Seeds of the Midwest

1. Seeds of the Midwest

3. Corn

4. Corn History • Maize is a grass and in the United States it is known as corn. • It is a direct descendent from teosinte which is native to Mexico. • Maize is widely grown in many countries with the United States being the top producer in 2007. • It has been hybridized over the years and serves many purposes including animal food, human food and fuel for vehicle engines.

5. CornSeed Plant

6. Corn • There are several forms of maize including: • Dent (field corn for animal feed and human food) • Sweet (human food) • Popcorn (human food) • “Indian” (decorative or ornamental)

7. Dent Corn

8. Sweet Corn

9. Popcorn

10. Indian Corn

11. Corn The plant material known as fodder is also used for animal feed.

12. Planting Corn • Planting is done using a corn planter that plants many rows at a time. • The planting depth is very important and needs to be between 1½ and 2 inches deep. • If too shallow the seed may dry out before germinating and if too deep may not come up through the ground. • Farmers space the seed about six to eight inches within the row. However, this spacing can vary from area to area of the country.

13. Corn Growing Season Requirements • Maize doesn’t like cold conditions. • Planting takes place in the spring when soils are warm enough to support seed sprouting. • The plant generally grows between six to twelve feet tall with an average of one ear per plant. • Corn must mature the grain on the ear before the first killing frost in the fall.

14. Corn Hybrids (Varieties) • Different corn hybrids require a different number of days to mature. • Earlier hybrids require fewer days to mature and are used in more northern areas where the growing season is shorter. • Later maturing hybrids require more days to mature and are therefore used further south where the growing season is longer.

15. Corn Soil Requirements • Maize does best on soils with good soil fertility and good water availability. • It can do well on soils with poorer water availability if irrigated by the farmer. • The better the soil fertility the more productive maize is likely to be. • Lower yields can be expected on soils that are not as good.

16. Insects That Attack Corn Many insects can harm maize. A few of these include: • Seed corn maggotseat the seed after planting • Wirewormseat the seed after planting and the young plant below the soil surface • Armywormseat the foliage of the plant after emergence • European corn borerfeed on the plant foliage, seeds in the ear and inner stalks

17. Seed Corn Maggots

18. Wireworms

19. Armyworms

20. European Corn Borer

21. Corn Diseases • Stalk rots, can cause the plant to fall down prior to harvest due to rotting of the inner portion of the stalk. • Once the stalk becomes too weak to hold up the ear it will fall down and make it very difficult for the mechanical harvester, called a combine to pick up the ear. • Most of the organisms that cause stalk rot are fungi.

22. Corn Diseases • Ear rotscan rot the kernels prior to harvest and make the grain useless or even toxic for animal and humans • These diseases are likely to be worse when the grain doesn’t mature correctly or there is insect damage to the ear.

23. Corn Weeds • There are many grass and broadleaf weeds that can reduce plant growth and grain yield. • They compete with maize for water and fertilizer nutrients and can reduce the grain and plant yields. • Weeds must either be controlled mechanically (cultivation) or with chemicals (herbicides).

24. Harvesting Corn • Grain harvest is generally done using a combine. • It shells the grain off of the ear and leaves the plant and corn cob in the field. • The entire plant can be harvested and fed to animals by using a silage chopper. It harvests the plant including the ear.

25. Soybeans

26. Soybean History • The soybean began in East Asia • It is an annual type plant. • It has been cultivated in China for at least 5000 years. • The soybean spread to many other countries over the years and is one of the leading crops in the United States. • The soybean plant has been used in the past for hay but is used now mainly for seed.

27. Soybean Seed Plant

28. Soybeans • The seed is high in protein and oil and can be consumed by both humans and animals. • Biotechnology has created a better soybean that can better tolerate herbicides (weed killers) that would have killed the soybean plant while trying to control some weeds. • There is also ongoing research to enhance the protein and oil content of the seed. • In 2006 the United States was the top producer of soybeans in the world.

29. Planting Soybeans • Planting in the United States generally is done with a tractor pulling a planter in the spring. • The planting rate can vary a great deal and can be anywhere from 40 pounds of seed per acre up to 90 pounds of seed per acre. • Planting rate depends on seed size and row width.

30. Soybeans • When the seeds are small, fewer pounds are needed per acre. • The narrower the row the more seeds per acre are needed. • Planting depth is best accomplished at about 3/4 to1½inches. • Sometimes planting slightly deeper is required in some soils that tend to dry out quickly. • Less acid soils are preferred.

31. Soybean Growing Season Requirements • The soybean doesn’t like cold conditions at planting because sprouting of the seed can be very slow or the seed can rot and not sprout at all. • It must be grown where it can mature before the first killing frost in the fall.

32. Soybeans • The soybean plant can grow to a height of as little as one to two feet up to a height of four or five feet. • It is a legume (produces nitrogen nodules on the roots) and is sensitive to the number of hours of sunlight/darkness each day.

33. Soybean Soil Requirements • The soybean prefers a high fertility and well drained soil. • If it is in soil that is too wet, it can wilt and die if exposed to this condition too long. • A less acid soil is best for higher yields and better plant health.

34. Soybean Insects and Diseases • There are several insects and diseases that are troublesome to soybeans. • The insect pests include • foliage feeders • pod feeders • root feeders • stem feeders • bacterial, fungal • viral diseases.

35. Soybean Foliage Feeders Green cloverworm

36. Soybean Foliage Feeders Bean leaf beetles

37. Soybean Foliage Feeders Mexican bean beetle

38. Soybean Foliage Feeders Japanese beetle

39. Soybean Foliage Feeders Grasshoppers

40. Soybean Pod Feeders Corn earworm

41. Soybean Pod Feeders Brown stink bug

42. Soybean Root and Stem Feeders Grape colaspis

43. Soybean Root and Stem Feeders Soybean stem borer

44. Bacterial, Fungal, and Viral Diseases of Soybeans Pod and stem blight

45. Bacterial, Fungal, and Viral Diseases of Soybeans Bacterial blight

46. Bacterial, Fungal, and Viral Diseases of Soybeans Bacterial wilt

47. Bacterial, Fungal, and Viral Diseases of Soybeans Soybean mosaic

48. Soybean Weeds • Weeds in any crop can reduce yields and crop health. • They can compete for plant nutrients and water. • Generally, since the soybean is a broadleaf plant, broadleaf weeds have been more difficult to control because broadleaf weed chemicals would also kill the soybean. • However, with biotechnology, the soybean can now tolerate broadleaf weed killers.

49. Soybean Harvesting • Soybean seed is harvested using a combine to separate the seed from the plant. • The seed is hauled from the field in a truck or wagon and later processed into human and animal food and feed. • The seed pods must be dry enough for the combine to separate the seed from the pod. • If there has been a heavy dew or rain the pods may take several hours to dry out enough to harvest.

50. Wheat