings…

EARLY SPRING CONDITIONS & WEATHER OUTLOOK

Let’s begin by taking a look at a few weather maps to put things into perspective as we plan to begin planting.  Below are the temperature and precipitation forecast maps for the 6-10 day, 8-14 day and one-month periods.

Issue date on these maps is April 3rd.  Trends appear to be for warmer and drier conditions beginning early-next week through the 17th.  If this holds true, 4″ soil temperatures (currently in the low-40’s), should warm up fairly rapidly.  Coupled with good soil moisture at planting depths (due to recent rain and snowfall), this should allow for quick (and hopefully even) germination.  Open question is just how wet soil conditions will be when planting begins….however, from these maps, initial trends look positive.

Here are the 0ne-month forecast maps for the month of April, issued on March 31st.  As with all of the maps, one should look at them with ‘a-grain-of-salt’, but here too, trends look warmer with higher chances for moisture.  As discussed at the Crop Shop meeting in March, bottom line is to have equipment, etc., ready to go when a warm period shows up, as this will be a good time to get some seed in the ground….see emergence discussion below….

COLD SOILS AND CORN/SOYBEAN EMERGENCE

Optimal soil temperatures for planting corn is 50 degrees and above.   Imbibition of cold water can lower germination rates and cold soil temperatures can delay emergence allowing for more diseases to set into the seedling.  If temperatures go as predicted above, we have a good chance for rapid soil temperature improvement, however, it will still take 4-5 days of such temperatures to reach minimal planting temperatures, especially on a consistent basis, so one will want to allow for a couple of warm days before dropping planter in the ground (as always, what the nighttime temperatures will be is the key thing here).  Here is a quick look at how a seed germinates.  Imbibition of soil water happens within the first 48 hours and is why it is critical to plant when soil conditions and soil temperatures are right.  Main point to keep in mind, is that the best time to plant is heading into a 2-4 day warm temperature period right after planting.  Most reduced stands occur when planting into a cold spell, or before giving the soil temperatures time to warm up some right after a cold period….remember, soil temps are currently colder than normal for this time of year.   See link below for more info.

Soil Temperature and Cold Emergence

DAYS TO EMERGENCE: SOYBEAN AND CORN

This graph helps explain days to emergence that it takes for both corn and soybeans when soil temps are at different levels. When soil temps are at 50-55 degrees it could take 3 weeks to see emergence. The next graph shows why we recommend planting soybeans early – it’s to maximize our flowering and podding days to allow for more time (days) for pods to set.

   

SOYBEAN/CORN EMERGENCE PROCESS:

Soybean Emergence:

Imbibitional Phase:

• Happens less than 24 hours; typically 8-12 hours. After imbibitional phase ends, the risk of chilling injury also ends.

Osmotic Phase:

• A much slower uptake of water occurs. Seedlings can be more tolerant to soil temps as low as 35-40 degrees. Will increase days of emergence and increase risk of soil borne pathogens if soil is cool.

Corn Emergence:

Wait to plant until soil is at 50-55 degrees

• Kernel moisture = 10-12% @ planting
• Imbibition of soil water
• Kernel moisture = 30%
• Soil at 50-55^oF
• Enzymes:  starch -> sugar

Typically 80 GDU’s: radicle emergence

Typically 130 GDU’s: plant emergence

CORN AND SOYBEAN EARLY SEASON DISEASE REMINDER:

 With cool and possibly wet soils, come increase risk of early season diseases. Below are a few pictures of the common early season diseases and fungicides that are rated good to excellent. To the right you will see our seed treatment package with MOA against those diseases.  Keep in mind that Pioneer has the industry-leading seed treatments on corn and soybeans.  No company has more active ingredients.   We have seen the difference over the past few years!

   

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN PLANTING EARLY

• Fluctuating soil temperatures can cause imbibitional seed chilling, erratic emergence and cold temperature injury
• Average last freeze date:  3^rd-4^th week in April for Central Nebraska…
• Seed Soil Contact is key to fast emergence and stand establishment…..soils that are too wet can lead to side wall compaction, crusting and poor seed to soil contact.  In dry conditions, it gets more difficult to get good seed/soil contact as air pockets are increased due to loose and crumbly soil structure.
• Herbicide injury can occur more often in cool, wet soils where the plant isn’t growing at an optimal pace.
• Planting Depth….Optimum planting depth is 1 1/2 to 2″, with 2″ best under normal conditions as this is best for optimal nodal root development.  Soil temperature fluctuates more in the top 1” = one reason why we plant at 1 1/2  to 2″ deep.   Never plant shallower than 1 1/2″ and we see no reason to go deeper than 2 1/2″.   Always err on the deeper side vs. the shallow side for depth.  More bushels are lost from too shallow than too deep planting.   Optimum soybean planting for soybeans is 1-2″…err on the deeper side under cold conditions.
• Plant populations….Consider increasing population drop under heavy residue and cooler conditions.  This is especially so for soybeans….if planting in April consider bumping up seed drop by 10% to offset adverse weather conditions….even more needed if planting in April and no-tilling.  Most of the time any replant discussions would’ve been eliminated had seed drop been bumped up at planting.
• Soybean planting date:   UNL research shows that you can lose up to ½ bu of yield potential per day after May 1^st. Just remember the earlier you can plant you maximize the days of flowering and pod set to give you more time for re-flowering and setting more pods. (Refer to pic toward top)
• Soybean seeding rate: we recommend 140,000-160,000 seeding rates. This seems to give us a good compromise between seed cost and potential loss from storms or other unforeseen events. Here are a few scenarios to consider when looking at seeding rates:
• 

