Agronomy

The last seven days has been full on for most producers applying fungicides in canola, peas and cereals. The weather has been less than ideal and custom applicators are falling behind. Thankfully, leaf diseases have remained low for those with good crop rotations. Stripe rust has started to show up in trace amounts in the Calgary east area and we’ll continue to monitor progress this week. Insect pressure in canola has remained very low.

In this week’s newsletter we’ll look at wheat midge identification and control options. Next, we’ll look into an oddball nutrient deficiency in wheat and barley that may be a problem in some fields. I’ll give a review of precision seed drills on the market and how they perform according to my observations. Last, we’ll look at tips to help improve fungicide efficacy and a new tool to help improve pesticide efficacy used in Australia called the Delta T method. We’ll finish with fundamental and technical grain market news.

Crop Staging Area (Calgary to Drumheller to Three Hills)

Seeded	May 1-7	May 8-15	May 16-21	May 22-29
Wheat	heading	boot stage	flag emerged	flag emerging
Canola	50% bloom	30% bloom	5% bloom	bolting
Barley	heading	boot stage	flag emerged	flag emerging
Peas	mid flower	early flower	16th node	13th node

Steve’s tips of the week

• July 15th is the cut-off date for herbicide product inquires for most herbicide manufacturers. Make sure you’ve got your post-herbicide check completed in case you have to make a claim.
• Canola planted the first week of May is now past 50% bloom. Sclerotinia fungicide is likely not beneficial unless you predict cool, wet weather for the next several weeks.
• Wheat planted first week of May has begun to flower so it’s now out of wheat midge damage potential.
• If spraying copper with fungicide in wheat, be sure to apply at flag leaf and not head emergence to avoid yield reductions.
• Canola insect pressure has been very low over the last seven days. There are no concerns at this time although late seeded canola is still susceptible to cabbage seedpod weevil.
• Continue to watch disease movement up the canopy in cereals. A late fungicide application at heading in cereals can still provide a big yield bump.
• Check fields with histories of annual sow thistle; I’ve noticed a second flush of annual sow thistle in the last ten days. If you have fields with thin canopies or late maturity, give those fields a second look to avoid surprises later.
• Continue doing important post-herbicide efficacy checks.
• Remember, canola blooms roughly 20% per week if you’re looking to apply a fungicide.

Wheat midge identification, damage & control

The forecast for wheat midge in the Calgary east area is rated as high. Based on growing degree days, the beginning of wheat midge emergence should occur this week. Now is the time to start scouting wheat in the evenings to monitor numbers.

Description
These small bugs are about half the size of a mosquito and bright orange with big black eyes.

Damage Potential
Wheat midge cause damage by laying eggs in the wheat head, the resulting larvae begin to feed on the wheat kernels. One midge per 4-5 wheat heads can decrease yield around 15%. They can also reduce the grade of your wheat. If there is more than one midge per 8-10 wheat heads there is a risk of a reduced grade. The Canadian Grain Commission limits midge damage in No.1 CWRS wheat to 2% and 8% in No.2. In durum the tolerances are similar.

Scouting
Adults appear in late June and early July. Wheat fields should be scouted regularly between heading and flowering. Scout in the evenings, from about 8-10 pm, when the temperature is around 15 degrees Celsius and there is no or very light winds. Also, scout four or five places in the field for a more accurate count. The key is to walk in 20 or 30 feet and stop in one location for roughly one minute. Bring your mosquito repellent so you can actually stand still!

Threshold
One adult midge per four or five wheat heads is usually enough to warrant control measures.

Control
Cygon™, Lagon™, Lorsban 4E™, Nufos™ and Pyrinex™ are all registered for use on wheat midge in wheat. The majority of growers use Lorsban for its residual control of midge adults. Check the label for application timing.

Cost: Lorsban: $8.40 acre + $7.50 ac/aerial application = $15.90 acre

Considerations for Control
Late evening or early morning are the best times to control the adults, as the females are most active in cool night time temperatures (but above 15°C) and when the wind is less than 10 km/hr. Also, good coverage is critical for control, so make sure your water volume is adequate. Optimal control happens when 70% of the crop is in the heading to flower stage. If 30-60% of the crop is flowering then it needs to be sprayed immediately to have good control on the wheat midge. You'll know its finished flowering when you see anthers along the sides of the entire head from top to bottom. Flowering begins in the middle of the head, works its way outward and will take just a few days to complete.   

