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Plant Disease

What’s the real deal with cover crops and SCN?

I think it is high time that I write to inform you about my Ph.D. research at Iowa State University where I studied the impact of cover crops on the soybean cyst nematode (SCN).  When I started my Ph.D. at Iowa State in 2015, the topic of cover crops and SCN was *fire emoji* hot! And when offered...
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corn tar spot

Corn tar spot disease monitoring in Illinois

Tar spot on corn is here to stay in Illinois. Given that the pathogen that causes tar spot on corn can overwinter in infected residue, once the pathogen is in a field, it is more likely to be problematic in that field in the future. If you’ve been a victim of high incidence and/or severity of corn...
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You don’t know what you have till it’s gone

To many, science can seem like magic. Abracadabra and *whoosh* something appears seemingly out of thin air. However mystical and misunderstood science can be, it is not magic. It is science. As such, things cannot be manifested out of nothing. “But Chelsea, why on earth are you talking about...
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hands holding a telescope looking to the future

Crop disease forecast for 2021

Much of the 2020 crop has just been harvested, but it's never too early to discuss crop diseases in the forecast for 2021.  Did you come here thinking you might actually get some idea of what diseases will prove problematic next year? Good. Am I going to give you specific diseases for which to...
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mobile phone screen with an image of a corn and soybean field and a person in the field saying "hello"

Virtual Field Days Coming to a Screen Near You

The year 2020 has been out-of-the-ordinary, to say the least. Illinois Extension is utilizing web-based program delivery methods on a larger scale than ever, which leads us to one of the very few silver linings of our current circumstances: increased access to programs across the state.  One such...
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corn seedlings

It's time to think about corn nematodes

The spring 2020 planting season season is moving right along, and as such, fields all over the state have great corn seedlings up and thriving. With the emergence of the new crop comes all of the concerns and worries that farmers must contend with throughout the growing season. Among those concerns...
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