• See links below for more planting time info…

Corn Planting Depth and Spacing

9 Steps to a Perfect Corn Stand

Preseason Planter Checklist

PLANT FIRST RECOMMENDATIONS

One of the most frequently asked question is “What product should I plant first?”  With the cooler soil temperatures normally experienced at the beginning of planting, we believe that it is important to start with a hybrid that shows strong emergence and early vigor.  The below bullet points show our recommendations for “plant first” products if soil temps are cool. The hybrids are listed by maturity not by how well they emerge.  These are products that have shown to have strong emergence and early vigor over the past several seasons.  Selecting one of these hybrids to start with can help provide the best chance for optimum emergence when soil temperatures are cooler at the start of planting.   However, considering how fast our soils can warm up, and if one is planting into a warm stretch, we don’t have an issue with starting with most any hybrid…key is the first 48-72 hours after planting.  Keep in mind the 2-5 day forecast ahead of anytime you are planting.  Remember also, that we will continue to experience soil temperature fluctuations as we go through planting….whether planting in April or May….

• 105-109 CRM – P0404, P05466*, P0622*, P0859, ,P09944*, P0924
• 110-118 CRM – P1082, P1164*, P1122, P1170, P1278, P13050*, P13476Q*, P1413, P1563, 17677
• * – very strong emergence….

PIONEER STRESS TEST

You can have confidence in the Stress Emergence scores from Pioneer as they use their own proprietary stress test.  The Pioneer Stress Test (PST) is the highest stress level test in the industry which induces cold shock levels not likely to occur unless you would be planting under extended cold conditions!   These tests are replicated numerous times from seed harvest thru planting.  Replications help reduce variability.  Also, Pioneer field calibrates the results of PST scores in numerous plots throughout the Midwest each year so a PST score can be turned into real world stand establishment values.

Specifics of the Pioneer Stress Test

• The Pioneer Stress Test (PST) is a proprietary vigor test used on all Pioneer brand corn products.
• It was developed in early 2000s as an improvement upon the saturated cold test.
• The Pioneer Stress Test imposes extreme imbibitional chilling and anaerobic stresses, beyond that of the saturated cold test.
• PST remains a competitive advantage for Pioneer; Hence protocol and scores are not published
• Stress Emergence scores are the best way to differentiate products for early stand establishment under stress

Please contact us with any questions or comments you may have.  Thank you for your business!!

Starman Seed Service, Inc.

 

 

 

Topics:

• Growing Degree Unit Update/Weather Forecast
• Corn/Soybean Update
• Prioritizing Harvest….
• New Corn Hybrids and Soybean Series for 2024…

TEMPERATURES & GDU ACCUMULATION:

As of September 6th, we have accumulated approximately the following for Growing Degree Units in 2023:

Planting Date     GDD’s2023          Average GDD     Departure from average

April 17                   2757                           2680                              +77 (+ 4 days)

April 26                  2712                            2621                              +91 (+ 4.5 days)

May 9                     2582                           2512                               +70 (+ 3.5 days)

June 1                     2219                           2227                                -8 (even)

The April planting dates all have GDU accumulation to mature almost all maturities.  The heat of the past week has allowed us to gain a little ground versus the average, but not as much as one would think considering the heat we had.  Much of the reason for that is because overnight lows were normal (low-to-mid-60’s), even though highs were in the mid-to-upper 90’s.  This is also one reason why the corn crop did move along stage-of-growth wise as one would’ve thought considering the heat.  However, temps have really cooled down, and are forecasted to be this way into next week, which will slow crop progression on both corn and soybeans.  See maps below.

     

The above maps are the 6-10 & 8-14 day forecast maps for temperature and precipitation.  As one can see from the maps, temps are forecasted to be normal to slightly below normal over the next 7-10 days with potential rebound in a week or so.  Precipitation forecast is normal to slightly above normal.  While this is a good trend, it won’t help drought conditions as normal moisture for this time of year is on the low end.   However, note the big cool area in the mid and eastern cornbelt.  Indiana, Ohio, Illinois had a very cool August as well….much cooler than we did.

Current Corn Conditions…..

