The 2000 Growing Season: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The phrase the good, the bad, and the ugly may seem rather hackneyed, but I think in many respects it describes the 2000 growing season quite well. There certainly were some good things that happened, along with some bad and a few ugly things as well. On the good side were unusually warm and dry conditions early in the season that resulted in record planting paces for both com and soybean, excellent conditions at pollination, and overall excellent potential for high yields (at least early in the season). As for the bad, the most obvious factor was the dry conditions, both early and late in the season. Add in some fertility imbalances, insect problems, and diseases and the forecasted record yields slowly began to erode away. Finally, widespread stalk lodging was probably one of the more significant factors that I would list in the ugly category. Let\u27s take a closer look at what happened during the 2000 growing season and attempt to explain why things turned out the way they did

Highlights of the 1999 Growing Season

Frequently I am asked, how does this growing season compare to previous years? In reality, there are certain generalizations that can be drawn regarding the similarities among all growing seasons. Rainfall, temperatures, weeds, insects, diseases, frost, all seem to have some degree of impact on every growing season. As I review the conditions of the 1999 growing season, there are many similarities to what was experienced in the 1998 growing season. Too cool, too wet, too warm, too dry, high winds, early frost ... all played significant roles in influencing the 1999 crop. However, given all the adverse conditions that occurred throughout the season, the crop still managed to weather them pretty well and yields have been remarkably good considering all factors. Let\u27s take a look at what happened during the 1999 growing season and attempt to explain why things turned out the way they did

Why are my corn leaves striped?

Early season stresses can trigger any of a number of plant responses, including striped leaves. For the most part, this striping is probably genetic. There have been suggestions, however, that the striping may result from very rapid growth during a warm period that follows slower growth during a cooler period. The condition is temporary and to my knowledge, does not affect subsequent plant growth and development or yield. Although the symptoms mimic certain nutrient deficiencies, such deficiencies are rare to nonexistent in Iowa and generally are related to soil pH

The 1998 Growing Season in Review

I\u27ve said it before ... weather (environment) significantly influences crop growth and development. The 1998 growing season certainly provided us with an ample supply of environmental conditions that affected (both positively and negatively) crop growth and development. Too cool, too warm, too wet, too dry, high winds, hail. .. all played significant roles in influencing the 1998 crop. However, given all the adverse conditions that occurred throughout the season, the crop still managed to weather them pretty well and yields have been remarkably good considering all factors. Let\u27s take a look at what happened during the 1998 growing season and attempt to explain the good and the bad

Narow Row Corn Production for Iowa

Corn producers continually strive to find new ways to either increase corn yields or reduce input costs. Corn yields have shown a steady increase since the 1940s (Figure 1). It has been suggested that roughly half of this increase can be attributed to improved genetics; the other half most likely could be attributed to improved management of the crop. Many factors are involved in this management aspect, such as earlier planting dates, improved soil fertility, improved pest management (including, weed, insect, and disease control), better hybrid selection, improved tillage methods, and improved plant spacing. It is plant spacing that I want to deal with in this paper

Corn survival in wet conditions

No one knows the unpredictability of Iowa weather better than Iowa\u27s own corn and soybean producers. Previous thoughts of early-season drought quickly have turned to concerns about flooding and saturated fields. Most of the corn acreage across the state has been planted and recent rains have raised questions regarding the survivability of small corn plants exposed to saturated or flooded conditions

The 1996 Growing Season: A Season of Inordinate Variability

The October Crop Report estimated Iowa com and soybean yields at 135 and 44 bu/ac, respectively. One can expect these numbers to be adjusted somewhat by subsequent reports. The yield relationship between com and soybean varies between regions and is a reflection of the variation in growing season in the different parts of the state. Yield estimates, as of October 11, are presented by Crop Reporting District in Table 1. Yield variability is the result of many factors. The major negative factors in 1996 were too much rain, late planting, too little rain, cool conditions throughout the growing season, early frost, com borers, weeds, gray leaf spot, etc. The importance of each varied greatly depending on region of the state

Planting early for optimum yields

Every year, corn producers are faced with the challenge of determining when they should begin planting corn. As mid-April approaches, corn and soybean producers across the state are waiting for fields to dry so fieldwork can begin. Many feel that the prospects for a cool, wet spring are inevitable. Knowing what we do about springtime in Iowa, it will pay to be prepared to hit the fields as soon as the first window opens up

Bt corn hybrid evaluation: year 2

This past growing season was good for evaluating the impact of a variety of environmental factors on corn yield, such as nitrogen losses, hail damage, green snap, etc. It was not, however, a particularly good growing season for evaluating the damaging effects of European corn borer. Insect pressures were fairly light across the state. The light insect pressures coupled with the effects of one or more environmental factors made Bt hybrid evaluations challenging in 1998 (i.e., it was difficult to identify exactly what caused yield variability). Presented herein are the results from replicated field trials conducted by Iowa State University in 16 Iowa counties

Row Width and Population Effects on Roundup Ready Soybean Yield

Many Iowa soybean producers have adopted Roundup Ready (RR) technology on their farms in recent years. Reduced weed control costs, greater flexibility in herbicide application timing, and the potential for “cleaner” soybean fields are often cited as reasons for using RR technology; however, questions remain about RR varieties’ response to row width and seeding rate. To address producer questions about RR variety response to row width and seeding rate in south central Iowa, a soybean management study was conducted at the McNay Research Farm in 1999 and 2000. Soils at the McNay Research Farm are typical of the Grundy-Haig soil association