Integrated Crop Management is published by the Department of Entomology , Iowa State University , Ames, Iowa. Decisions made this winter on crop rotation and variety selection are very important for 1996 disease management.
Crop rotation is a wise practice for many reasons, disease avoidance being a major one.
Most pathogens survive in crop residue, but only for a limited time, and most pathogens do not infect multiple crops. Therefore, their populations and the risk of disease can be decreased by crop rotation. Fields in which disease problems were noticed in 1995 should be planted to a different crop in 1996 if possible. Disease resistance is the most effective and efficient way to reduce disease losses in corn and soybeans. It is an important factor in the performance of all corn hybrids and soybean varieties.