• Much of the corn crop is as follows:  April planting dates – 105-110 day hybrids 2/3-3/4 milk lines and 112-118 day 1/2 to 2/3.   Later planting dates are 1/4 to 1/2 for the most part.  Majority of crop is 1/2 to 2/3 milk line.   Most fields will take another 7-14 days to finish (especially with the cooler temps forecasted), meaning we are seeing an extended grain fill period since stage of growth is behind what the raw GDU numbers above show.
• Considering the heat of the past week, staygreen in irrigated is holding up pretty well, but starting to see some ear droop on the irrigated (especially sands) along with typical very late-season N deficiency of lower leaves and normal plant senescence.  For the most part, the irrigated corn crop came through the heat in pretty good shape….
• Sunlight:  Baring the last couple of smoky days, overall sunlight has been 6-8% above normal over the past week.  For the whole of grain fill (mid-July to now) we are right at normal.  First half of grain-fill below normal, last half above.  Sunlight has helped with grain color and test weight; however, I think any impact from reduced sunlight this year will show up in kernel depth and stalk strength.
• Disease:  Since the last update, relative humidity was much below normal, especially over the weekend when RH’s were in the teens in some cases.  This contributed to very high ET rates however.   There has not been much for new corn diseases.  We continue to hear of new tar spot (just a few lesions) showing up in the counties to the east and SE of us, however.
• Currently we are looking at a good quality irrigated corn crop….kernel depth and grain color look very good overall, much like normal.  Expectations are for good test weights in the irrigated as well as some dryland fields yet.
• As one would expect, dryland corn is all-across-the-board….pockets of surprisingly good corn…..to….’the last three weeks have taken their toll’…
• Many area fields are down to their last schedule for irrigation.  Keep in mind that 1/2 milk line corn requires 2.5″ to finish, more in hot weather.  ET rates last weekend were in the .45″ Saturday and Sunday.  The cool temps will greatly lower ET rates, but they will also slow crop progression.  If soil moisture profile is good to full on heavy soils, should have enough to finish the crop….sandy soils may need one more round later next week depending upon temps, etc.

Current Soybean Conditions…..

• Soybeans are starting to turn in much of the area.  The early group II soybeans are moving along quickly now.  Many dryland corners and a few dryland fields may work late this week or next week, but cooler temps will delay this somewhat.
• One note of interest….there is a difference in how fast soybeans are maturing between tilled and no-tilled fields.  Tilled fields are maturing quicker, even across varieties.  The same is true for the corn crop as well.  This is due to the fact that the tilled fields emerged quicker and and grew faster in the heat of June, whereas many no-tilled fields ‘sat’ so to speak early, and did not ‘take off’ until later.  This is just an observation with no comment on yield outcomes between the two.
• Disease:  Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) has slowed down somewhat over the past week.  White Mold infestations, on the other hand, are some of the heaviest we have seen in 10+ years in our area.  By now most all area fields have some white mold infestation….with many having severe infestations.  While their are Pioneer fields with heavier white mold infestations, overall we have liked the tolerance for white mold that we are seeing in the Pioneer soybean lineup compared to competitors….both Enlist and Xtend varieties.  For more White Mold recommendations click here
•  
• The above charts help explain why we are seeing the heavier white mold.  The first chart shows the daily average temperature departure from normal for 2023.  Note the black square and just how cool July and early-August were….cool temps mean moisture, clouds, dew, etc.   The following two charts show daily relative humidity for 2023 and 2022.  Note again the black boxes on both, and just how high the RH was, and the extended time frame, of the relative humidity in 2023 vs. same time period in 2022, when white mold infestations were low.  All of these factors led to a perfect storm for white mold development.   Fungicide timing, product and varietal tolerance all play a role as well.
• Dectes Stem Borer.  This insect enters the plant at a node and proceeds to ‘hollow out’ the stem leading to early plant death.   So far not much one can do in the way of management for this insect yet.  However, we are expecting to see heavier levels of this insect in our area versus the past few years.   Keep this in mind as harvest begins and progresses.
• For more info see the following link….Dectes Stem Borer in Soybeans
• Lodged Beans….now what?  By now, many area fields have some lodging….some area fields were lodging already at the beginning of August.  Usually white mold tags along with the lodging.  How do we improve efficiency for harvesting lodged soybeans?    How much yield are you losing from lodging?   How do you minimize harvest losses?  To find these answers click the following link on Lodge Soybean Recommendations

Prioritizing Harvest!

Like most years, the extremes in weather (drought conditions, lack of sunlight, late drought and heat stress, etc.) in 2023 has the potential to influence late-season stalk quality.  Stalk rots appear each year with varying degrees of severity. They are caused primarily by fungi and bacteria, but they can also result from environmental stresses. When these diseases or conditions happen, they weaken or destroy vascular tissue in the stalk, and the plant cannot transport water or carbohydrates effectively, which ultimately results in premature plant death and reduced grain fill.    With this being said, keep in mind dryland acres and corners as these will be some of the first to lodge or to drop ears from moisture stress.   Watch for those fields that lose staygreen quickly, or that have ears droop suddenly, as these are signs of premature plant death.  The longer the plant stays green, the better the standability will be as harvest progresses.

New Corn Hybrids and Soybean Series

           

The above photos are some of the new hybrids for 2024 with a couple of the leader products from the show plot.  For 2024, Pioneer has over seven new corn hybrids across the 105-114 day maturities.  The photos above show some of these new products.  They offer excellent drought tolerance with a couple of new AquaMax hybrids as well as good disease tolerance such as Goss’s Wilt and Grey Leaf Spot, with very good staygreen and improved brittle scores….in both AM, AML, & Qrome technology.   These are some numbers to watch as harvest progresses.  Notice also the new hybrid numbering system for 2024 and beyond.  New hybrids will have 5 numbers now (running out of numbers again), however, as currently, the first two numbers will tell hybrid maturity.

Also, a brand new series of  Enlist Pioneer soybeans will be launched later this fall.  It is the next generation in soybean breeding, bringing a step change in yield with continued industry-leading agronomic traits and disease tolerance.

