Agronomist Notes

Another inch or so of rain fell in my territory last week. All my clients are finished seeding aside from the few acres that are still too wet to seed. Crops are off to a great start and pre-burn herbicide application has really kept weeds under control. In-crop spraying will begin the middle of this week on most early May seeded wheat, canola, barley and peas.

Yield potential is setting up to be high in my area and I’d really suggest you start booking fungicides. This week’s weather and long term forecast is priming the system full of innoculum. I’m already seeing tan spot in wheat and spot blotch in barley. I’ll be checking for signs of blackleg in canola this week. 

In this week’s newsletter I’m banging the drum again about wheel track effects on seed placement and root growth. Next, we’ll look at blackleg and how it’s on the rise in Alberta. Also, we’ll look at deciding whether to add a fungicide to your herbicide this spring. I’ve included the conditions that allow you to drop down to 7.5 gal/ac when spraying Liberty in canola. Last I’ve included a link to a recent interview talking about our 2nd year in CTF and our upcoming field day on June 23rd. We’ll finish with fundamental and technical grain market news.   

Pictured above: A Jackson Agribusiness field seeded with a paired row tip on a JD 1870 Conservapak drill near Rosebud, AB.

Agronomy

Combine wheel tracks affects seed placement 

While digging around in some heavy clay soils near Drumheller I noticed a large variance in seeding depth across last year’s combine tracks. The seeding depth in the combine wheel tracks was almost one inch shallower than outside of the wheel tracks. The hard packed wheel tracks had enough resistance to lift the opener one inch above the desired seeding depth level- and the movement could be felt in the tractor seat!

I will mention that this soil was wet last fall and did undergo a supposed freeze/thaw cycle for eight months which skeptics tell me will remove compaction. Combine wheel track effects are a very common occurrence this year. In fact many producers chose to seed across the wheel tracks this spring to mitigate the problem. We’ve dualled up our air carts, widened the tires on our sprayers. Is the last frontier a change in the size of our combine tires? If controlled traffic farming isn’t in the cards, then start thinking about a tire swap. I know you may see it as a big expense but I see a major loss in revenue from improper seeding depth and placing a seed into a dry, hard packed furrow that creates stress. SL 

Photo source: Steve Larocque

4WD wheel tracks effect root growth

I had a chance to poke around a pea field near Standard, an area known for heavy clay soils. The farm runs a Case 4WD with big metric 710 duals and a Bourgault drill 5710 drill. We dug up some pea plants and found a startling difference in root growth but very little difference in crop growth. Looking at the photo, the pea plant on the right was taken from inside a wheel track and the one on the left from outside of a wheel track. Notice the difference in root growth and potential nodulation sites. Both plants were at the 4th node stage yet the plant on the right had less than half of the root system. Please tell me how that will not translate into yield and a reduction in nitrogen fixation potential? Anyhow, I encourage you to dig up plants and see if big metric duals on your 4WD provide the illusion of less compaction. SL

Blackleg on the increase in Alberta

As part of a nationwide survey for blackleg incidence, 148 fields or 0.6% of canola fields in Alberta were surveyed for blackleg incidence in 2010. The survey found the prevalence of basal cankers and stem lesions in over half the fields sampled. See link to study results and areas affected in Alberta. http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/prm13572/$FILE/blacklegsurvey.pdf With tighter canola rotations across the province, an increase in volunteer canola which acts as a host and the cool, wet weather, it’s no doubt that this disease presence is on the rise. So the question becomes what we do about it.

Scout fields now

Blackleg occurs on cotyledons, leaves, stems and pods. Check canola fields for signs of dirty white leaf spots that are round to irregularly shaped, and usually dotted with numerous small, black pycnidia (pepper like). Pycnidia appear as tiny round specks on the leaves and can be seen better through the lens of a magnifying glass. This is a difficult task but one you should take the time to explore and discover. Blackleg in the most severe situations can reduce yield by 100%. This is not a disease to ignore.

