The growing season is underway at the University of Illinois Extension + Illinois Valley Community College Agriculture Research and Demonstration plots.  On the IVCC side, plots were planted with multiple varieties of corn and soybeans donated by Channel Seed.  These plots will be used to demonstrate some of the different varieties of corn and soybeans available to growers.  On the Extension side, we are continuing with our corn/soy rotation on the two plots.  The soybean plots will be used as a field site for a study being conducted by University of Illinois researcher Nick Seiter.

This study, funded by the Illinois Soybean Association, will evaluate the impact of insect pest populations on soybean yields.  It will also evaluate the return on investment of some common pest control methods used by growers.  When growers decide to apply insecticides it is unknown whether or not that investment will pay off with higher yields.  At the time of application—usually at planting or a certain growth stage of the crop—there may not be any insect pest concerns, but growers decide to spray anyway.  This decision usually results from weighing the benefits of the potential yield protection with the cost of applying the pesticides.  The presence or absence of an insect pest population is not usually a factor.  This research study will investigate how often different control methods provide a positive return on investment and what population density of the insect pests is needed to economically justify the control method.

Researchers will be working at the IVCC + Extension plots and other sites throughout the state to answer these questions.  To do this, they will apply some commonly used control methods, like insecticide seed treatments and foliar sprays.  Then they will record insect population densities throughout the growing season and collect yield data at harvest.  Some of the common insect pests that they expect to find are stink bugs, bean leaf beetles, Japanese beetles, and green clover worms.  Every year at least one of these insect pests reaches economically damaging levels somewhere in Illinois.  This study will help growers make better and more economically sound decisions about insect management.

Planting finished at the plots on May 20th, with good emergence and growth being seen since. We look forward to seeing how the growing season progresses and what pests will be in our fields.  Stay tuned for more information about IVCC Ag’s Fall Field Day, tentatively scheduled for September 6, 2024.