Thanks for reading!  Please let us know any questions or concerns or comments you may have.   Let us know how we can help as harvest gets going!  Thanks for your support!

Starman Seed Service, Inc.

 

Last few days we’ve experienced an old-time August heatwave and blowtorch….

Topics:

• Growing Degree Unit Update/Weather Forecast
• Crop Update – Water, Disease
• Corn/Soybean Insect Update

TEMPERATURES & GDU ACCUMULATION:

As of August 22nd, we have accumulated approximately the following for Growing Degree Units in 2023:

Planting Date     GDD’s2023          Average GDD     Departure from average

April 21                   2403                           2371                               +33 (+ 1.5 days)

April 28                  2359                            2359                               +47 (+1.5 days)

May 9                      2228                           2203                               +25 (+ 1 day)

June 5                     1770                           1839                                 -69 (-2.5 days)

Since the last update on August 14th, we have gained 1-2 days over the normal which stands to reason for the heat we’ve been experiencing.  I put the June date in the table for those acres that were planted following rye, etc.; here we still run 2-3 days behind normal which is somewhat of a concern as we head into September both for frost and just overall grain fill.

         

The above maps show the 6-10 and 8-14 day temperature and precipitation forecasts.   After a brief cool down this weekend, the short term forecasts are for higher than normal temps and with below normal precip.  In other words, what we saw for much of June.  This will help keep the crop moving and provide good solar radiation, but timely irrigation will still have to be in the mix over the next couple of weeks.

Crop & Weather Update:

• Much of the corn crop in the area is at 1/8 to 1/4 to 1/3 milk line depending upon planting date and hybrid maturity.  This is similar to slightly ahead of 2022.  Soybeans are in the R6 (Full Seed) stage with some early planted plus early maturity varieties starting to get that off green color.  For the most part the irrigated crop has weathered the heat pretty well so far….dryland, another story….
• Temperature forecasts over the next 15 days (out to Sep 6) are predicted to give us 350-370 GDU’s.  Add this to the above GDU numbers and we have the April planting date showing over 2700 GDUs and the May 9 showing over 2600.  These numbers are enough to mature much of the 103-111 day maturities.  However, with the cooler temps at planting time delaying emergence, I would not expect fields to be mature on these dates even though the GDU accumulation says it should be….besides the longer we can extend grain fill, the heavier the test weights and the deeper the kernel which all adds up to increased yield….and better standability for harvest….   At this rate, harvest could come quicker than one thinks….
• Something to keep in mind as we finish out the next few weeks…. for 250-300 bu. each day from R4 (Dough) to the end is worth 3.5-4 bushels. At half milk line (R5.5), it’s still accumulating up to 2 bu/day of kernel weight. At R5.5, you want to see green stalks to the ground, and green leaves from the ear to the top of the plants.   In other words, the goody (or ‘how much profit’) is still being determined over these weeks….don’t shutoff to early…
• Sunlight has greatly improved over the last 7-10 days.  We are running 3-5% above normal for solar radiation during this time period.   This should be very positive for test weights and plant health (keep in mind here the green stalks and leaves from above comment).  So far, early grain color looks good, so this is good sign for test weight and overall grain quality.
• Water needs: As expected, ET rates for corn and soybeans have been higher than normal over the past week, averaging .35-.36/day.   This is .08-.09/day higher than average.  The past two high heat days alone have been .40+/day.  Thankfully we received the rains we did in July or we would not have been able to get through the past week or so.  This has been really hard on the dryland, both corn and soybeans.  Below chart shows total water needs for corn during these last growth stages.    One positive is that most irrigated soil moisture profiles in the heavy soils are in good shape if irrigation has occurred over the past week….this means not that many circles are left, but we don’t have enough in the profile to finish the crop like we would want it to finish.  At R6, soybeans still need 2-3 inches of water to finish and they have been pulling harder than corn.  All of these figures are dependent upon temperature and humidity.
•     These two maps show the latest drought monitor map for Nebraska and soil moisture percentile deficit for the western corn belt.  While this is just FYI, please note that, while drought conditions have improved, our subsoil profile overall is still below normal for much of Nebraska and Iowa and the north eastern corn belt.
• Disease Update: Corn – overall leaf disease pressure continues to be minimal, however, Goss’s Wilt has increased over the past two weeks, mainly in those areas hit with hail and wind back in July, but is starting to show up in other areas as well.  Bacterial Leaf Streak has slowed down over the past few weeks.   We have not observed any Tar Spot in the area as of yet.  Northern Corn Leaf Blight is still active in low amounts in those hybrids that are less tolerant to the disease.   Other than the hailed areas, most of these diseases are coming in late enough to have very little impact on yield.  Soybeans – White Mold continues to spread throughout much of the area, in both heavy and sandy soils.  Disease is showing up mainly in lower areas of the field and those areas and varieties prone to lodging.  Some fields are pretty heavily infested.  As in the past, many factors influence this disease such as planting date, early irrigation, fungicide application and/or timing, and varietal tolerance.  SDS also continues to increase in the area.  Again, many factors influence this disease such as soil conditions at planting, early stress that hampers root development and varietal tolerance.  High-rate Ilevo seed treatment works very well on this disease….we see very low levels of SDS in those fields treated for SDS.