If 80% of the crop is flowering then control is not recommended as the window has passed and the midge damage has already started. Spraying therefore should be done early to protect the main stem and first tiller, as this is where most of the yield potential of the crop is.

Midge emergence can be modeled using accumulated temperature calculations called Growing Degree Day (GDD). Data provided by Agriculture & AgriFood Canada (AAFC), Saskatoon suggest using a base temperature of 5°C for predicting midge emergence patterns using accumulated GDDs. Thresholds for combined emergence of male and female midge are:

10% emergence     693 (±39) GDD
50% emergence     784 (±38) GDD
90% emergence     874 (±41) GDD

As of July 10th in the Calgary corridor we’re at 642 GDD’s so 10% midge emergence could occur within the next few days.

Steve's quick math

The threshold for wheat midge is:

15% yield loss = 1 midge per 4-5 heads
Grade loss = 1 midge per 8-10 heads

Yield loss example: 60 bu/ac × 15% yield loss = 9 bu × $7.95/bu for No.1 13.5 protein = $71.55/ac
Cost of application: Lorsban at 485 ml/ac $8.45 + $8.00/ac application = $16.45/ac

Grade loss example: No.1 13.5 protein downgraded to a No.3 13.5 protein
60 bu/ac × $7.95/bu No.1 - 60 bu/ac × $7.13 = $477.00 - $427.80 = $49.20/ac
Cost of application: Lorsban at 485 ml/ac $8.45 + $8.00/ac application = $16.45/ac

Therefore, if you count 1 midge per 8-10 heads and suffer a downgrade from No.1 to a No.3, your $16.45/ac investment would return you $32.75/ac. If you counted 1 midge per 4-5 heads your $16.45/ac investment would generate a return of $55.10/ac. We’ve been dodging a bullet in our area the last two years according to grain graders who see a touch of midge in a lot of wheat samples. Be sure to get out there and scout your fields to make sure you’re on top of this pesky insect. SL

Are manganese deficiencies going unnoticed?

On a trip to the UK in late 2009 I had a great visit with a farmer who grew wheat and canola in rotation near Oxfordshire. He was showing me around while discussing his fertility practices and mentioned the use of foliar manganese on wheat. He said without the three applications of manganese each year on his winter wheat, he would barely get a crop. This gentleman farms high pH, high organic matter soils (+15% OM) and grows 180 bushel winter wheat in a direct seeding system.

Manganese promotes germination, accelerates maturity and increases the availability of phosphorous and calcium. It also plays a significant role in enzyme activation but in simple terms, a deficiency can cause a reduction in yield, photosynthesis, root growth and nitrate assimilation. As you can see in the chart, Mn is required the most during germination and up to the end of tillering. 

In our system and climate, manganese deficiencies may show up for a short time early in the growing season. Manganese can be tied up by microbial activity during the break down of crop residue. The bacteria that break down organic matter require manganese to function. Couple that with cold soils, high pH (over 7), low soil manganese levels and it is very likely that a deficiency could show up in some soils.

The conditions that lead to manganese deficiencies are:

• high soil pH
• high organic matter content
• poor root development
• poor root‐soil contact, in unconsolidated (fluffy) seedbeds
• low soil temperatures
• below average rainfall
• above average rainfall: under short-term waterlogged conditions, plant available Mn++ can be reduced to Mn+, which is unavailable to plants
• Mn:Fe Balance: soils high in available Iron (Fe) can reduce Mn uptake
• soils with less than 33 ppm

The symptoms of Mn deficiency are generally seen around early tillering. They occur as yellow-green patches with irregular, but defined edges. These become paler and the plants wilt and droop in warm weather. You may also find light gray flecking and striping that appear at the base of the youngest fully opened leaf. Under severe manganese deficiency, the new growth may emerge with this flecking and striping over the entire leaf. In barley, Mn deficiency shows up as dark brown spots formed along the veins of the leaf. The photo on the left shows the speckling in wheat and the photo on the right shows the brown spots forming along the leaf veins.

