Research Update (August 3, 2026)

 

Research Update (August 3, 2026)

 

Diligence Technologies Inc., West Tennessee

UPCOMING EVENTS:

SWSS Weed Contest, Knoxville, TN (August 5-6, 2026) 

UT Cotton Tour, Jackson, TN (September, TBD)

 

CROPPING SEASONS:

Foliar fungicide applications in corn and soybeans are largely done with a few exceptions for later-planted trials or those with later application timings.  Disease pressure is off to a good start, but the weather going forward will likely have a greater influence on disease development than the rains we have received so far.

Our weed trials are in many different stages ranging from completed to just initiated.  All our crops for insect trials are established and we are monitoring some of these to determine the proper application timing.

 

UPCOMING TRIAL REMINDERS:

WINTER WHEAT

Wheat planting in west Tennessee normally runs from about October 15 to November 10.  We need to start working on any trials that focus on the fall (i.e. any trials that have treatments at planting or before winter dormancy).  We can wait a bit later on trials that have treatments targeted at next spring.  We typically have extra wheat to work with and spring trials can be established at that time.

Please let us know soon about any wheat fertility trials you might be considering so that we can match the location and maintenance program to your needs.

 

WEATHER INFO:

We finally managed to get all our current field trials underway.  June and the first half of July presented a challenge with frequent showers that often made planting and spraying difficult.  However, I continue to hold to the belief that too much rain is better than too little.  With too much rain, progress is slow.  With too little rain, progress is stopped.  And if most every August is any indication, we will be asking for rain again soon.

 

PEST INFO:

We have had no shortage of weeds this season.  In fact, one of our biggest challenges has been cleaning up fields in order to get other types of trials established.  The frequent rains made the weeds grow fast and made it difficult for us to get in the fields and clean them up.

Our major diseases (gray leaf spot in corn, frogeye leaf spot in soybean) have progressed well to date.  However, it is generally August before these diseases really come and on and we start to see which treatments are working.

We may be spraying cotton plant bugs before long.  At present, we are just waiting for “research grade” populations to build.  Insecticide applications to corn and soybean will be made later in the season.  It is generally beneficial to plant those trials late which tends to result in higher pest populations.

 

If you need a late trial this summer, let us know.  We can usually find a spot to run another trial or two.

Tim, Jackson, Jake, Will, Jim, & JT

 

Proverbs 12:24

The hand of the diligent shall bear rule, but the slothful shall be put to forced labor.

 

Research Update (July 6, 2026)

Diligence Technologies Inc., West Tennessee

EVENTS FROM THE PAST MONTH:

Once again Larry Steckle and crew put on an excellent weed tour at the experiment station in Jackson.  His is one of a few tours that continues to have good attendance in an era where tour attendance is declining overall.  As such, it is a great opportunity for us to catch up with old friends and learn what is on the horizon in the world of weed control.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Milan No-till Field Day (July 23, 2026)

Agricenter Feast on the Farm, Memphis, TN (August 1, 2026)

SWSS Weed Contest, Knoxville, TN (August 5-6, 2026) 

UT Cotton Tour, Jackson, TN (September, TBD)

 

CROPPING SEASONS:

Except for possibly a few late soybean trials, all our yielded trials are finally in the ground.  Both May and June were filled with scattered and frequent rain showers that made planting progress sporadic.  We have managed to start a few weed control and insect trials along the way, but there are still several that remain to be established.  We even have a few cucumbers to plant for some late-season fungicide work.

 

GREENHOUSE ACTIVITIES:

Most of our greenhouse work is wrapping up now and barring some unexpected requests, we may be largely out of the greenhouse until this fall.  We appreciate all the greenhouse trial work this past season, but the logistics of conducting greenhouse trials in the heat of field season are quite challenging.  Maybe we can slow down in the greenhouse for a while and pick things back up in the fall.

  

UPCOMING TRIAL REMINDERS:

COTTON DEFOLIATION

Depending on the speed of cotton maturation and our original planting dates, we generally spray defoliation trials in late September and early October.  Therefore, if you are looking to get in a cotton defoliation trial this season, please let us know as soon as possible.

Also, do not hesitate to contact us even if you were not aware of the trial when we were planting cotton.  We have access to some large blocks of cotton that can be cut into research trials.  Just let us know before defoliation season so we can save you a spot.

 

WEATHER INFO:

As mentioned earlier, frequent showers have been a major challenge this spring.  While it certainly beats the alternative, it has also made us later getting some of our trials established.  Many thanks to those who have waited patiently for their trials to get established.