Corn & Soybean Insect Update

• Spider Mites are starting to increase in area corn fields, especially those treated with for corn rootworm beetles, etc.  Keep an eye on this insect as there are a couple of isolated fields that are showing heavier pressures.  This insect really blew up quickly with the hot and drier conditions.  Most area fields (and crop maturity) should be fine; however, this insect bears monitoring as they can increase in population quickly under these conditions.  If you are finding colonies up to the ear leaf or higher and plants are starting to wither because of the insect, treatment may be warranted yet depending upon stage of growth of the crop.  See link for more info: Spider Mite Management in Corn
• Dectes Stem Borer numbers in area fields are higher than they have been in the past.  In fact, some areas that appear to be SDS have more damage from this insect than the disease.  This insect will be heaviest on field borders, and main impact from this insect is loss of yield at harvest time from stems breaking off and no longer able to be harvested.  This year we are seeing the heaviest levels and most widespread area that we have yet seen out of this insect in our area.  Best management practice is early harvest before the stems get dry and brittle, keep this in mind as harvest nears.  See the link for more info: Dectes Stem Borer in Soybeans 

Reminder that the Pioneer Plot Tour is scheduled for Wednesday evening, August 3oth with meal @ 6:30pm and plot tour @ 7pm.  Please contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.  Thank you for the support!!

Starman Seed Service, Inc.

 

 

 

PIONEER INNOVATION….What’s next happens here….

Topics:

             * QUICK TEMPERATURE/GDU UPDATE – 

             * PIONEER CORN INNOVATION – 

• • • POWERCORE
    • POWERCORE ULTRA
    • VORCEED
    • REDUCED STATURE CORN

TEMPERATURES & GDU ACCUMULATION:

As of August 6th, we have accumulated approximately the following for Growing Degree Units in 2023:

Planting Date     GDU’s2023          Average GDU     Departure from average

April 17                   2039                          2020                              + 19 (+ .75 day)

April 26                  1995                           1961                                +34  (+1.5 day

May 9                     1864                           1852                                +12 (+ .5 days)

We have not lost any ground versus the last update one week ago.  Average GDU accumulation/day last seven days is 23/day.   Forecasted daily GDU accumulation for next 15 days is the same – 23.  Night time temps have helped with GDU accumulation as they are running 2-4 degrees above average, whereas, daytime temps are 2-4 degrees below average.

     

The above maps are the 6-10 & 8-14 day temperature and precipitation forecasts.  As one can see, temperatures are forecasted to be continue to be below normal through mid-August with normal to above normal precipitation.  This means less stress on the crop and lower ET rates overall for both corn and soybeans.  The bigger potential for impact on overall yield over the next few weeks will be the continued reduced sunlight and high humidity.  This will play a bigger role as we move further into grain fill.

PIONEER CORN INNOVATION:

New technology offerings from Pioneer for the 2024 growing season!  Pioneer will introduce three new technology offerings for 2024:

                 

• Powercore is the name of the new offering for ‘double-stack’ hybrids – what are currently AM products.
• Powerecore will offer 3 modes of action for above-ground pests….current offering only has 2 MOA’s.
• MOA’s will be current Herculex I plus two new modes-of-actions.  Powerecore offers a single MOA for Black Cutworm that VT Double Pro does not.
• Powercore will also offer 4 MOA’s for herbicide tolerance – Enlist (2,4-D choline) – Liberty – Roundup – Assure II.   This will offer more options for herbicide and greater flexibility, something that the competitor’s Double PRO hybrids do not offer.   All Powercore hybrids will have the Enlist technology.  Current herbicide programs can be used on all of these products as well.
• Powercore Ultra is the same as Powercore, but it offers protection against Corn Earworm and Western Bean Cutworm and is equivalent to current AML products.
• Bottom line….Pioneer’s current lineup of top-yielding hybrids, with industry-leading agronomics and seed treatments, will now include Powercore technology that will offer enhanced pest control as well as more herbicide options and greater flexibility.

 

• Vorceed is the name of the new offering that enables multi-year flexibility to manage corn rootworm (CRW) acres through more options than any other CRW product.
• Vorceed has 6 MOA’s to control insects….3 above ground and 3 below ground.
• Vorceed includes all of the benefits of Qrome plus:
  • • • new RNAi technology for CRW control
      • Enlist herbicide tolerance.
• Testing shows that Vorceed will give 98% control of adult corn rootworm beetles.  This will be a game-changer versus current technology.
• Vorceed will also (like Powercore), offer 4 MOA’s for herbicide tolerance.  Again, offering more options and flexibility versus 2 MOA’s from the competitor’s SmartStax Pro.
• 

All of these offerings will be available across the whole of Pioneer’s lineup of diverse, high-yielding genetics.

 PICTURES FROM PIONEER INNOVATION PLOT

Enlist Herbicide System:

   

These two photos show the Enlist system in corn.  Photo on left is small plot with front pass of Enlist + RR – middle pass with Enlist+Liberty+RR – back pass is untreated.  Photo on right shows the field pressure in the untreated area.  Herbicide performance looked good.

