May 21st, 2021
posted
by Andrew Blomme on 5/21/2021
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Weekly Newsletter
May 21st, 2021
This week's newsletter will cover some observations from the field as the crop emerges and progresses through the early phases of it's lifecycle.
Saltro vs Ilevo Soybean Treatments
Saltro and Ilevo are two of the most common seed treatments that are targeted at controlling Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) in soybeans. While both treatments inhibit the same disease, their effect on soybean seedlings are very different. Ilevo commonly causes a burning on the outside edges of the cotyledons of a young soybean plant. This damage caused by Ilevo is an unnecessary early season stress that we have seen every year that treatment has been used. Saltro does not cause injury to soybean seedlings.
The picture below shows soybeans from two adjacent fields with similar planting dates. The beans on the left were treated with Ilevo. You can see the burned/damaged cotyledons that are caused by Ilevo. The beans on the right were treated with Saltro and have no damage from that product. The early season vigor of the beans treated with Saltro was noticeably better than the vigor of the beans treated with Ilevo.
We promote the use of Saltro over Ilevo as a seed treatment because Saltro is an effective chemistry that doesn't damage soybean seedlings at a every sensitive stage in it's lifecycle.
Imbibitional Chilling
Imbibitional chilling injury is not uncommon in corn fields this spring. While I have seen it in every field I have scouted, it is rarely at high enough levels to cause concern. I talked about the risk of imbibitional chilling due to cold soil temperatures in a newsletter back in April. You can find that information at the following link: April 13th, 2021. Every night from April 11th through April 23rd we experienced night time temperatures below freezing. These cold temperatures lowered our soil temperature enough that chilling injury was a very real possibility for corn planted during this period.
Below are some pictures that show the twisting mesocotyl that is a common sign of chilling injury in corn seedlings.
As you scout your fields, be on the lookout for this injury. It may be the root cause of a corn seedling emerging late or not at all.
Looking Forward
Some concerns for the growing season have been relieved over the past few weeks. We experienced another speedy spring with everything getting planted in a timely manner. Recent rainfall, particularly in Audubon county and south, has evened up the soil moisture in the upper soil profile. While we will still need timely rains later in the growing season, it feels good that we have a good amount of soil moisture to work with at the moment.
Heat and sunshine are the final two things I would like to see in the near future. We gained 57 GDU's this week with very little sunshine. High temperatures in the coming days and a couple sunny afternoons would really make this crop pop.