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A new model predicts that atrazine, plus its breakdown product deethylatrazine, has less than a 10% chance of exceeding the U.S. EPA's standard for public drinking-water supplies in shallow groundwater in about 95% of the nation’s agricultural areas. Atrazine is a commonly used herbicide for weed control in corn and sorghum production....More

A series of studies at Purdue University has shown that spray water pH and hardness can reduce the effectiveness of herbicides, making it vitally important for crop producers to test water sources. Hard water or water with pH values as low as 4 or as high as 9 have been shown to lower the efficacy of herbicides, including glyphosate, nicosulfuron and saflufenacil, says Bill Johnson, Purdue Extension weed scientist and professor of botany and plant pathology. An ideal pH value would be 6-7....More

Purdue University researchers have discovered a fine-tuning mechanism involved in plant root growth that has them questioning whether a popular herbicide may have unintended consequences, causing some plants to need more water or nutrients....More

Have you struggled with winter annual weeds getting in the way of spring planting? Many farmers are fighting off these weeds with fall herbicide applications. Applying a herbicide now may help you save time next spring, says Aaron Hager, University of Illinois Extension weed specialist....More

No one can predict the future, but the economic fundamentals are pointing towards a significant bump up in variable input costs for 2012, particularly for fertilizer, says Bruce Erickson, agronomic education manager, American Society of Agronomy....More

We have received a number of calls about cupping or wrinkling of soybean leaves, and it seems that this has become an annual issue in much of the Corn Belt. Some of the symptoms are undoubtedly due to drift or volatility of herbicides due to the many windy days this year, but some are due to other problems, as well....More

Purdue University Weed Scientist Glenn Nice says farmers need to take precautions to prevent carryover of mesotrione, an active ingredient in several corn herbicides, into the following year's soybean crop....More

Unless a corn crop is at risk of developing fungal diseases, a Purdue University study shows that farmers would be smart to skip fungicide treatments that promise increased yields....More

Multiple species of cutworms are abundant in Indiana cornfields right now, and John Obermeyer, a Purdue Extension entomologist says Bt traits and seed-applied insecticides are providing only suppression of the insects – not control....More

The abnormally wet spring in the Eastern Corn Belt has not only hampered planting, but it also has prevented timely weed burndown applications, says Bill Johnson, a Purdue Extension weed scientist....More