Kyle Strohbehn and I checked a lot of corn fields and plots last week in Blackhawk and Grundy Counties. We found minor instances of Common Rust pustules and Anthracnose Leaf Blight, both of which are not concerning at this time.
We also evaluated the number of leaves wrapped on the tassel and could predict approximate pollination date. The earlier planted 96-101 day hybrids had 2-3 leaf wraps and should begin pollination in approx 5-10 days depending on GDUs generated. The fuller season 111-113 day hybrids had up to 7 leaves wrapped and will not likely pollinate for a couple weeks.
On our last plot visit of the day, Kyle spotted some lodged corn on the far side of the field. It was worth our trip out there as we discovered root lodged corn and determined it was from corn rootworm feeding. This field was soybeans last year so we are dealing with a rotation resistant variant. No adult beetles were present so we couldn’t determine if it was northern corn rootworm or the western variant. However, I would expect the western variant as this area has recent history of them.
If you see lodged corn in your first year corn fields, grab a shovel and go check for feeding. By the way, our new Qrome hybrids look awesome and will be a great management tool for fields in these high corn rootworm and variant areas next year.
