By Gregory W. Roth
Corn and soybeans have survived a rough spring with weather and pest concerns, but weather and yield prospects have been improving during the last two weeks.
Corn and soybeans in some areas have had a rough start with cool temperatures, soil crusting and slugs. However, with recent warm temperatures and widespread rainfall, corn and soybean are taking advantage of the good conditions.
For corn, stand variability and later planting dates were a concern early and the effects will persist somewhat, but soil moisture availability and good crop development in July will trump most of that early crop stress. Over 80% of the corn in the state is rated good to excellent despite these early season stresses. Many areas have received above average rainfall and this poses some risk for N loss especially on poorly drained soils. I think on some of our well drained soils there is still good nitrogen availability despite the early precipitation. Those tracking N losses with computer modeling may be able to identify fields that might benefit from a late season N application. This is the time of year where we see potash deficiency cropping up in many fields and that is true again this year. Uptake rates are very high and some crop fields have variability in soil K that shows up during this period. Make a mental note and follow up with soil testing and nutrient applications this winter.
Soybeans seem to be a bit later in flower and slow to canopy here in central Pennsylvania but in other areas in the southern counties, growth has been very good if not excessive in some cases. Again over 80% of the soybeans are rated good to excellent in the state. I suspect top end soybean yields might be limited by the late canopy development but we still have plenty of opportunity for pod development in July and seed fill in August. Areas with flooding injury may not recover well and yields will be limited in those fields. Double crop soybeans are off to a good start in many areas with the precipitation following wheat harvest and that should bode well for their yield potential.