Farmers and agribusiness have a new tool to help them tackle crop management challenges. The Crop Protection Network (CPN), a multi-state and international collaboration of university and provincial Extension specialists, has redesigned its website.

In addition to the corn and soybean publications it is known for, the site now offers videos, newsletter and blog articles, and Twitter updates from CPN partners on important crop management issues. The website also has an encyclopedia of field crop diseases designed to help farmers identify diseases using extensive image galleries and keywords to filter results.

"The new website still has all of the great CPN content that users are familiar with, but also adds new resources, and will be updated frequently," says Kiersten Wise, University of Kentucky Extension plant pathologist and co-director of CPN. "Our goal is to help farmers make crop management decisions with relevant and timely information."

Over 45 Extension specialists from land grant universities, including the University of Nebraska, and CPN partner institutions help develop content, which means that stakeholders can trust that the information they see on the website and in the publications is research-based.

"Farmers and agricultural personnel will be provided with information to help with decisions to protect field crops," says Daren Mueller, Iowa State University Extension plant pathologist and co-director of CPN. "Information on wheat management and other crops will be added in 2018, expanding resources for farmers."

Update Bt trait table
In other crop protection news, the Handy Bt Trait Table was updated in January. The authors include Chris DiFonzo, Michigan State University, Pat Porter, Texas A&M University, and Kelley Tilmon, Ohio State University. It lists the types of Bt hybrids present in all commercialized corn in the U.S. in a concise two-page format. It presents the trade names for hybrids with Bt traits, Bt event, proteins expressed, targeted insects and herbicide traits. It has been updated and reformatted for easier viewing.

The table is a useful reference to help understand which hybrids have which traits (both Bt and herbicide-tolerance traits). This table can help avoid the development of resistance from using the same traits repeatedly (even if you change hybrids), and will be useful during the field season as you trouble-shoot insect injury, or prepare to apply herbicides.

Now in its 15th year, this table has become the standard as an authoritative reference to Bt toxins in corn.

This report comes from UNL CropWatch.