To correct a Mn deficiency, the most efficient method is a foliar treatment. In severe deficiency situations a combination of soil applied granular Mn combined with foliar will ensure a more reliable supply. Like always, a tissue sample in areas showing leaf speckling or spotting might be a good place to start looking for potential manganese deficiencies.   

I’ve found similar symptoms of leaf flecking and leaf spotting in wheat and barley crops in my area and sometimes wonder if what we’re calling disease is actually a manganese deficiency. I suggest you take a closer look at your soil samples and try to eliminate manganese as a potential yield robber in your soils. SL

http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/Mn_Basics.htm
Barley photo source: http://www.barclay.ie/media/16159/bvr%20manganese500%20lr.pdf

Precision seeding tools on the market

The interest in precision seeding equipment has grown rapidly in Alberta over the last few years. What used to be the only precision drill on the market, the Conserva Pak, has paved the way for a number of precision seeding tools. I had the opportunity to look at several precision drills this year to see which ones performed well under wet, high residue conditions. I believe precision drills will be common place for the top 30% of producers in the near future.

John Deere 1870: This drill comes with the Conserva Pak opener which boasts precise seed and fertilizer placement into minimal tillage disturbance. The hydraulic shanks provide consistent depth control for enhanced seed placement, resulting in more even emergence and more uniform crop at harvest. The openers are designed to allow independent down force for a more uniform depth across the width of the frame.

Opinion: I like the JD 1870 for its beefy frame, tires inside the frame which add stability and the v-shape packer that presses seed into the side of the furrow and not on top of the furrow. It still has the twin shank side by side openers for seed and fertilizer, which have a tendency to catch residue, especially if you're less than 12-inch row spacing. This is a bonafide canola machine with exceptional canola emergence. The v-shaped packer which presses seed into the side of the furrow is the biggest reason for the improved emergence. Every other precision drill on the market runs a packer over top of the furrow creating a ceiling above the small seed which creates a barrier above.

Bougault 3310 PHD: Benefits include superior seedbed integrity, faster seeding operation, greater emergence, and superior residue flow. The Bourgault 3310 incorporates a parallel link system for the seed opener to maintain a consistent tip angle in relation to the soil, regardless of its position. These opener assemblies move independently of each other, providing precision seed placement and consistent packing across the width of the unit. The openers are mounted on an edge-on style shank to minimize soil disturbance and throw, allowing a greater range of seeding speeds, while minimizing soil disturbance.

Opinion: Another well built machine with improved seeding depth placement in the draws with the Paralink design. Another excellent feature is the walking castor wheels. The walking castor wheels really smooth out the bumps in direct seeded fields and provide better accuracy in fields with rough field finishes. I don’t like the lack of soil disturbance with this opening system, which leaves a lot of residue left inside the furrow. Basically, the narrow knife cuts underneath the residue, but the residue falls back on to the furrow only for the packer to press the residue overtop of the seed. This can really mess up germination and emergence in heavy residue. I know it would mean more moving parts but I think a set of Dawn GFX hydraulically controlled row cleaners http://youtu.be/GhMc82e-LEc would solve most of the residue problems associated with poor emergence. Most stationary row cleaners build up with mud or don’t do a good job of cleaning residue because they can’t be adjusted according to field conditions.

Seed Hawk: Seed Hawk's unique opener design allows for individual depth gauging of both seed and fertilizer. The opener places the seed in the optimum position for access to fertilizer and moisture. Hydraulically controlled, a 4-inch wide packer wheel packs and seals the furrow to prevent moisture loss. The dual knife system ensures fertilizer is close enough to the seed to help with 'pop-up', but far enough away to avoid seedling damage. Precision nutrient placement means being available to the plant all through the growing season and less available to weeds.

Opinion: Seed Hawk is one of the most progressive and innovative companies with respect to precision drills today. The Seed Hawk is a better built machine than its brother the SeedMaster, in my mind. Each opener has two steel shanks that run side by side to give it strength and limit side to side movement. They offer sectional control where each shank will stop the seed and fertilizer at the roller and lift the shank out of the ground completely when you begin to overlap. You can have 90% of your shanks lifted out of the ground as you finish the last pass or seed around those expensive sloughs. Think of the money saved in overlap around sloughs and last passes. I still think the packing system falls short where the packer follows right over top of the furrow instead of pressing seed into the side of the furrow like the JD Conservapak. The two shank design, much like the SeedMaster and JD Conservapak tend to catch straw.

