Research & Extension | Purdue Corn Agronomy We turn science into practical solutions that help farmers make better decisions in the field๐ฝ ๐IN
West Lafayette, IN
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Harvest season at The Kernel Lab!
We joined Dr. Dan Quinn in the combine to discuss harvesting research plots at Purdue's Water Quality Field Research Station and how excessive rainfall affected corn yields this season. Watch until the end for Dr. Quinn's combine cab essentials!
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Following severe August flooding in parts of Indiana, ear rots and mycotoxin risk are important considerations as harvest gets underway.๐ฝ
Read the latest from Camila Nicolli & Dan Quinn:
๐ag.purdue.edu/news/departmenโฆ
@INCornFarmers
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๐จ New from The Kernel Lab! ๐ฝ
Can narrower rows help when pushing seeding rates?
20-in (51-cm) rows enhanced yield at 3 of 4 site-years, and the response to seeding rate was more pronounced under narrow spacing at two site-years.
๐sciencedirect.com/science/arโฆ
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Earlier this week, Dr. Dan Quinn shared ongoing research on nitrogen loss and management during the Pinney Purdue Agricultural Center Field Day.
The discussion covered common N loss mechanisms and research evaluating nitrogen inhibitors.
Thanks to everyone who joined us!๐ฝ
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๐ฝPutting crop scouting skills to the test!
Last week, The Kernel Lab joined the Indiana Youth Crop Scouting Competition.
At our station, students tackled corn growth staging, potential crop injury and yield impacts, and grain yield estimation.
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๐ฝHow much defoliation can corn tolerate before yield declines?
This week we completed manual defoliation treatments with 33%, 66%, and 99% leaf removal in both short- and tall-stature corn hybrids.
This photo shows the 99% defoliation treatment at R1.
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๐ฝ Wrapping up the week in the field.
Another busy day collecting ear leaf and whole plant samples, applying fungicides, and moving multiple corn research projects forward.
#CornResearch #PurdueAgronomy
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Another day in the field!
Today our team collected whole-plant biomass samples to support ongoing research on water use efficiency in tall- and short-stature corn, led by Ph.D. student Erick Oliva
Stay tuned for more updates from this research.๐ฝ
#CornResearch #PurdueAgronomy
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๐ก๐ถ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ป'๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐. ๐ฝ
See how our team evaluates nitrogen inhibitors while measuring NHโ volatilization, leaching, and NโO emissions across Indiana research sites.
Supported by @FoundationFAR
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The 2026 DTC Field Scout Intern Workshop wrapped up today at ACRE!
At the Corn Growth & Development station, Dr. Dan Quinn and his students led hands-on discussions on corn growth stages, stand assessments, and early-season crop development.๐ฝ
@PurdueAg @PurdueAgryExt
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This week, we officially wrapped up planting season for The Kernel Lab๐ฝ
Planting may be finished, but the work in the field is far from over. Looking forward to another season of research and learning.
#TheKernelLab #PurdueAgronomy #CornResearch #PlantingSeason
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๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฝ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฝ
Field season is underway, and the team has been out at ACRE laying out and staking research plots.
Always good to be back in the field. ๐ฑ
๐ธ Purdue Agricultural Communications
@purdue_ag
@purdueagronomy
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Congratulations to Dr. Dan Quinn on receiving the University of Kentucky Plant and Soil Sciences Alumnus Early Career Award. ๐
Weโre proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition and are grateful for the leadership he brings to The Kernel Lab and Purdue Agronomy. ๐ฝ
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Proud of our grad students recognized at the 2026 Agronomy Graduate Student Awards!
Congrats to Evan Cohagan, Jeferson Pimentel, Bruno Paulus Scheffer, Narciso Zapata, and Erick Oliva on this well-deserved recognition.๐๐ฝ
#TheKernelLab #Agronomy
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A big week for The Kernel Lab ๐ฝ
Jose Vaca, Emely Gramajo, and Narciso Zapata successfully defended their MS theses. Proud of their hard work and excited to see their continued impact in agriculture. ๐ฑ
#TheKernelLab #Agronomy
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๐จ New from the Kernel Lab
Can satellite imagery support in-season N decisions?
โข ~17% of models were usable for AONR
โข V10โV11 showed the closest estimates
Shows potential, but reliability depends on context & timing.
๐ bit.ly/cornimagery
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This week, our lab participated in an Airtable workshop led by Adam Shanks @PurdueExtension. A hands-on session to improve how we manage and share research data across projects.
Using Airtable? Weโd like to hear how you apply it. If not, itโs a tool worth exploring.
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Winter may slow field work, but things stay busy in The Kernel Lab. ๐ฝOver the past months our team has been presenting research, attending conferences, and continuing lab work.
