Western corn rootworm larvae feed on corn roots. This feeding injures corn roots, which can result in lost yield. Research has shown that for every one node of root pruned, there is an average of 15 percent yield loss. Research over the years has led to the development of multiple strategies to...

Monitoring insect populations. Insect pheromone traps are monitored throughout the growing season at the Northwestern Illinois Ag R & D Center in Monmouth. Pheromones are insect hormones that attract individuals of the opposite sex for mating purposes. In our traps a small...

Crop plants have needs that must be met in order for them to grow and reproduce. They need water, sunlight, CO2, above-ground space and some sort of matrix into which to extend their roots. Additionally, to meet the needs that are above and beyond what is provided by the seed, plants require...

Stalk rots can reduce yields. Stalk rots can decrease harvestable yield - literally leaving some ears on the ground. Corn plants are top-heavy and stalk rots increase the chance that plants will fall over (lodge) due to a combination of gravity and weather. Conditions that...

A lone symptomatic plant. Nearly every growing year in at least one corn field at the Northwestern Illinois Agricultural R & D Center, a lone plant can be observed exhibiting symptoms that look like those in the photo above (Figure). Round-ish, tan spots...

While my inclination is to joke and say that the obvious difference must be that the larger ear was grown in Illinois while the smaller ear was grown in another state (four letters, also starts with an 'I'…..), this isn't it. A estimate of yields in a field full of the more moderate-sized ear (612...

Corn survey reveals positive sample in DeKalb County. Several weeks ago in cooperation with the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), personnel from University of Illinois Extension, the Illinois Natural History Survey's Coordinated Agricultural Pest Survey and...

From soil erosion to compaction to weed management struggles, farmers know best what is may be limiting crop production or long-term sustainability in the fields that they farm. However during this period of razor-thin margins farmers may be unwilling or unable to fit the costs of experimenting...

Field agronomists, farmers and others interested in soil health are encourage to join the soil health webinar on Aug. 24 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The webinar will be presented by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture Natural...

New and longer-term partnerships between personnel in Illinois and personnel in Missouri and Iowa have resulted in several bi-state crops conferences to be held during January 2017 in Western Illinois or Eastern Iowa. Friday, January 6, 2017: Bi-State Crop Advantage...

In 1995, a long-term research trial was established at the Northwestern Illinois Ag R&D Center (NWIARDC) to study the effects of crop rotation and tillage on corn, soybean and wheat yields and cropping system profitability. There are many factors that go into making the decision about which row...

Retired commercial agriculture Extension educator Robert Bellm observed stripe rust yesterday in several wheat fields in Madison County (Figure).Rust pathogens are obligate parasites, meaning that they need a living host in order to survive. Wind and rain systems from further...

Injury symptoms on corn plants. While passing by on the way to plant a bulk soybean field on Tuesday, personnel at the Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center (NWIARDC) noticed that plants in one of the center's corn fields didn't look so hot (...

In cooperation with Kelly Estes of the Illinois Natural History Survey, every April personnel at the Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center (NWIARDC) maintain a pheromone trap to monitor black cutworm (BCW) moths. Pheromones, or the sex hormones that are produced by...

Driving down any Western Illinois road this spring one can't help but notice just how many very tall weeds there are growing in field edges and along fence rows. According to University of Illinois USDA Weed Ecologist Dr. Adam Davis, every weed species has specific germination cues, or moisture and...

State and Region. According to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service corn planting and emergence and soybean planting in Illinois have progressed faster than the running 5-year average (2011-2015, Figure). Similar to in 2015, the nine counties that make up the western...

Farmers are interested in research-based information about resource conservation and certified crop advisors (CCAs) are continually in search of opportunities to earn continuing education units (CEUs) to maintain their certification. Every two years a CCA must earn 40 CEUs. At least 20 of these...

Brian Mansfield, the Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center's Research Agronomist, last day was today. He is leaving to take a job closer to his home farm in Greene County and will be missed.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor's June 14 report, the Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center (NWIARDC) outside of Monmouth is part of the 36 percent of Illinois that is considered abnormally dry (Figure). This is the designation that is typically...

One commonality among people is that topics of curiosity are often shared with others. Sometimes these anecdotes can reveal topics that are in need of further study. The 2015 growing season was one that favored sudden death syndrome (SDS) in soybean, which tended to be quite severe in some areas of...