If blackleg presence is spotted a fungicide treatment like Tilt at 202 ml/ac or Headline at 120-160 ml/ac mixed with your herbicide is registered at a cost of roughly $7.00 acre. This will give you a couple weeks of protection but understand that infections occur throughout the season. Also, research from AAFC has revealed that fungicides only reduce disease pressure by 20% in some cases so fungicides aren’t a silver bullet for controlloing blackleg.

To learn more about blackleg go to this pdf I’ve copied from the CCC website. 
 
I really encourage you to scout for signs of blackleg this year. Again, 1 in 3 canola rotations, volunteer canola in most fields and wet seasons build up the potential for this disease to take off. SL

Photo source: Canola Council of Canada

Should I apply a fungicide at herbicide timing?

With the regular wet weather and cool temperatures some producers might be thinking about adding a half rate of fungicide with their herbicide this spring. I’ve already noticed tan spot in wheat and scald and net blotch in barley. To date, there has been very little research done on half rates of fungicide at herbicide timing in Western Canada but there is some research from North Dakota that does show a yield response from in wheat. Researchers from NDSU found a 2 to 3 bushel increase in wheat when applying a half rate of Tilt or Quilt between the 5-leaf and stem elongation stage.

Compare that to Canadian research from the late 90’s that found no response to split applications of half rate fungicides. The difference in my opinion is the stage at which the fungicide was applied. The Canadian research applied fungicide at the 2 to 3-leaf stage. The US research looked at 5-leaf to jointing or stem elongation. Applying a fungicide at the 5-leaf stage and onward allows more surface area of the plant to be covered by product versus a plant at the 2 to 3-leaf stage. Also, the half rate fungicide applied at 5-leaf stage to stem elongation gives 7 to 10 days of protection and may provide enough disease suppression to get to flag leaf when fungicide is normally applied. The 2 to 3-leaf stage emerges roughly 30 days before the flag leaf and a half rate fungicide won’t  provide long enough suppression to be beneficial.  

If you’re trying to decide whether to add a half rate fungicide at herbicide timing, follow this handy checklist from NDSU to help you make the decision:  

• The crop was planted into infested cereal stubble (ie. wheat on wheat stubble);
• The crop has a very dense and moist canopy due to tight row spacing (ie. reduced air flow);
• Lesions are observed on the newest leaf growth;
• The variety is susceptible to leaf spot diseases;
• The crop is of high value.

If you check off at least 3 of these points, then there may be an economic advantage to applying fungicide at the 5-leaf to stem elongation stage. I see the optimum crop stage and herbicide timing occurring simultaneously in winter wheat more often than spring wheat.

Before you go spending the $3.00 to $3.50 an acre for a half rate of fungicide, be sure to measure the risk. The chances are with this weather pattern, the risk for disease in cereals will be high. Save your money now and plan to apply a fungicide at the right time, which is at flag leaf. Throwing in a half rate fungicide at herbicide timing for insurance is uneconomical. Remember, the top two leaves in wheat and top three leaves in barley is what you want to protect. Go through the checklist and be wise about your investments. SL

Source article: http://www.needhamag.com/documents/Two_Fisted_Fungicides_Furrow_Magazine.pdf

Can I spray Liberty at 7.5 gallons acre?

I've fielded a few calls on using lower water volumes with Liberty herbicide as producers try to get more done in a day and in between showers. Understandably, dropping your water volume to 7.5 gallons an acre will net you 25% more acres per fill but what are you sacrificing?