Seedmaster Drill: Designed to optimize direct seeding by drilling seeds into standing stubble with accurately placed products at optimum locations. The benefit is rapid and uniform crop emergence, jumping ahead of the weeds.

Opinion: This drill is similar to the Seed Hawk and JD 1870 minus the beefed up shanks and frame. Also, the air tank is about 19-feet high and looks like a Valmar on steroids. However, the drill boasts the smart hitch which allows you to inter-row seed without the need for RTK guidance. It also boasts the ability to accomplish seed singularity which might meter in singularity; I just find it hard to believe it will flow down 60 ft of air hose and maintain singularity. None the less, it does do a good job of seed placement. The downside with this drill is much like any dual shank machine and poor residue flow as well as the packing style like I mentioned before.

Morris Contour Drill: The independent contour opener features parallel linkage for ultra precise seed and fertilizer placement. Each opener moves independently of the frame and of each other to closely follow every contour of the land. Opener angle and opener depth remains constant throughout its range of travel. The Contour Drill delivers unsurpassed seed placement for quick, even germination and durability.

Opinion: This is the one precision drill on the market that offers a 3.5 inch paired row, which allows for greater seedbed utilization. The field finish is actually not bad for a precision drill compared to the others which are fairly rough so if you’re after field finish, this is the best drill on the market. The one drawback of this machine is that it doesn't handle tall residue, in fact anything over 8-inches tall will start to give you trouble. Also, the openers do struggle with ground penetration in heavy or wet residue which can leave seed and fertilizer on the ground in some areas.

Case IH Precision 800: This drill comes with a patented parallel link row unit and angled, double-shoot knife opener, which is unique in the precision drill market. The Precision Hoe 800 delivers the precision seed and fertilizer placement with a single shank design that comes in 10 and 12-inch row spacing.

Opinion: There are several features I like about this new drill. The first is the single shank design that provides better residue clearance compared to the dual shank designs. It also has a parallel link design which maintains the angle at which the double-shoot knife opener engages the ground. It leaves a field finish somewhere in between a SeedMaster and a Morris Contour which is fairly smooth. Their 2011 opener had a really messy hard surfacing over the side of the opener which caught dirt and turned it into a 2 inch spoon which wasn’t satisfactory. The 2010 model without hard surfacing worked really well to keep seed on the shelf and avoid trenching. I would hope they rectify that situation by 2012. It does have a packing system that follows over top of the furrow but it still provides decent canola emergence but not like the JD Conservapak. Last, if you’re forced to transport any distance, the narrow 17-foot, 8-inch transport width and transport height of just over 16 feet makes it the narrowest in its class.

More opinions: I was really impressed with the Seed Hawk's innovative idea behind the sectional control. This technology could save producers a lot of money in over lap and I look forward to the other manufacturers catching on to this technology. I was impressed with the shorter length of each shank on the Case 800 vs. the rest. The shanks on the SeedMaster and SeedHawk are almost 6 feet long from frame to packer which can lead to a lot of drill skew as shanks bounce side to side. The shanks on the Case 800 and the Bourgault PHD are about 3 feet, which improves depth control on rolling topography, especially with the parallel link design. I like the single shank design of the Morris Contour and the Case 800 because it provides better residue clearance compared to the dual shank systems and you don't run the risk of shanks running over each other when turning sharply. Turning sharp on a dual shank opener can force the fertilizer shank to overlap the seed shank, which reduces seed to fertilizer separation.

