Generally good soil moisture conditions and warm temperatures this week should set the stage for rapid corn growth and development in the next few weeks.
This will bring to an end most postemerge herbicide and sidedress N applications. During early vegetative development, Dr. Bob Nielsen from Purdue has estimated that corn requires 82 (Growing Degree Days) GDDs for each leaf to emerge. After V10, the thermal requirement per leaf drops to about 50 GDDs. This week temperatures are forecast with highs near 85 and lows near 65 F. This should result in about 25 GDDs per day or a new leaf every two to three days. This is a great time to look at fields for crop variability issues. Soil compaction, potassium deficiency, and early season nitrogen stress are key things that I see in fields this time of year. Make a mental note and plan to mitigate these in the future.
Soybeans are finally growing rapidly as well and will begin to flower with the long days following the summer solstice. Deer and groundhog damage has been one of the most common problems I have observed during the past week. One producer showed me 30 acres of soybeans that were grazed to the ground. Replanting another crop, likely sorghum sudan, was one of his only options. We have encountered a number of soybean fields with less than ideal stands, with seed rots, slugs, crusting and poor seed to soil contact as causes. The frost events in May could also have contributed to some stand loss. These thinner stands will likely recover somewhat during the weeks ahead and should still have decent yield potential if stands are 90000 plants per acre or more. Soybeans should be well nodulated by now as the soils warm- yellow soybean fields should be scouted for nodulation and nodule viability. If nodulation is lacking, consider a supplemental N application.
Source : psu.edu