By Eric Yu
Recent rainfall across Minnesota has brought much-needed moisture to many crop acres, though conditions remain variable depending on location. During the June 24 Strategic Farming: Field Notes webinar, Matt Pfarr, Extension Educator – Crops, and Dr. Bob Koch, Extension Soybean Entomologist, provided timely updates on crop development, nutrient management, disease concerns, and soybean insect scouting. The webinar was moderated by Dave Nicolai, Extension Educator – Crops.
Corn update: Rapid growth and management timing
Corn across much of Minnesota is progressing well, with many fields approaching or surpassing the V8 growth stage. As corn enters rapid vegetative growth, management decisions related to herbicides and nitrogen become increasingly important.
Pfarr emphasized that while some post-emergence herbicide labels allow applications at later growth stages, applicators should carefully follow label restrictions and understand the risks of crop injury and reduced efficacy. Once corn exceeds V8 or reaches approximately 30 inches in height, many common herbicides, including glyphosate, glufosinate, dicamba, and Enlist products, require drop nozzles to keep concentrated spray out of the corn whorl. For more information on corn post-emergence herbicide cutoff stages, refer to this Crop News article.
Source : umn.edu