Agronomist Notes

Waiting, waiting, waiting. That sums up harvest action over the last two weeks. Harvest is moving at a snail’s pace with winter wheat still coming off and very little barley or canola harvested. I know of a small amount of spring wheat taken off at 17% moisture and thrown on aeration. We just took a test of canola yesterday and it was testing 9.4. Our wheat, canola and barley are mature, so the first field to test dry will go in the bin. I’ve had the pleasure of recommending that some producers to hold off on swathing canola until later this week. It’s September 9 and I’m asking guys to wait… what a great way to keep friends!

Yields so far have been impressive and I suspect we’ll be pleasantly surprised in many areas. The cool July weather really improved moisture use efficiency and I’m noticing more wheat heads with 28 to 32 kernels per head and barley with 24 to 28 kernels per head. I’ve seen some CDC Go wheat yield 87 bushels with 13.5 protein up by Three Hills. There’s been some 45 bushel canola taken off around Drumheller as well. We’ve had a slow start but I’m encouraged with the yields coming off so far.

In this newsletter we’ll look at some frost damaged canola I noticed last week. We’ll touch on fungicide pre-harvest intervals which many of you may be unaware of. Would you believe, a load of wheat grown in Kansas was rejected because they found traces of Quilt! Next, I’ll provide my thoughts on using glyphosate as a dry down tool. We’ll also look at the “X” factor in certain fungicides and lodging. Finally, we’ll finish up international crop weather news.

Agronomy

Frost damage found in canola

On a recent visit to time a canola field near Calgary for swathing, I noticed a few low areas with tell tale signs of frost damage. The temperature recorded at the farm house was down to 0.50C three days before my visit. I suspect the small white specs you see on the pod in this picture are of a 0 to -10C frost. Frost damage starts with small translucent specs on the pods which quickly turn white. This can be confused with hail damage but the easiest way to distinguish the two is to look on the undersides of the pods. If you’ve had hail, the tops of the pods that are exposed should have damage but not the undersides. Frost will show white speckling around the entire pod.

The bottom photo shows symptoms of prematurely ripened seeds inside the pod. You can see three seeds inside this pod are a brown colour. Frost damage follows no particular pattern so you will find some seeds with signs of damage and adjacent seeds with no symptoms at all. To determine if frost injured the seeds, pick a few stems and bring them inside. After a few days, open the pods to see if any seeds have prematurely ripened, like you see in the picture.

If the frost moves down into the -2 0C to -30C range you will typically see the pod shrink wrap it’s self around the seeds and begin weeping. Frost causes a rapid expansion and contraction of plant cells so when the cells thaw and moisture exits, the pod begins to shrink and takes the shape of the seeds lying inside. SL

Watch pre-harvest interval for fungicides on wheat

There was a recent embargo placed on a load of wheat grown in Kansas because the fields had been treated with Quilt fungicide beyond the appropriate pre-harvest interval (PHI) for that product (45 days). Most products applied at heading or flowering for control of Fusarium head blight all have 30-day PHIs in wheat (32 days for Proline in barley), a duration that should allow ample time for maturity before swathing or harvest. Producers and applicators need to take heed of these PHIs, as what happened in Kansas is a very strong reminder that labels are the law and must be followed.

The following pre-harvest intervals are indicated on currently registered small grain fungicides:

Product	PHI
Headline*	Feekes stage 10.5 (~ 40 days PHI)
Quadris	45 days
Folicur**	30 days
Proline	30 days wheat, 32 days barley
Tilt**	40 days
Quilt	45 days
Stratego	35 days

* Headline is the only product that doesn’t specify number of days in their PHI. Feekes 10.5 is approximately 40 days before harvest, depending on air temperatures.
Source: http://www.ext.nodak.edu/county/goldenva/aug08news.htm

Window for glyphosate dry down has closed

For producers looking to straight cut their cereal grains, the window for using glyphosate as a dry down tool has closed. Glyphosate works slowly; couple that with cool weather and a mature plant, it works even slower. In fact, you may have to wait two weeks before you achieve the kind of dry down you’d expect by applying a glyphosate today. If you’re not looking for weed control, then save your money and wait impatiently for the crop to mature on its own. 

