UNL agronomists and educators responding to grower questions surveyed a number of corn fields this week and found a range of corn ear issues: short husks, dumbbell-shaped ears, and multiple ears per node. The article describes and discusses the situation, potential stress agents, and the development of corn. It also encourages growers to check their fields pre-harvest to better assess causes of potential yield loss.

Southern rust has been confirmed in samples from 10 Nebraska counties — Adams, Butler, Clay, Fillmore, Lancaster, Nuckolls, Pierce, Polk, Thayer, and Valley. All were from fields with a low incidence of disease at the time. Growers should also be scouting for rust as well as gray leaf spot, common rust, and physoderma brown spot.

Based on modeling corn growth stage and end-of-season yield for 41 sites in 10 Corn Belt states, researchers are forecasting potential end-of-season yield in "real time" to aid in decision-making thoughout the season. On July 14 they reported that corn has already reached or is approaching silking throughout most of Nebraska and the Corn Belt, except for corn in the northern and eastern states, where growth is running behind the rest of the region.based on modeling end-of-season corn yield for 41 sites. There is a low (<20%) probability of below-average yields at all irrigated locations, except for two sites in southeastern Nebraska. The range of forecast yields at the rainfed sites is wider. There is a relatively high probability (>75%) of above-average yield at two locations in the northern states and below-average yield at three locations. See story for predicted yields and probabilities for all the sites.