Here are a few key points to consider before you drop down to 7.5 gallons acre when using Liberty herbicide:

• If weeds are small, dropping to 7.5 gal/ac would work between the hours of 1pm and 6 pm. These 5 hours must include bright, sunny skies, no cloud cover and be over 20 degrees Celsius.
• If you are targeting small "fleshy" annual weeds like stinkweed, lamb’s quarters, shepherd's purse and wild mustard then 7.5 gallons will do.
• Do not drop the water volume if you're targeting weeds like kochia and hemp nettle or any weed with a hairy leaf surface.
• If you have cleavers, don't even think about dropping below 10 gal/ac.         
• If you have dense patches of volunteer cereals or wild oats, do not drop below 10 gal/ac.
• If you drop water volume be sure to increase water pressure so the spray droplets are smaller to give better coverage. This will increase the risk of drift and movement off target.

Ultimately, the risk of having poor weed control by dropping your water rate with Liberty is too high in my opinion. I don't always toe the line on herbicide rates and water volumes but from experience, I know that I'm rarely satisfied with weed control when Liberty is sprayed below 10 gallons acre. SL

Tips for spraying during cool weather

• Optimal temperatures for most herbicides are overnight temperatures of +5 C or greater and at time of application of +10 C or greater. 
• Please keep in mind the overnight temperatures applies to before spraying application and after spraying application and utilizes Environment Canada recorded temperatures.
• The +5 C or greater overnight temperature and +10 C or greater at application represents the ideal temperatures for best results.  One should avoid spraying when overnight temperatures are below +3 C and application temperatures are below +8 C.  If a frost event occurs, wait 3 days or more of frost free nights before spraying.
• The reason why overnight temperatures should be +5 C or greater is that this is the minimum temperature for biological activity to occur (actively growing plant).The weeds need to be actively growing so that they are susceptible to the herbicide and the crop needs to be actively growing so that it can metabolize the herbicide to prevent injury.

Source: DowAgroSciences

Farm.tv looks at our 2nd year of CTF

Morton Molyneux from Farm.tv stopped by the farm for an interview to discuss our second year of controlled traffic farming. Watch the segment http://originals.farm.tv//post/122/controlled_traffic_farming_alberta_season.html
to see us in action and hear our thoughts on CTF. 

Controlled Traffic Farming Alberta Field Day, June 23rd

Join us at our farm near Morrin, AB on June 23rd to look at our second year of controlled traffic farming and take a closer look at the impacts CTF has in our farming system. We’ll be looking at:

• Equipment modifications
• Second year observations
• Crop walk looking at:
  • soil variability
  • soil quality
  • nutrient status
  • inter-row seeding
• Controlled Traffic Farming Alberta project

1:00 PM – 1:30 Register
1:30 – 1:45 Introductions and CTFA project (Peter)
1:45 – 2:45 Steve Larocque’s system/equipment and year two experiences
2:45 – 4:00 Cropwalk and commentary led by Steve and Roger Andreiuk
4:00 – 4:30 Wrap-up discussion

Directions: One mile west of Morrin on HWY 27 and 1 mile north on RR 20-4, take second approach north of the farm site. 

There is no charge for the event but please register for the field day at www.controlledtrafficfarming.org – click on CTF Events.

New Contracts from ICE

ICE Futures Canada, formerly the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange, says it is preparing for the end of the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly. ICE Futures is creating three new contracts, one for spring wheat, another for durum and a revamped contract for barley, in anticipation of the change. Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says he wants to end the Wheat Board's single desk selling authority for the 2012-13 crop year. ICE CEO Brad Vannan says they hope to launch the contracts well before the August 2012 target.

CWB Prairie seeding progress report

Seeding across the Prairies is about 80-per-cent complete, according to estimates by CWB weather and crop analysts. That compares to 78 per cent by this date last year, and 93 per cent on average. Central and northern growing regions in Alberta and Saskatchewan are essentially finished seeding and would welcome rain. Wet areas in south-western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan are less than 25-per-cent done, with many farmers giving up hope of planting before the June 20 crop-insurance deadline. Temperatures last week remained 1 to 5 degrees C cooler than normal, slowing crop development and limiting drying of soggy soils. While much of Saskatchewan and Alberta remained dry, southern areas in all three Prairie provinces received heavy rains of between 25 to 100 millimeters.