             

The above photos show the affect of 2,4-D on brace roots on Enlist and non-Enlist corn at a 2X rate of Enlist.  Note the damage to the non-Enlist brace roots vs. the no damage on the Enlist corn.  We have always been concerned with growth regulator damage to seed and early root development, however this technology will eliminate that, giving more flexibility and less crop damage for weed burndown on no-till acres, whether preplant or pre-emerge applications.  Normally, we have to make sure the seed is planted minimum of 2″ deep, that it is germinated, and the seed trench is fully closed before spraying a growth regulator as this will cause injury to the seed and impact crop emergence and early root development.  With the Enlist technology there will be no damage to the corn plant, meaning better application timing and potential use of the higher labeled rates of 2,4-D for increased weed control.  Another benefit of this technology is that it can be post-sprayed up to 28″ tall corn with no increased risk of brittle plants…something we currently deal with from post-applications of growth regulators.

This technology is also resistant to FOP herbicides like Assure II.  Note what happened to non-Enlist corn in the above photo.  This will offer volunteer corn control in corn-on-corn acres and help with certain grasses that are becoming resistant to Roundup.  Select will still be able to be used to control volunteer corn in soybeans that have the Enlist technology.

REDUCED STATURE CORN

There has been a lot of buzz in the market as of late about ‘short corn.’  Pioneer is very much working in this area.  The below photos show you some of the early work on this from Pioneer.

   

The plants shown in the photo are the same hybrid…the plants on the right are the current, normal hybrid and the plants on the left are the same hybrid using reduced stature breeding (the ‘old man’ in the picture is just their for reference LOL).  The plant stage of growth for hybrid was approximately 4 leaves away from tassel, or V13-14.

Pioneer’s reduced stature corn is coming to the market different than the competitor.  While Bayer is using a GMO gene in there ‘short corn’, Pioneer’s is non-GMO.  Pioneer is using a dominant dwarf gene that they have found.  This gene is giving a 25% reduction in ear height and an 33% reduction in plant height.  Pioneer does have certain standards that they will maintain when pursing this breeding, such as a maintaining a minimum ear height of 24″ above the ground.   When looking at the plot, canopy closure looked pretty similar between the two strips.  This plant breeding has many practical uses, from less residue in corn-on-corn acres to improved green snap tolerance and late-season standability….even possible improved irrigation efficiency for drop nozzles.  It will come with all current and future technology traits.

Pioneer is planning Reduced Stature corn to be commercialized in 2025.   One advantage to not using a GMO.

What’s next happens here….

Please let us know any questions or comments you may have.  Thank you for your support!

Starman Seed Service, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topics:

– Growing Degree Day Update/Forecast Maps

– What’s going on in my fields?…..Corn Development, etc. 

– Fungicide/Disease in Corn

– Insect Update

– Soybean Development

As of July 11th, we have accumulated approximately the following for Growing Degree Days in 2023:

TEMPERATURES & GDU ACCUMULATION:

Planting Date     GDD’s2023           Average GDD        Departure from average

April 17                  1445                          1411                                 +34 (+1.5 days)

April 26                 1401                          1352                                +49 (+2 days)

May 9                     1270                         1243                                +27 (+1 day)

Since the last update on June 29th, we have continued to lose ground on GDU accumulation.   We are now just ahead of the average, whereas a month ago we were 8-9 days ahead of the average.  Last year we were 2 days ahead of average at this time.  The fields are reflecting this as well as the time to tassel has been slowed up with the cooler temperatures of the past two weeks.  The below maps point this out:

                                                                           

Both maps show departure from normal maximum and minimum temperatures over the past 14 days.  Our area is 4-6 degrees below average for daily high temperature and 4 degrees below average for daily low temperature over this time frame.   Over the past 14 days, average high temperature has been 80 degrees and average low temperature was 61 degrees.  Average high temperature in 2022 for this same period was 87 degrees with average low temperature of 66 degrees.   This equates our to about 80 GDU’s with is 3+ days.  Normal GDU accumulation is 25/day.  Currently we are seeing 20-22/day.   Hence, fields are silking about 3-6 days later than anticipated back in June.  While the temperatures of the past two weeks has been a positive for crop stress, they have greatly increased potential for disease outbreaks in both corn and soybeans.  More on this further into the update.

What’s forecasted for the next two weeks?

   

The above maps show the temperature and precipitation outlooks for the next 6-10 and 8-14 day periods.  As one can see, the outlooks are best of both worlds…above normal temperatures with above normal precipitation.  This will be great for pollination and early grain fill.   We still need some heat to keep the crop progressing.  However, while they keep predicting more heat, it never seems to quite make it, which usually happens under a wet weather pattern.  So, I’m taking this with ‘a grain of salt’…..

What’s going on in my field?….