If you are looking for perennial weed control then the time is right for pre-harvest glyphosate use. After a frost or two, perennials begin storing carbohydrates for the winter and thus help move glyphosate down into the root zone. Another added benefit of autumn rain is that it triggers the germination of dandelion seeds so you may be able to control them as well. SL

The “X” factor in Strobilurin fungicides may reduce lodging

There has been talk about the “X” factor in certain fungicides which provide added yield benefits over and above disease control. The fungicides that provide the “X” factor contain strobilurin or Group 11 active ingredients. The strength of strobilurin fungicides lies in their xylem-mobile systemic activity which means it is able to move throughout the plant and reach unprotected areas of the leaf. Products like Tilt, Bumper, and Pivot contain propiconazole whose activity is limited to the area of leaf it touches. This leaves the undersides of flag leaves and those covered by other plants unprotected from disease.

The added benefits of the “X” factor can be better stress tolerance to heat, cool weather, insufficient or excess soil moisture. It has also shown to improve crop stand ability in wheat. The picture below is a winter wheat field that was sprayed with Headline at the flag leaf stage. The right side of the picture starting from the middle of the wheel tracks has had an application of Headline. The check strip with no treatment started in the middle of the sprayer tracks and to the left. You can clearly see the lodging on the left side of the photo where no treatment was applied. The crop on the right side is still standing. Very impressive!

Perhaps those of you with chronic lodging problems may want to experiment next year with a product like Headline or Quilt as a side by side trial in wheat or barley. Just some food for thought. SL
Photo source: BASF

Market News

International Crop Weather News

United States: In the West, very warm, dry weather favors summer crop maturation and fieldwork, including Northwestern small grain harvesting. On the Plains, unusually cool weather prevails. Temperatures near the freezing mark were noted on the northern High Plains, where spring wheat harvesting is nearing completion. Rain accompanies the cool weather on the central Plains and southern High Plains, slowing fieldwork but further improving moisture reserves in advance of the winter wheat establishment season. In the Corn Belt, rain is spreading across western areas, including Nebraska, Iowa, and northern Missouri. Two areas that have missed out on recent rainfall and remain unfavorably dry include the upper Mississippi Valley and much of the eastern Corn Belt.

Europe: Drier weather in central and northern Europe allows small grain harvesting to resume. Ongoing drought in the Balkans further reduces yield prospects for filling corn and sunflowers.

Former Soviet Union: In western Russia, showers cause some interruptions in small grain harvesting across northern areas, while hot, dry conditions stress filling corn and sunflowers in major southern producing areas. In Ukraine, showers boost topsoil moisture for upcoming winter wheat planting in the west, while hot, dry weather worsens conditions for filling summer crops in the south and east. In major spring grain producing areas east of the Ural Mountains, light to moderate showers cause only brief harvest delays in Kazakhstan and favor immature crops in Russia.

East Asia: Showers benefit filling corn and soybeans in Manchuria. Rain across parts of the North China Plain and Yangtze Valley slows crop maturation and harvesting and creates unfavorable conditions for open cotton bolls.

Southeast Asia: Showers maintain favorable moisture for rice and corn in Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

South Asia: Heavy rain in Bangladesh and eastern India boosts soil moisture for rice and sugarcane.

Australia: In Western Australia, scattered showers locally improve moisture supplies for winter wheat and barley. Rain overspreads southern and eastern Australia, where dry weather has been reducing soil moisture for jointing winter grains.

South America: Warmth and dryness maintain unfavorable conditions for winter wheat in Cordoba, Argentina, but beneficial rain covers portions of Buenos Aires. Warm, dry weather promotes winter wheat development in southern Brazil while improving conditions for maturation in previously wet northern growing areas.

Canada: Near- to above-normal temperatures help to advance spring grains and oilseeds toward maturity. Cooler temperatures in the west slow maturation and harvest. Scattered showers are beneficial for pastures and upcoming winter wheat plantings.

Mexico: Widespread, locally heavy rain increases reservoir levels throughout the north. Scattered showers benefit corn and other rain-fed summer crops farther south.