Looking forward to getting back in the field soon. ๐ฑ
#TheKernelLab #Agronomy
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Congratulations to Dr. Ana Morales-Ona Smith her new role as Assistant Professor and Extension Soil Fertility Specialist at the University of Arkansas! ๐
A valued member of The Kernel Lab during her PhD and postdoc, weโre proud to see her take this next step.
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Congratulations to Narciso Zapata on receiving the College of Agriculture Excellence in Teaching Award at the College of Agricultureโs Celebration of Mentorship! ๐๐ Proud to have you as part of The Kernel Lab and of the impact you make in the classroom and beyond. ๐ฝ
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As the year comes to a close, we wish you a restful end of the season and look ahead to 2026 with continued collaboration and shared purpose โจ๐
We appreciate the people behind this work, whose collaboration helps move applied research forward ๐ค๐ฑ
โ The Kernel Lab
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๐ฏ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐
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With warm wishes from The Kernel Lab ๐ฝ
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๐จ New from The Kernel Lab!
Early-season N decisions are critical. Our study shows canopy cover fraction (CCF) from a simple RGB drone outperformed soil, topography, and vegetation indices at V4. Fast. Low-cost. Field-ready.
Full article:
๐ link.springer.com/article/10โฆ
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Weโre proud to announce that the Indiana Corn Research & Update Newsletter earned Second Place in Digital Communications at the ASAโCSSAโSSSA Educational & Outreach Materials Awards! ๐ฅ
Delivered weekly by The Kernel Lab and collaborators๐
Subscribe: bit.ly/IndianaCornNewsletter
๐ฝโจ
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Great week at the 2025 CANVAS (@ASA_CSSA_SSSA) in Salt Lake City.
Our team shared ongoing research through talks and posters, and weโre proud to celebrate our MS student Jose Vaca for earning 2nd place in the poster competition. ๐ฅ๐
Proud to represent @PurdueAgronomy @PurdueAg
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Earlier this year, @Jefersonprass joined the Bayer University Mentoring (B4U) Program, gaining valuable insight into the ag industry. He recently attended the B4U Summit in Chesterfield, MO, connecting with 100+ mentees to learn, grow, and lead.๐ฝ๐
@Bayer4Crops
#TheKernelLab
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๐ฌ Sneak peek from todayโs shoot!โจ
Dr. Dan Quinn and Erick Oliva joined @PenneyPodcast for an upcoming episode ๐๏ธ
Meaningful discussions, positive energy, and plenty of agronomy talk ๐ฝ
The episode is coming soon, stay tuned! ๐
@PurdueAgryExt @PurdueAgronomy @PurdueAg
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This past weekend, our team traveled to Ohio for the 11th Zamorano Symposium, an annual event focused on research, networking, and innovation.๐
Dr. Dan Quinn shared insights on corn performance in rye systems, and Fabricio Garrido earned 1st place in the poster competition! ๐
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Proud to be part of the first Symposium of Digital Agriculture at @LifeAtPurdue!
The Kernel Lab joined as presenters and organizers, with Dr. Dan Quinn as judge, showcasing our commitment to collaboration and innovation in digital agriculture.
@PurdueAgryExt @PurdueAgronomy
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๐จ New week, new insights!
This weekโs Issue 25 features an industry collaboration with BRANDTยฎ on in-furrow nutrition, plus updates on cover crops for weed control, crop modeling, and early gains in Indiana corn basis.
๐ bit.ly/Issue25Corn
@PurdueAgryExt @PurdueAg
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๐ฝ Field season in full swing!
Our team spent the day at Pinney Purdue Agriculture Center (PPAC) completing the final ear and biomass sampling across several corn trials at the R6 stage.๐ช
@PurdueAgryExt @PurdueAg @PurdueAgronomy
#TheKernelLab #PurdueAgronomy #FieldWork
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Year 2 of aerial seeding with cover crops is underway. ๐ฑ As part of his Ph.D., @erickoliva95 contributes to a multi-lab project on agronomic management and crop interactions in short- and tall-stature corn hybrids. ๐ฝ @Bayer4CropsUS @PurdueAgryExt @PurdueAg @PurdueExtension
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Aerial seeding in action! ๐
UAVs applying cover crops across our research fields.
@PurdueCorn @PurdueAgryExt
@PurdueAg @PurdueExtension
#TheKernelLab #PurdueAgronomy #DigitalAg #CoverCrops #AgTech
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๐จIntroducing Indiana Corn Research & Update!๐ฝ
Sharing weekly corn insights, field updates & research from ongoing projects and collaborations. Issue 24 highlights: Corn progress, senescence, pests, drought & digital ag tools. ๐ bit.ly/Issue24Corn
@PurdueAgryExt @PurdueAg
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Need to prioritize harvest?๐ฝHereโs how field evaluations can guide you.โ
โจIn this video, @BetsyBower demonstrates how to evaluate stalk integrity using the push test, explaining what it is and how to perform it.
