In-Season Must-Do's
By Robert Klein, Extension Western Nebraska Crops Specialist
Evaluating and recording crop progress each week will be helpful in determining the extent of crop damage.
- Take photos at least once a week, clearly identifying area in the photo. Take additional photos of any problem areas and be sure to identify them.
- Record crop growth stage along with planting and emergence information.
- Check for insects and treat if economical. Know what traits the seed includes.
- Check for diseases and treat if economical. Compare continuous crops and rotational crops for disease.
- Scout for weeds. If problem weeds are present, control them. When selecting herbicides, ensure their use won’t interfere with following crops and cover crops planned for the field.
- If irrigating, use soil water measuring devices and irrigate as necessary. Also reference weather forecasts to help determine when to irrigate.
- Use a chlorophyll meter to check nitrogen status of corn and sorghum plants. Make sure you have a well-fertilized control area for comparison.
- Record growing-degree days. (Follow GDD for a number of Nebraska sites at https://cropwatch.unl.edu/gdd-etdata.)
Late Season Must-Do's >
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This project was funded by a USDA National Institute of Food & Agriculture Smith-Lever Special Needs Grant with matching funds from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
