May 15, 2012

Agronomists Notes

Hello Reader,

Seeding has progressed rapidly since last week with many producers reaching 50 to 60% complete. Early seeded crops have emerged and will develop quickly with 20C+ degree temperatures this week. Unfortunately, they’ll calling for a frost this weekend along with possible snow flurries which may be a real shock to some early seeded crops.

Mitch and I started seeding Tuesday at 11:30am and finished up at 1am Saturday night and put in 640 acres worth of peas, CPS wheat and canola with our 30-ft drill. We had one record 180-acre day, inspite of the painful 30-acres per fill regime. The modifications Mitch made to the air distribution system on the Concord air tank worked excellent. He replaced two 3-inch lines from the fan to two 6-inch lines which allowed us to crank up the product volume significantly without plugging. The liquid kit we added worked out well and we put it to good use on plenty of liquid injection trials.

I’ve talked to reps and farmers in my area and haven’t heard of any wireworm or cutworm damage yet but I’m keeping an eye out this week. Diamondback moth traps have been full so be on alert as canola progresses.

This week I’ll provide an update on the third year of controlled traffic farming. Next, some insight into applying foliar nutrients to help you achieve greater returns on investment. I’ll briefly describe wireworms and scouting for damage and update you on the value of liquid kits on air drills to replace seed priming. We’ll finish with technical grain market news.

Have a great week.

Picture: Steiger and Concord air drill inter-row seeding canola on a 30 CTF system.

Steve's tips and tricks for the week

• Increase seeding rates by 10% after May 15th. So, for those who normally target 24 plants/ ft2, increase the target to 27 plants/ ft2. Those who target 28 plants/ ft2 can increase to 31 plants/ ft2. With an average seeding rate of 130 lbs/ac at a treated cost of $0.16 a pound, the additional $2.08 an acre is more than worth the investment if you can turn a No. 2 or 3 grade into a No.1.
• Begin monitoring for cutworm and wireworm damage.
• Begin scouting for flea beetle damage.
• Watch for crop emergence patterns. It’s easy to pick out unlevel drills at crop emergence.
• Watch your seeding speed. The mellow soil conditions are causing openers to throw more soil at higher speeds causing fluctuations in seeding depth. Remember, speed kills!

Update on 3rd year of seeding in a CTF system

In 2010 Mitch, Sam and I converted our farm to a 30-ft controlled traffic farming system on 121-inch wheel centres. We’ve been keeping notes on our progress and changes each year. Here are some points from this spring.

1. Our fuel consumption at seeding has dropped 10% since we started running tram lines.
2. We were able to seed our heaviest clay soil while neighbors sat idle or seeded lighter soils after 2.5 inches of rain.
3. We have a full moisture profile down to 4 feet even though we’ve only had 3 inches of rain since last July.
4. The 16% SBU with 2-inch sideband opener on 12-inch spacing works well with inter-row seeding and the 3-inch offset hitch. This was the second year of inter-row seeding and there were no issues with plugging from old residue.
5. The soil is as mellow as we’ve ever seen it and it flowed beautifully around the openers giving superior seed placement.
6. The tram lines have not eroded or deteriorated since we started the spring of 2010.
7. The 3-inch offset hitch works excellent as an inter-row seeding tool- 3 inches to the right of centre Year 1, 3 inches to the left of centre Year 2 and pull from centre Year 3.

With every year that goes by and Mitch, Sam and I are more convinced of the opportunities CTF brings. It was thrilling to seed into the mellow, moist, clay soil that no-one else could touch because it was too wet. We’ve had no erosion issues on the hills and the tram lines have not un-compacted even though they’ve seen two freeze thaw cycles. The fuel consumption at seeding has dropped 10% since we started. The only lumps in our soil are in our tram lines where wheel traffic occurred ahead of the openers. The castor wheels don’t even cause any footprints or lumps. I just smile when I hear the experts say that erosion will be a problem, fuel consumption gains can’t be made and compaction is not an issue in Western Canada. We’re discovering the opposite is true; the gains are real and the opportunities big. SL

Predicting response to foliar nutrients

Predicting response to foliar nutrients
As we move into herbicide season, many producers will be thinking about applying foliar nutrients with their herbicides. In order to increase the probability of seeing a response, it’s important to understand what nutrients are needed the most at certain growth stages and what factors reduce nutrient availablity. Most people have had very little luck with foliars because they don't measure the response. Measuring yield responses visually only works under severly deficient situations. Typically, a foliar may only provide a yield response of a few bushels which is impossible to see with the naked eye.

