The European corn borer (ECB; Ostrinia nubilalis), can be an important pest of corn. Despite its name, ECB is actually a generalist feeder, having a wide range of hosts. The recent confirmation of ECB resistance to Cry1F Bt corn in Nova Scotia has increased the need to monitor this pest across Canada. With so many […]
Nitrogen fertilizer is one the most expensive inputs required for growing a corn crop, especially this year. And with conditions having turned dry in recent days, many growers are wondering about the risk of losses following N fertilizer application. Nitrogen stabilizers are products that help to slow the conversion of nitrogen to forms that are […]
Simple Summary Ontario data suggests planting date from late April to mid-May has minimal impact on corn yields After mid-May, yield declines can start and are quickest in shorter season areas Balance any risks of pushing planting dates (e.g. unfavourable weather events or unfit soil) to the yield losses expected for delaying planting within the […]
Simple Summary When applying moderate amounts of P&K fertilizer (60 lb/ac of both P2O5 and K2O) at ~4″ depth with a shank-style strip tiller across 15 trials on medium to light soil textures and low to moderate soil fertility: Yields of spring strip till and P&K were significantly higher (+4 bu/ac) than where P&K was […]
Simple Summary MERN stands for the Most Economic Rate of Nitrogen, the rate that maximizes economic returns to N fertilizer MERN is influenced most strongly by variability in N response across environments (fields, parts of fields, growing seasons) MERN is also influenced by changes in corn and nitrogen fertilizer prices, but very significant changes in […]
Simple Summary In a recent Ontario dataset of 15 N response curves, reducing N rates 20, 40 and 60 lb-N/ac from traditional optimum N rates (10-year average costs/prices) resulted in: average yield losses of 4, 9 and 16 bu/ac, respectively average net losses of $0, $11 and $37/ac, respectively, using what might represent 2022 costs/prices […]
Simple Summary If you have an N rate you are confident is right for your farm most years, N recommendations and historical work suggests a 15-20 lb-N/ac reduction may be appropriate to adjust for nitrogen/corn economics in 2022 compared to the longer term. The above adjustment assumes relatively normal N responses in 2022… large changes […]
Did you know that a review of Ontario phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizer guidelines was undertaken? The work looked at crop responses to P and K for corn, soybeans, winter wheat and alfalfa from 368 trials conducted over the last several decades. It compared most economic rates to current Ontario fertilizer guidelines as found […]
Results from the 2021 Ontario trap sites participating in the Adult Corn Rootworm (CRW) Trap Monitoring Network have been summarized in the infographic below. A more detailed report for all trap sites across North America was prepared by Ashley Dean and Erin Hodgson at Iowa State University. Thank you to Dan Bihari, Senior GIS Specialist, […]
Planting In March 2021 Statistics Canada estimated Ontario farmers intended to plant 2.2 million acres of grain corn, 3% higher than the 5-year (2016-2020) average seeded acres of 2.14 million acres (OMAFRA Crop Statistics). Spring 2021 provided a great start for planting. While April generally remained cool, lack of rainfall provided excellent soil conditions with […]
I spoke with an agronomist about a grower who started variable rating nitrogen (N) in corn. Logically, given that high yielding corn takes up more N than low yielding corn, the grower was going to variable rate N by yield across the field – more in high yielding areas, less in low yielding areas. The […]
The Canadian Bt Corn Trait Tables have been updated for April 2021. English: Canadian Bt Corn Trait Table for April 2021 French: Maïs Bt disponibles au Canada (Avril 2021) For information on which hybrids or products have obtained EU approval, visit the Canadian Seed Trade Association’s corn hybrid database at: https://seedinnovation.ca/hybrid/ Pour plus d’informations sur les hybrides […]
Nitrogen (N) Corn responds well to nitrogen, so adequate availability of nitrogen is critical to profitable corn production. Excess nitrogen adds unnecessary expenses and increases the risk of nitrate movement to ground water, poorer quality of surface water and production of greenhouse gases through nitrous oxide emissions. Insufficient nitrogen leads to nitrogen deficiency. Nitrogen deficiency […]
Uniformity of Emergence Uniform seeding depth is a critical factor in achieving uniform emergence. Uneven emergence affects crop performance, because competition from larger, early-emerging plants reduces the yield potential of smaller, later-emerging plants. Yields can be reduced by 5% when half the stand suffers from a 7-day delay in emergence and by 12% when half […]
Corn Development The vegetative and reproductive growth stages in corn are described in Table 1–12, Vegetative growth stages in corn and Table 1–13, Reproductive growth stages in corn. Corn Leaf Stages Counting the leaves on a corn plant sounds like an easy task, but there are a few complications that can cause mistakes. It […]