• Baring the fields that were caught in Monday’s hail, much of the corn crop looks good overall.  Much of the corn crop is in the V16-VT-early R1 stage, with tassels starting to show up throughout the area depending upon hybrid and planting date.  This is slightly ahead of last year.   From V10-VT, corn gains a new color every 50 GDU’s, or about every other day.   Majority of the fields will tassel fully by the end of the week, with the later planted fields doing so early next week.  
• Kernels per row began around V12 and is continuing through and up to tassel stage
• Nitrogen needs will continue to grow through tasseling and into early reproductive stages.  Nitrogen uptake in corn is very rapid now through tassel (up to 4-8 lbs per day).  As we have discussed in the past, today’s hybrids use nitrogen later in the growing season and into the reproductive phases.  You will want to keep that last shot of N available for after tasseling….40-50#   Prior to the past 10 days or so, expectations have been low for N leaching from excessive rainfall.  However, many sandy areas saw heavy rains over the past two weeks, so we would expect that some N leaching occurred during these rain events.  Keep this in mind as you determine your final N applications.
• We are now into the rapid growth and accumulation of dry matter by the plant.  The window for brittle snap is still open over the next 5-10 days.
• Under field conditions, pollen shed usually occurs in the late morning and early evenings.
• Pollen shed will extend for one to two weeks, but if field is uniform in plant emergence and height, pollen shed is 80% complete in 5-7 days from full tassel emergence….this will take place end of this week thru next week for most fields.
• At tassel, vegetative development is now complete; maximum plant height and root depth is achieved.
• VT overlaps with R1 (silking stage) when visible silks appear before the tassel is fully emerged.  By definition, growth stage R1 (Abendroth et al., 2011) for an individual ear is defined when a single silk strand is visible from the tip of the husk. An entire field is defined as being at growth stage R1 when silks are visible on at least 50 % of the plants. This whole field definition for growth stage R1 is synonymous with the term “mid-silk”.
• A captured pollen grain takes about 24 hours to grow down the silk to the ovule for fertilization.
• Peak pollen shed usually occurs in mid-morning.   Some research indicates that pollen shed decreases after temperatures surpass 86F.   A second “flush” of pollen often occurs in late afternoon or evening as temperatures cool.   Pollen shed may occur throughout most of the day under relatively cool, cloudy conditions….. Crop Focus – Corn Pollination Success
• Weather conditions influence pollen shed.  If the anthers are wet, the pores will not open and pollen will not be released.   Thus, on an average summer morning following a heavy evening dew, pollen shed will not begin until the dew dries and the anther pores open.  Similarly, pollen is not shed during rainy conditions.   Cool, humid temperatures delay pollen shed, while hot, dry conditions hasten pollen shed.
• Generally 2-3 days are required for all silks on a single ear to be exposed and pollinated, with the silks on the butt of the ear emerging first.  The silks will grow from 1-1.5 inches each day and will continue to elongate until fertilized.  If not pollinated, silk elongation stops about 10 days after silk emergence due to senescence of the silk tissue. Unusually long silks can be a diagnostic symptom that the ear was not successfully pollinated.
• Silk emergence and growth is dependent upon turgid pressure within the plant, in other words how much water is available in the plant to cover all of its needs.   If this is limited, (ie. dryland, low-gallon wells, etc.) silk emergence will be slowed and delayed with potential to miss the pollen shed.   Under severe water stress conditions pollen shed will still take place like normal, however, silks can be delayed, which means potential for poor pollination.
• It takes approximately 55-60 days from silking (R1) to physiological maturity.  So if a field is silking on July 15^th, it will need until September 15^th to reach maturity, given average weather.  Current 6-10 and 8-14 day forecasts call for above normal temperatures, which should give us a GDD accumulation of 25-30 GDU’s per day.
• High nighttime temperatures (ie. any stress) begin to play a role in final yield during grain-fill as this causes the plant to work harder to maintain both yield and overall plant health, thereby lowering potential final yield.

Corn Leaf Disease/Fungicide

• The next four to six weeks will be critical for disease infestations and fungicide applications.  Keep in mind that if we continue to see cool temperatures and wet conditions, potential disease outbreaks will increase exponentially.
• Begin scouting now and through the next few weeks for disease infestations.  So far, leaf disease load in area cornfields is very low, mainly bacterial leaf streak, however, we have seen some Northern Corn Leaf Blight lesions and, with the wet conditions, we are starting to see the first Common Rust show up. We are not seeing any Tar Spot in the area.  We keep you posted on this disease if we find it….
• If you are planning on only one fungicide application, the best timing for this application is after pollination as the crop is working the hardest at this time and has the highest demand for energy.  We want to protect as much of the leaf surface as possible in this time frame, which is from pollination and the two weeks after.   Corn on corn acres are always a good place to start with fungicide applications.
• While any hybrid can have a response to foliar fungicides, hybrids such as P0622, P0924, P0950, P0908, P0995, P1185, P1278, P1366 & P1563 are hybrids to focus on first for higher probability of response from foliar fungicides, especially if gray leaf spot infestations are high…..2023 Pioneer Foliar Fungicide Guide – Nebraska ….This attachment is a list of Pioneer hybrids and their potential response to a fungicide application for Gray Leaf Spot and Norther Corn Leaf Blight.  The chart also shows staygreen and stalk strength ratings for each hybrid.   This chart can help with fungicide management decisions.
• See attachments on disease and fungicide management – Maximizing Foliar Fungicide in Corn and Bacterial Leaf Streak
• Fungicide Efficacy for Control of Corn Diseases     This attachment shows efficacy and posted residuals by active ingredient for different leaf diseases, for the current fungicides on the market.  This is a good reference sheet on fungicides….

Water Management

We have finally been blessed with rainfall…we have experienced the old saying, ‘when it rains, it pours’, in many areas.  As so often happens, we go from desperately needing moisture to excessive.  We have had a 200-300% increase in rainfall over the past two weeks versus the average….see map below:

 For the year, my weather station is only 1″ below normal now!