If I were to build a precision drill, I would use the Case 800 fold back frame that has flex points front to back and side to side. I would improve on Case's single shank opener system by designing an opener that has a smooth shoulder that doesn’t catch soil and build up to form a brick moving through the soil. I would redesign the packing system to a v-shaped packer that pressed seed into the side of the furrow and not on top. I would use the sectional control on the Seed Hawk to eliminate over lap and use the SBR technology from SeedHawk to give me inter-row seeding capabilities. SL

Taking economies of scale to the next level

My friend Stewart Barden from New South Wales, AU sent me a photo last week of a drill that takes economies of scale to the next level and then multiplies it by ten. This planter is 212 feet wide pulled by two 9630T John Deere’s hooked in tandem pulling two 480 bushel air carts. The unit is used in northwestern New South Wales where they grow wheat, barley, canola and lupins. Some quick math tells me that at 4 mph, this drill will do 103 acres per hour. Granted, that calculation doesn’t take into account the number of hours it takes to turn on the headlands. Those Aussies sure are innovative, maybe to the point of madness! Do you think perhaps this gentleman is compensating for something? Thanks for the sensational photo, Stewart! SL

Top 10 tips for fungicide application

In order to get the volume, method and speed of fungicide application right to get the most out of each spray application, here are some simple guidelines:

• Ensure thorough decontamination of the sprayer, especially if the last product used was an herbicide.
• Have an understanding of how the fungicide you’re going to apply works on the plant. Most fungicides have limited translocation potential or move upwards and outwards only, meaning sprayers need to target the spray to hit the plant exactly where it’s needed. If the source of the infection is lower in the plant, more water may be required if the product has curative properties.
• Ensure adequate volume i.e. 7.5-10 US/gallons per acre for cereals and 10-15 gallons/US acre for pulses.
• Try to limit application speeds to less than 12mph— any faster and chances most of the droplets will hit only one side of the plant.
• Use the most appropriate surfactant to improve contact and uptake into the plant. Ensure you use the correct one, oil-based or non-ionic.
• Select a nozzle to give medium spray quality. Fine droplets won’t penetrate dense crop canopies and coarse ones may not give enough retention on waxy surfaces or when using an oil-based wetter. Select nozzle sizes and volumes that will run the nozzle with adequate pressure (e.g. more than 35 psi for fan type and low drift and more than 50 psi for low-pressure air induction) and don’t use air induction with oil-based products.
• Consider using a narrower nozzle spacing (e.g.10 inches) if you can. For those on wider spacings (e.g. 20 inch) twin jets or twin caps may improve coverage but should only be used at ground speeds of up to 10 mph.
• Use the minimum hold setting on the controller to ensure you don’t lose pressure and under-dose or increase droplet size when you slow down at the end of rows.
• Run the controller with total flow (gallons per minute for the whole boom) on the display when spraying and know what the pressure and flow rate should be when delivering the correct number of gallons per acre so that checks can be made as you go, e.g. if pressure increases and flow remains the same, check for blockages. If flow increases or pressure drops check for leaks, if flow reduces and pressure stays the same, check that all sections are engaged.
• Smaller droplets improve coverage but also have the potential to drift or evaporate, so ensure the Delta T value is above two and less than 10 when using a medium spray quality. Wind speeds should always be above 3-4 km/h and less than 20 km/h for in-crop spraying unless the label specifies otherwise.

These tips were taken from trusted consultant Bill Gordon from NSW, Australia in a GRDC news update.
http://www.grdc.com.au/director/events/mediareleases?item_id=FCFDD9D1E6C9223B6DA06BE6B967F3D0&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GRDCRSSfeeds+%28Grains+Research+and+Development+Corporation+%28GRDC%29+All+RSS+Feed+Categories%29

A new method of measuring ideal spray conditions using the Delta T method

Delta T is becoming one of the standard indicators for acceptable spray conditions in Australia. It is indicative of evaporation rate and droplet lifetime. Delta T is calculated by subtracting the wet bulb temperature from the dry bulb temperature. The diagram shown here relates air temperature and relative humidity to values of Delta T. When applying pesticides, Delta T should ideally be between 2 and 8.

I think most of us pay attention to temperature and wind speed when it comes to applying pesticides. Very few if any pay attention to humidity while spraying even though we can vary from 20% to 100% each week. I think the Delta T model is a great tool to help improve herbicide and fungicide efficacy. With herbicides and fungicides costing most producers upwards of $40.00 acre each year, it’s high time we look at how to get the most from those dollars spent. The Delta T method might be one more tool to help us achieve better efficacy in our pesticide applications. SL

Source: http://www.bom.gov.au/info/leaflets/Pesticide-Spraying.pdf