@PurdueAgronomy @PurdueAgryExt @PurdueAg @PurdueExtension
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๐ฅ The 2025 @AgDayTV College Roadshow made a stop at Purdue!
It was great to see ๐ฝ Dr. Dan Quinn representing Purdue Agronomy on stage and sharing insights about Indiana corn production.
#TheKernelLab #AgDay
@PurdueAg @PurdueAgronomy @PurdueExtension #BoilerUp
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This week weโve been busy harvesting, and we know the effort it takes across the ag community. Harvest is a shared season of hard work, challenges, and opportunities.๐ฝ๐
Wishing everyone a safe and successful harvest season! โจ
#TheKernelLab #PurdueCornAgronomy #Harvest2025
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Early yield estimates are a powerful tool for decision-making. ๐
By applying a straightforward approach in the field, @BetsyBower shows how to estimate yield, spot crop performance trends, and inform management choices ahead of harvest. ๐ฝ๐
#TheKernelLab #OnFarmResearch
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๐จNew from the Kernel Lab!
Fungicide programs in corn do more than protect against disease. They also extend grain fill, increase kernel weight, and support higher yields across Indiana environments. ๐ฝโจ
๐Full article: acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.cโฆ
#TheKernelLab #Fungicides
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Ear sampling day!!๐ฝ
Collecting from short and tall corn hybrids as part of our omission trials. By leaving out specific management practices, we learn which factors most influence yield and make better agronomic decisions.๐
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Scouting and rating diseases is critical to protect corn yield. ๐ฝ๐ต๏ธโโ๏ธThis video shows how disease ratings are done and why timely scouting matters.
๐ Field Guide: edustore.purdue.edu/id-179.hโฆ
๐ฑ Tar Spot Charts: cropprotectionnetwork.org/weโฆ
โ
Keep scouting, keep learning.
#TheKernelLab
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๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ!! ๐
Dr. Dan Quinn explains what makes our research combine unique and why itโs key to our work at The Kernel Lab. ๐ฝ
#TheKernelLab #PurdueCornAgronomy #AgResearch
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Yesterday at NEPAC Field Day, Dr. Dan Quinn and our MS student Evan Cohagan, shared insights on ear rots and mycotoxins in corn ๐ฝ. Early scouting, timely harvest, and proper drying/storage are key to reducing risk and protecting grain quality. ๐ค
#TheKernelLab #FieldDay
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Behind every dataset is a team learning and growing together. ๐ฝ
Fieldwork means involving students in every step, from chopping samples to understanding WHY the data matters. This builds skills, responsibility, and confidence for the future. ๐ฉโ๐ฌ
#TheKernelLab #FutureAgLeaders
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Ever wondered how research planters are designed to reflect real-world farming? ๐ฑ๐
In our latest video, Dr. Dan Quinn (@PurdueCorn) explains how we approach the research planter and how we set up planting practices that align with modern farming.๐ฝ
#TheKernelLab #PurdueCorn
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What should you look for when scouting corn at R5 (grain fill)?๐๐ฝ
โจWith many fields now at this stage, itโs a critical time to assess crop health and yield potential. ๐ฝ
Here, our Senior Research Associate, Betsy Bower, shares her insights!!
#TheKernelLab #PurdueCornAgronomy
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Two weeks ago, students from across Indiana joined the State High School Crop Scouting Competition ๐ฑ.
The Kernel Lab ๐ฝ hosted the Corn Growth & Development station, sharing agronomy in the field with future ag leaders.
#FutureAgLeaders #TheKernelLab #PurdueCornAgronomy
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We were glad to host Emily Beeman, PhD Candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, as part of the #IoT4Ag project ๐ฑ๐.
Together we began a buried battery study to see how batteries behave in soil over the next year.
Excited to see the results!
#TheKernelLab #IoT4Ag
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This week at the SEPAC Field Day, our students @erickoliva95 and @nzapata053 presented on short stature corn hybrid and the use of biologicals in corn production.
Field Days connect students, researchers, and growers.
Weโre glad The Kernel Lab was part of it! ๐ก๐ค
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๐จ Visiting Scholar Opportunity! ๐จ
The Kernel Lab is looking for a motivated student to join as a Visiting Scholar.
๐
Apply by Sept 1, 2025โจ๐ Scan the QR code on the flyer to fill out the application form
#TheKernelLab #PurdueCornAgronomy #ResearchOpportunity
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Dr. Dan Quinn (@PurdueCorn) presented โManagement Practices of High Yield Corn: An Indiana, USA Perspectiveโ at the Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, University of Sรฃo Paulo in Brazil. ๐ง๐ท
Weโre proud to see #TheKernelLabโs research shared internationally! ๐
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