When is it Too Late to Plant Soybeans?

We are getting to the very end of planting season. When should we call it quits on soybeans? Cornell recommends June 20^th as the last date for soybean planting. I get questions every year about double-cropping beans after barley and even wheat. My answer…it all depends on the soil moisture. If it’s dry, keep it in the bag. If you are going to push the limits and push closer to July, here are some suggestions.

• • • • • • Plant an early-mid group 2 maturity versus a group 1.
          • Push up your plant populations 15 to 20 thousand per acre to compensate for fewer nodes on each plant. We follow a similar schedule for winter wheat in the fall.
          • Plant on narrow rows (7 or 15) to maximize sunlight interception and optimize potential yield.
          • Start clean and spray weeds earlier than usual to eliminate as much stress as possible.

Last Black Cutworm and Armyworm Trap Numbers

This will be the last pheromone trap reporting for the season. There are plenty of potential larvae out there and all fields under V6 should continue to be scouted. I continue to have reports of BCW feeding come in, but to be honest, I thought there would be more.  That is a good thing!  We had high BCW moths in all five traps across the region this week and very few armyworms as usual. We should be extra vigilant in late planted corn moving forward as cutworms continue to arrive.

Maximum Corn and Soybean Growth Stage for Post-Emergence Herbicide Application

Most of our corn is just getting past the “ugly” stage and is growing rapidly. I have seen some early planted corn at V6 growth stage and turning darker green. Soybeans have been a little more variable and some are starting to put on that third trifoliate. I have not seen any early beans start to flower yet but it will be soon. We can see some loss of residual activity from our pre-emerge applications. The rains from early last week have also spurred on weed growth and a new batch of seedlings has emerged. Be careful not to let them get away from us!  We are getting closer to the label restrictions on some of our post applied herbicides. Many herbicide labels state a maximum crop height or growth stage (leaf collars or fully expanded trifoliates) when a product can be broadcast. Here is a recent article from Purdue University that includes tables with most of the labeled post-emergence herbicides we use in NY. https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/newsletters/pestandcrop/article/growth-stage-cutoffs-for-herbicide-applications-in-corn-and-soybean-2/.

Be Aware of Dicamba Product Spray Deadlines

• XtendiMax – R1 growth stage or through June 30^th, whichever comes first.
• Engenia – no later than June 30^th
• Tavium – V4 growth stage or through June 30^th, whichever comes first.

*R1 is when one flower is visible on the plant

*V4 is when four open trifoliates are present on a plant

Alfalfa Weevils are Pupating

The first round of alfalfa weevils (AW) are done feeding and spinning their cocoons. This is great news for second cut fields not harvested yet that have been getting hammered. Look for the white lace-like webbing up at the top cluster of buds. I am still hearing of reports of small larvae present in fields. These AW hatched later and unfortunately will stick around and feed a little while longer in third cutting. Hoping that their numbers will not be high enough to be economic. Check your fields carefully to see what stage the resident AW are in before making a management decision. Bright spot: still not seeing many potato leafhoppers yet.

Next report will be June 28.