Below are some key water management tips to keep in mind:

• The greatest yield loss from moisture stress occurs in the period two weeks prior to two weeks after pollination.  For the next two weeks, the corn crop will be at its peak water usage, with ET rates of .30+ inches per day – higher when temps are in the mid-90’s and higher yet when combined with low humidity….lower under cool and cloudy conditions.
• ET rates over the past two weeks have been average…..20-.35″ depending upon temperatures, etc.  However, we are reaching peak water use in corn, and with the potential higher temps forecasted out two weeks, it will be important to stay on top of overall water needs by the crop.
• At present, we are seeing fairly good root depth according to the soil moisture probes….sandier soils are 20-32” (better than average) and heavy soils are 28-40+” (average) depending upon plant date, conditions and soil type.  Remember that maximum plant height and root depth are achieved once the plant tassels.  The recent rains have filled up soil moisture profiles.

Insect Update

Western Bean Cutworm egg masses can be found in area, sandy fields.  Keep these tips in mind over the next few weeks:

• To scout for this insect, check the sandier fields first and look on the upper side of the leaf for a white, or purple, egg mass.  These will be found on the upper 1/3 of the plant.
• We again have pheromone moth traps located west of Elgin.   Current numbers are slowing trending upwards, but too early to tell how heavy the flight will be.
• Treat when the fields are 95% tasseled.  Use high rates (5-6oz) of a Capture-like product to give you 3-4 weeks of residual control.
• WBC are attracted to those fields that are closest to tasseling, so this means the later planted and later silking fields have the highest potential for infestations.  Cool conditions will delay and extend their flight, so what may appear low numbers now can pickup in two weeks, which is why we recommend the extra residual.
• Once a field has been tasseled, any egg masses that hatch will see the larvae move straight to the ear tip, so treatment soon after tasseling is critical.
• AML versions of Pioneer hybrids offer control of WBC/Corn earworm.  No need to treat these hybrids for WBC – these include P0622AML, P0908AML, P1122AML, P1366AML, P1563AML, & P2042AML.

Corn Rootworm

Adult beetle emergence is occurring right now, and will continue over the next few weeks.  Monitor your continuous corn acres for adult beetle populations to:

• prevent high numbers interfering with pollination through silk-clipping.  Males emerge first and this is what we are mainly seeing right now.
• help with rootworm control in your continuous corn acres.  Strongly recommended to use Steward insecticide (by FMC) for control of adult beetle populations to help with next year’s control of rootworm.  This product has shown excellent results for both kill and residual, which can be upwards of 30 days.  As far as timing for control, it is best to wait until there are pregnant females present.

Grasshoppers….seeing some feeding in both corn and soybeans from small grasshoppers, mainly along borders and dryland corners and neighboring rye fields.  The recent wet conditions should reduce grasshopper numbers moving forward.  However, this insect is present in higher numbers than we normally see….keep an eye on this pest.

Soybean Development

• Most of the soybeans in our area are at late-R1 (Beg flower) to late-R2 (Full flower).  I would not be surprised to see early R3 (pod set) on some fields next week.   Most fields are finally coming around and growing.
• Soybeans should be nodulating heavily at this stage.   At the beginning of the reproductive stage, soybeans will still put on 50% of their vegetative growth.
• Crop water use in soybeans starts to increase rapidly at full flower, peaks at R3 and will stay high through R6, or full seed  Flower stage is usually the time when the soybean plant begins to pull from the deeper root zones….we see this happening on the soil moisture probes in the area.  Heavy soil moisture profiles are full enough that very limited irrigation will be needed on soybeans through July, unless temps turn off hot.
• With the wet conditions of the past 10-14 days, we would not be surprised to see Iron Chlorosis symptoms show up again in high-pH areas…wet bottoms, clay hillsides.  For this to ‘fix itself’, the fields will need to dry out.  Variety tolerance to Iron Chlorosis will also play a role here.
• We continue to see a yield response from a fungicide application in soybeans, either at R1 for white mold (applications of which should be on or going on) and/or a later R3 (pod set) stage of growth.  Environmental conditions over the next two months will determine disease incidence and overall level of disease infestation.  Just a reminder, keep an eye out for Frogeye Leaf Spot  in soybeans as not all fungicides control this disease.  This disease is normally not an issue in our area and many varieties have very good tolerance to this disease.  See attachment for more info on this disease….Frogeye Leaf Spot in Soybeans
• Recent weather conditions have increased the potential for White Mold.   If current weather trends continue into August, expect White Mold outbreak to be heavier than we have seen the past few years.    For White mold management see attachment:  Managing White Mold in Soybeans

Palmer Amaranth Pictures

   

Palmer Amaranth/Waterhemp continue to be a difficult weed to control.   The above pictures are re-growth after 6oz of Status applied five-six weeks ago.  you can see how the plant was ‘burned’ down to a stem, but was not controlled for every node and eventually re-growth started.  We continue to see more and more of this in both corn and soybeans across herbicide platforms.  This weed needs to be controlled early…anything over 4-6″ and almost impossible to fully control.  The herbicides have had value as they ‘set back’ the plant (reduced competition, etc.), but full control was not achieved (still have seed production).  The last photo shows how hardy these buggers are!  They can grow anywhere and don’t need much for soil depth….how healthy that plants looks in a rain gutter!….

Thank you for your business!!   Please let us know any questions or concerns you may have!!

Starman Seed Service, Inc.