Soil Temperatures from UGA weather station Tifton-Bowen
!! Soil temperatures are cooler than normal this year!!
Be Cautious Planting In Cool Soil Temperatures AND Wet Soil
Planting our corn, peanuts, cotton, and soybeans into cool and wet soils increases chance for seed rot and seedling disease. The combination of cool and wet slows germination, slows vigorous growth, increases risk of fungal seed rot and of seedling disease.
Weather and soil conditions should be factored into the equation when selecting the exact planting date. Also, planting date DOES impact risk to diseases other than seedling disease. Following Peanut Rx, planting date impacts risk to tomato spotted wilt, leaf spot, and white mold. Planting date in corn impacts risk to southern rust and tar spot (earlier planted corn is at lower risk). Earlier planting dates seem to reduce risk to “CLRDV induced bronze wilt” in cotton. Earlier planting dates reduce risk to soybean rust.