To improve the chance of seeing an economic response from foliar micronutrients, I've organized a few charts to outline three things: 1) plant hormone cycles and nutrient requirements at certain growth stages, 2) levels of crop response to nutrients, and 3) physical and environmentally induced nutrient deficiencies. These charts will help you develop a checklist to see which nutrients are at risk of being deficient and the chances of seeing a response. They can viewed larger online Nutrient Response Charts

We are now half way through Stage I in Chart 1 where the hormone cytokinin begins to drop off after germination and auxin begins to form, a key hormone in root development. In order to develop strong, healthy new roots a plant must have a steady supply of auxin. Auxin is a key component in cell division and can only be produced in new leaves.

The nutrients required to maximize auxin levels are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and manganese. For example, calcium acts like a tour guide for many nutrients and hormones. Calcium helps transfer auxin from the growing leaves to the root tips. Manganese, like calcium is another nutrient that helps transfer nutrients and regulates auxin levels. Deficiencies of any one of these nutrients can reduce cell division and ultimately yield.

Now that we know which nutrients are most critical at this growth stage from Chart 1, we can start to look at which crops respond best to specific micronutrients. For example, Mn, Mg, Ca and Zn are critical at the beginning of germination and establishment. Looking at Chart 2, barley responds well to Mn and Zn. Wheat responds well to Mn and canola responds well to Ca. With this information we can look at the environmental and physical conditions that may induce a deficiency with these micronutrients.

Let's bring it all together with an example. It's May 30th and soils are warm and moist. Soil pH is high at 7.8 and the wheat is at the three leaf stage. Organic matter levels across the farm are between 4% and 6%. Soil and tissue tests reveal marginal levels of manganese, magnesium and phosphorus. If we look at the charts we know that:

• We are now at the beginning of Stage I where calcium, zinc, manganese and molybdenum are required the most to maximize cytokinin and auxin production.
• We know that wheat is highly responsive to manganese.
• We know that high pH's can induce manganese deficiencies.
• We know that high organic matter can cause manganese deficiencies.
• There may be some areas with sandy textured soil that may cause manganese deficiencies.

Based on this knowledge, we can predict that manganese may offer us the greatest probability of a response. The next part of the equation is the cost. The cost of a foliar chelated manganese product is roughly $6.00 to $8.00 an acre plus $3.00 application with your own sprayer. To run a proper analysis on the potential return on investment, let's run the numbers.

Steve's quick math
Mn foliar plus application is $11.00/ac. CWB PRO No. 1 wheat is $7.18/bu
3:1 ROI: $11.00 × 3 = $33.00
$33.00/ac ÷ $7.18 bu = 4.59 bu/ac
4.59 bu/ac ÷ 50 bu/ac average = 9% yield increase

Therefore, you would need a 9% increase in yield to provide a 3:1 return on a foliar manganese investment. If you subtract the cost of the spray application because you were already going over the field with an herbicide, you would need a 6.7% yield increase to generate a 3:1 return.

The reality is, those who stand to see the quickest pay back on any foliar micronutrient program are those who are trying to push yield and achieve over 70 bu/ac wheat, 100 bu/ac barley and 60 bu/ac canola. If you start focusing on the charts I've listed above, you can begin to understand what nutrients are needed the most at which growth stages, which respond the best to certain nutrients and what physical or environmental conditions may increase the chance of seeing an economic response. From there we can dive into the right product, the right rate and the right time but that's another article. SL

Scouting for wireworms

Now is the time to begin scouting fields with histories of wireworm damage. Wireworms can spend roughly four years of their life cycle as larvae in the soil. They prefer cool, moist soil and tend to be active in the top six inches of the soil. Early in the growing season, they are attracted to the carbon dioxide produced in the germination process and will come to the surface to feed on emerging plants. This is the time when they will cause the most damage to crops, usually by shredding below ground plant tissue.

Description
Wireworms are slender, cylindrical, hard-bodied insect larvae reaching up to 4 cm (1 1/2in.) in size. They are usually copper-brown but when newly molted they can be soft-bodied and white. Adult wireworms are beetles that have the ability to flip themselves upright when placed on their backs, making an audible click as they do, giving them their name "click beetles."

