Responsive insect pest management strategies to control seed and seedling insect pests of corn have proven to be elusive and difficult to develop for several reasons. 

Spring nitrogen (N) availability is affected by many factors such as type of fertilizer and specific nutrient compound applied, use of stabilizers, soil type, and weather conditions. 

Herbicides are applied for weed control in most agronomic crops. Understanding how long they persist, or the length of time they remain active in the soil, is important to prevent potential injury to subsequent crops, including soybeans.