USA
July 6, 2011
The Plant Management Network (PMN), a nonprofit publisher of applied crop science information, announces the launch of Focus on Corn, a resource that features webcasts and other science-based information tools that will help corn growers and consultants protect and manage corn crops more effectively.
The central feature of Focus on Corn is its 24/7 on-demand educational webcasts.
These are audio-visual presentations authored and presented by university professors and extension specialists recognized for their expertise and research on corn management practices.
“Topics are suggested by both a technical advisory board and grower surveys and selected for their current interest and need for timely information,” said Greg Grahek, Director of Publications at the Plant Management Network. “We try to get the best expert in the field to talk about a technical subject in a format for the busy agricultural practitioner."
One new webcast will be published in Focus on Corn each month. Each of these new webcasts will be open access for a period of at least 60 days. As long as users visit the site monthly to see each new webcast during the open access period, all webcasts may be viewed free of charge, without a subscription. Current freely available webcasts include the following:
- Plant Parasitic Nematodes of Corn by Tamra Jackson, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
- Residue Management, Nitrogen, and Tillage in Continuous Corn by Emerson Nafziger, University of Illinois.
- Weed Competition in Corn by Bill Johnson, Purdue University
- Southern Rust of Corn and Differentiating Between Southern and Common Rusts by Jerald 'Snook' Pataky, University of Illinois
- Corn Silage Management: Seeding Rate Studies by William J. Cox, Cornell University
- Corn Drying by Ken Hellevang, North Dakota State University
In addition, the Plant Management Network publishes several open-access resources available in Focus on Corn. One of these resources is PMN's University Extension Search, which allows users to find fact sheets, articles, and other information from PMN's 38 land-grant university partners. Using keywords, users can search individual state sites or all 38 university sites at once for corn management information. Other open-access resources include PMN's Cross-Journal and Products & Services searches. The Cross-Journal Search allows users to find bottom-line recommendations in the abstracts of journals published by the Plant Management Network and its partnering scientific societies. The Products & Services Search indexes products, solutions, recommendations, and other web-based resources from PMN's 40 Industry and Nonprofit partners.
Three of PMN's subscription-only resources can also be found in Focus on Corn.
Plant Disease Management Reports offers trials on the effectiveness of fungicides, nematicides, and biological controls in protecting against specific crop diseases.
Across all volumes, nearly 250 reports exist for corn crops. Also included are Arthropod Management Tests, a similar resource covering insecticides and miticides, and the PMN Image Database, a collection of images used for plant disease diagnosis.
PMN's multidisciplinary journals, which include titles such as Plant Health Progress and Crop Management, offer partial access. All news articles as well as peer-reviewed research articles more than 18 months old are open access, while newer research articles require a subscription for viewing.
“The presentations and access to technical corn information all in one location make the Focus on Corn site a great place to go for education at your own pace and to search for answers to technical questions,” said Grahek. “It will be useful to all those involved with the corn industry."
All subscription-based information on the Plant Management Network website may be accessed for one low $45 annual subscription fee.
Focus on Corn is the third in a series of commodity-specific resources targeted at agricultural professionals, including growers, crop consultants, certified crop advisers, and state/county extension agents. Find it at http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/foc.
Plant Management Network is a cooperative not-for-profit resource for the applied agricultural and horticultural sciences.
Together with its industry, university, and nonprofit partners, PMN provides fast electronic access to science-based crop management solutions for growers and their advisers. PMN focuses on publishing high-quality, applied, and science-based information. PMN is cooperatively managed by the American Society of Agronomy, American Phytopathological Society, and Crop Science Society of America.
Species