Scouting
At this stage, bait traps won't be a good indicator of potential wireworm infestations. I suggest you monitor areas with yellowing, pale green, wilted plants or areas that are not performing like the rest of the field. Typically you'll find several plants within each furrow that are pale yellow or wilting sitting next to a healthy green plant. Dig up the effected plants and look for damage to the seed.

Damage
Sometimes wireworm damage is confused with cutworm damage. Remember that with wireworms the plant is wilted and discolored but remains attached to the root. With cutworms the plants are usually cut off completely at or near the soil surface.

Economic Thresholds
An action threshold of about 32 wireworms per square meter (sq. yd.) is often recommended. If wireworms are found at this or a higher density, seed treatment is usually warranted in following years. The cost of a wireworm seed treatment is roughly $4.00 an acre over and above regular fungicidal seed treatments.

Control Tips
There are only two registered wireworm seed treatments on the market today. The first is CruiserMax®, which contains the active ingredient thiamethoxam and Raxil WW which contains the active clothianidin. Unfortunately, if wireworms are found in an emerging crop, there is no 'quick fix'. Often, the damage occurs or is seen too late to reseed the damaged patch. The goal with wireworm treatments is to reduce the populations in the future. Also, the loss in yield does not justify the cost of re-seeding. The best plan is to consider what action may be necessary for the following year.

Sources: Canola Council of Canada, Saskatchewan Agriculture, Manitoba Agriculture

Photo: Wireworm (larvae). Photo source Bayer CropScience.

Liquid kits are the future of seed priming

This spring, Mitch and I put a liquid kit (a blend of Pattison and Alpine parts) on our drill to injecting products into the furrow to boost emergence, yield, maturity, and address soil chemistry that restricts root growth and disease. Our intension is not to apply liquid macro-nutrients but apply alternatives to seed treatment and seed primers in the furrow as a compliment to granular fertilizer.

Seed primers have their place and the theory of placing nutrients on or close to the seed has value, but there is a better way in my mind and that’s injecting liquids into the furrow. The term is called row-loading. Row loading gives you the opportunity to apply significant amounts of product into the furrow without worrying about compatibility with seed treatments or limited product rates by the amount of seed you apply.

In Australia, I saw producers addressing leaf disease, acid soils, high magnesium soils or low soil nutrient levels with row loading liquid products to compliment their granular fertizer program. I took that concept and applied it to a number of side by side trials this year:

1. 40 ml/ac of Tilt (propiconazole) injected in the furrow at 13 L/ac (3.5 gal/ac). (disease control)
2. 150 ml/ac of BEST soil treatment injected in the furrow at 15 L/ac (4 gal/ac). (Biologiocal enhancement)
3. 20 ml/ac of Folicur (tebuconazole) injected in the furrow at 15 L/ac (3.5 gal/ac) (disease control)
4. 7 L/ac of CalSap calcium molasses based product injected in the furrow at 13 L/ac (3.5 gal/ac). (soil ammendment for high Mg soils)

My father-in-law welded up a frame to secure the 300 gal tank on the floating hitch. We ran a 1-inch manifold line to 28 openers with ¼-inch hoses down to 3/8-inch tubes with restrictor tips like the yellow one you see in the top right of the photo. This produces a steady stream of liquid into the furrow at rates of 3-5 gal/ac. The entire kit which includes tank, frame, 12 volt electric pump, rate controller, manifold, nozzles, 28 ¼ inch lines and inline filters cost $2,800 dollars. On a wider drill it would cost $30 for each additional opener for nozzles and ¼” lines. The install was dead simple with hoses, clamps and if you’re wired a trailer before, you can wire in a liquid kit.

There is no substitue for volume when you’re applying nutrients and soil ammendments in the furrow. If you want to increase feeding sites on the products you appply, you need volume. A liquid injection kit pointed into the furrow is an easy way to compliment your granular fertilizer program. There is opportunity to address disease, soil chemistry, crop nutrition and biology with liquids and we’re hoping to prove that over the next few years. As a side note, we presently have CPS wheat with ½-inch long roots seeded four days ago in our injected BEST trials. Oh, interesting. Stay tuned. SL