Northwest Iowa — Some common August threats are showing up in Iowa soybean fields. That’s according to agronomist Randy Kool, with Syngenta, who says spraying for insects is coming to an end for most growers.
He says that usually the R5.5 to R6 development stage is about the end of any application treatments for insects. He says that he’s seen some spraying for soybean aphids and they’re starting to hear about the second generation of bean leaf beetles. Kool’s territory includes parts of western Iowa where excessive rainfall has disease pressure mounting.
He say they’re starting to see pockets of Sudden Death Syndrome in the western half of Iowa, but it’s not as prevalent as on the eastern side of the state. He says that variety selection and seed treatments are ways to manage Sudden Death Syndrome and other diseases moving forward. And late-emerging weeds like water hemp are causing problems again.
He says that’s a little bit more of an issue this year since beans were a little slower to canopy. Kool says they’ve got good bean height now, but its been a challenge to take care of some of those weeds earlier. Kool recommends cleaning harvest equipment before switching fields to limit the spread of weed seeds. The most recent report from the USDA placed 82-percent of Iowa’s soybean crop in good or excellent condition.
(Thanks Mark Dorenkamp, Brownfield Ag News)
