Barnyardgrass Management

After a slow start, corn and soybean planting in Illinois proceeded at a normal pace in 2022. Rainfall in May was at 85 percent of normal statewide. While we remember the very warm days from May 10-15 and a few days later in the month, the statewide May temperature was only about 2 degrees warmer than normal. The weather during the first half of June continued the trend from May, with temperatures averaging about 2 degrees above normal, and statewide rainfall about 70 percent of normal.

Wheat streak mosaic virus. Photo: Kansas State University In recent weeks, there have been widespread hailstorms in the wheat growing regions of Nebraska, including the Panhandle, southwest, south-central and southeast. These hailstorms have shattered grain to the ground in many wheat fields. Volunteer wheat will emerge from grain that was mature enough to germinate when it was shattered by the preharvest hail.

Soil Water Loss — On average, there is three inches of soil water loss for weeds, including volunteer wheat not controlled in the wheat stubble. This could translate into about a 35-bushel decrease in corn or grain sorghum yields in the following year. See CropWatch article “Weed Control in Wheat Stubble will be Difficult This Year.” Disease — Did you know you can lose two wheat crops from one hailstorm? It could be yours or your neighbor’s.