Early July Corn and Soybean conditions look good across most of Iowa. However, insects and diseases are waiting for an opportunity to damage plant health and knock down yields. An Agronomist looks at conditions and recommendations in a moment.
Insects and plant diseases prefer humid weather according to John Grandin. He?s senior advisor and field sales agronomist for Growmark in a six-county area of central Iowa.
?The one?s I would be most concerned with is Japanese Beetles. Those critters tend to congregate in ?neighborhoods?. They are an issue for 2 to 4 years and then they are gone.?
Grandin says Japanese Beetles come and go but they are feeding right now.
?Look for defoliation. They are quite voracious eaters to defoliation is very easy to see. I?m getting a lot of reports from people in town of Japanese Beetles feeding on their fruit trees, shade shade trees and gardens.?
With corn prices coming up, growers may be more interested in protecting their investment with fungicide treatment on corn.
?Even though it is hot and humid, we cannot turn our backs on the crop and cannot walk away from getting this crop its full penitential. If you had a plan to apply fungicide, you need to stick to the plan and apply fungicide,? Grandin says.
Soybeans have grown out of their early problems and most across the state are blooming. Grandin says a spell of hot dry weather can expand insects like spider mites and aphids are always a prospect. He says mid-season dedication is the key to getting a good harvest in the fall.