 

PEST INFO:

Weeds have been a challenge this season.  Many of the sites that were tilled early in the season require additional burndown and tillage to get new trials established.  This just makes everything go that much slower.

Insect populations seem to be building in cotton much better than last season.  Last year we had difficulty finding research grade populations of plant bugs.  At least for now, things are looking much better on the insect front for this season.

 

Let us know if you have any late trials that we help with.  It seems there is always room for one more.

Tim, Jackson, Jake, Will, Jim, & JT

 

Proverbs 27:23-24

Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds; for riches are not forever.

Research Update (June 1, 2026)

 

Research Update (June 1, 2026)

 

Diligence Technologies Inc., West Tennessee

UPCOMING EVENTS:

UT Weed Tour, Jackson, TN (June 17, 2026)

Milan No-till Field Day (July 23, 2026)

Agricenter Feast on the Farm, Memphis, TN (August 1, 2026)

SWSS Weed Contest, Knoxville, TN (August 5-6, 2026) 

UT Cotton Tour, Jackson, TN (September, TBD)

 

CROPPING SEASONS:

The rain we missed in April showed up in May making continued advancement more difficult.  In several cases, the hard and frequent May showers resulted in the need to replant cotton trials.  Soybean planting has slowed due to our inability to get in the field for long stretches.  At least the corn generally looks good.

 

GREENHOUSE ACTIVITIES:

The odd thing about this season is that going into June we are still talking about greenhouse trials.  We had several greenhouse projects that have spilled over into late spring and summer.  We may be shifting to a model with a longer greenhouse season if we can figure out how to manage it well.

 

WEATHER INFO:

As mentioned earlier, our fast start in April was slowed substantially as we had weeks of continuous rainfall in mid-May.  We are appreciative of the water, but we could use some drying days so we can head back to the field.

  

PEST INFO:

The frequent rains of late have done wonders for weed emergence.  We went from relatively clean fields to a sea of pigweeds in a hurry.  If you need a weed trial, you are in luck.

 

Thanks to all who have sent us protocols this spring.  We are working to get everything established.  If you have additional trials come up, please let us know.  We are here to help.

Tim, Jackson, Jake, Will, Jim, & JT

 

Proverbs 21:5

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness.

 

Research Update (May 4, 2026)

Research Update (May 4, 2026)

 

Diligence Technologies Inc., West Tennessee

EVENTS FROM THE PAST MONTH:

We wrapped up “winter” meeting season with the CPDA meeting in Austin, TX.  It was good to visit with several old and new friends.  That should put an end to meetings for a while except for our local field days.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

UT Weed Tour, Jackson, TN (June, TBD)

Milan No-till Field Day (July 23, 2026)

Agricenter Feast on the Farm, Memphis, TN (August 1, 2026)

SWSS Weed Contest, Knoxville, TN (August 5-6, 2026) 

UT Cotton Tour, Jackson, TN (September, TBD)

 

CROPPING SEASONS:

Corn planting is complete except for corn fungicide trials which we intentionally plant in May.  Cotton and soybean planting are underway with more expected as weather allows.  The Memphis location has been unusually dry so far this season, particularly compared to the past two years.  We have had better rainfall in Jackson but all west Tennessee is still behind on rainfall for the year.

 

GREENHOUSE ACTIVITIES:

We normally wrap up greenhouse trials around the end of April.  However, this season we have several late trials that will keep us doing sporadic greenhouse work for an extra month or two.  We are grateful for the work, but we also recognize that things will get a bit warm in there as move later into the spring.

  

UPCOMING TRIAL REMINDERS:

CORN FALL ARMYWORM TRIALS

We normally wait until the middle of summer to plant fall armyworm trials (July tends to work well).  While we are not taking these trials to yield, having young corn plants so late in the season gives us an excellent opportunity to evaluate products for the control of fall armyworms.  Let us know if you are interested and we will get you on the list.

 

WEATHER INFO:

The past month has been much dryer than April in 2024 or 2025.  While this allowed us to get a better start on planting, we hope the trend does not continue into the season.  Like everyone else, we could use an occasional shower to keep things moving along.

 

PEST INFO:

Winter annuals are either dying on their own or have been sprayed at this point.  However, they are rapidly being replaced by our summer annual weeds like pigweeds and grasses.  No big news on the insect or disease fronts at this point, but you can bet that will change soon.

 

Thanks to all of you for letting us be part of your research program.  Let us know what we can do to help.

Tim, Jackson, Jake, Will, Jim, & JT

 

Proverbs 21:5

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness.