Extension

Breaking Plant Breeding Barriers with UAS Technology

Choosing the best crop variety to maximize yield and profitability while still staying within budget is vital to any farm, whether its 100 acres or 100,000. It is also a driving objective for plant breeders that develop these varieties for farmers.

New Nitrate Sensors Improve Traditional Measurement Methods

Iowa State agronomy researchers teamed up with electrical engineering specialists on campus to create a new sensor that measures soil nitrate at a far faster and more frequent rate than traditional measurements. A new paper on the research will soon be available in the Soil Science Society of American Journal and can be found here.

Science for Success

Soybean extension specialists from across the U.S., including ISRC affiliate Mark Licht, agronomy, Iowa State, have been working together on the Science for Success initiative. The initiative, which receives checkoff funding, focuses on leveraging local expertise to provide national soybean “best management practices.”

Their website provides lots of information on Soybean Cultural Practices from videos, fact sheets, record webinars, and related resources. The Science for Success videos cover "Best Practices", "Soybean Planting Date", "Determining the Optimal Seeding Rate," and "Row Spacing." In the Science for Success Webinar, Soybean Extension Specialists discuss soybean planting considerations and focus on topics including soybean planting date, row spacing, and seeding rates. 

New research might pave the way to SDS resistance

Overexpression of soybean gene might lead to resistance from SDS and more

No matter if it is 50 acres or 50,000, crop producers must hone their management practices to maximize yield while minimizing costs. Any number of different pathogens or pests can derail a good season. Soybean farmers in Iowa know how devastating they can be, with some causing millions in losses each year.

Could prairie strips benefit farm profits and the environment?

Research on the benefits from prairie strips placed in crop fields continues to grow at Iowa State University.

STRIPS, or “Science-based Trails of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips,” is a project investigating strips of farmland converted to native prairie plants. These strips are typically created between crops, at the edge of farm fields, or on lower performing fields.

Agronomy brothers win top award in State Fair entrepreneur contest

The Hora brothers won Best of Show during the 2019 Iowa State Fair 'pitch-off' for their business Continuum Ag. Mitchell Hora is an agronomy alum and his brother David will join the agronomy family as a freshman this Fall. 

Continuum Ag was established by Mitchell as an agricultural consulting company offering soil sampling and fertility analysis. With a realization that traditional agronomic consulting only addresses the chemical soil component, Continuum Ag has differentiated itself by working with growers that take a more holistic approach, recognizing the physical and biological aspects of soil as well.

From the Continuum Ag website:

Field days happening across the state

Several field days are happening across the state throughout the month of June. Hear from our faculty experts along with other faculty and Extension and Outreach specialists about a variety of crop and pest related topics.

June 20 at 9:00 am: Northern Research Farm Summer Field Day - Kanawha, Iowa

A season review from ag specialists Matt Schnabel and Brandon Zwiefel
Sulfur use - Dr. John Sawyer
Weed control - Dr. Bob Hartzler
Cereal rye for seed - Dean Sponheim & Jamie Benning
Crop production issues - Paul Kassel & Angie Rieck-Hinz

June 27 at 1:00 pm: Northeast Iowa Agricultural Experimental Association Annual Spring Field Day - Nashua, Iowa

Crop weather outlook - Dr. Elwynn Taylor
Strip till and no till research - Dr. Mahdi Al-Kaisi
Nitrogen fertility - Dr. John Sawyer
Insect scouting and tips - Brian Lang

Consider 15-inch Row Spacing in Soybean

Row spacing is a management decision that often comes up as a priority for achieving high-yielding soybean. Research across the Midwest over several years has consistently shown that soybean planted in narrow rows (<30 inches) has a yield advantage compared to wide rows (≥ 30 inches). The primary reason for this advantage is light utilization; canopy closure is approximately 15 days earlier in 15-inch rows compared to 30-inch rows. Canopy closure earlier in the growing season results in greater light interception and higher growth rates. 

Frogeye Leaf Spot Fungicide Resistance Confirmed in Iowa Soybean

Plant pathologists at Iowa State University and University of Kentucky have confirmed that isolates of Cercospora sojina, the pathogen that causes frogeye leaf spot of soybean, have shown resistance to quinone outside inhibitor (QoI, strobilurin) fungicides in Iowa.

Frogeye leaf spot (Fig. 1) occurs across the United States, and significant yield loss can occur when this disease is widespread within a soybean field. Plant pathologists estimate that this disease was responsible for more than 17.5 million bushels of lost yield, valued at $158.1 million, across the U.S. in 2015. 

Should We be Spraying Fungicides on Corn at V12?

In 2017, we tested several foliar fungicides on corn at six locations in Iowa: ISU Northwest Research and Demonstration Farm (NWRF), Sutherland; Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm (NERF), Nashua; Northern Research and Demonstration Farm (NRF), Kanawha; Southwest Research and Demonstration Farm (SWRF), Lewis; Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm (SERF), Crawfordsville; and the Ag Engineering and Agronomy (AEA) Farm, Boone.

The purpose of these trials was to help farmers determine if foliar fungicides should be incorporated into their production. Our objectives were:

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