Category Archives: OMAFRA Crop Reports

by

CROP REPORT: May 15, 2013

Prepared by the Field Crop Unit Team.

Canola/Edible Beans: Brian Hall
Canola: Some growers are asking about impact of planting date on yield. The most important yield determining factor is temperature conditions during flowering, with 20°C being ideal. some growers have experienced good success with later planting which may be the result of favourable moisture and temperature during flowering. Canola varieties typically begin flowering within 45-50 days after planting. Also, consider when the crop will be ready for harvest, which is typically within 95-110 days after planting. Canola planted now should be monitored for swede midge. Flea beetles are now also evident in emerged canola, on volunteer canola and weeds. Monitor canola up to the 4 leaf stage for flea beetle. Seed treatments provide control for 3-4 weeks for low-moderate levels of flea beetles.
Edible Beans: Seeding rate for white or black beans in 15 inch rows is 150,000 seeds/ac (3 – 4 seeds/foot of row), 110,000 seeds/ac in 21 inch rows (3.5 – 4.5 seeds/ft) and 90,000 seeds/ac (4.5 – 5 seeds/ft) in 30 inch rows. Dry beans require significant moisture to germinate. Plant into excellent soils conditions, at a uniform depth of 1.5 – 2.5 inches, striving to have the seed placed 1.25cm (½ inch) into moist soil.

Cereals: Peter Johnson
Advanced wheat in Essex is at full flag, with most early seeded wheat at second node and later planted at first node. Weed control products need to be applied before the flag leaf stage. Early forage rye is approaching boot stage and needs to be cut immediately if quality forage is desired. Winter barley development is slow: the crop may have suffered from cold injury. Sulphur deficiency is prevalent in fields with no S applied. Symptoms are a general yellowing of eroded knolls or low organic matter areas. Correct immediately! Apply (11 kg/ha) 10 lbs/ac of actual S as sulphate (SO4), either foliar or soil applied. Mn deficiency is also evident. Apply (2.25 kg/ha) 2 lbs/ac of actual Mn as a foliar application. Disease levels remain low. Cereal leaf beetle damage is evident in traditional hot spots. Scout and spray if needed.
Spring cereals are emerging, with some variable stands in the drier parts of Eastern Ontario. Some barley fields are quite yellow after cold temperatures, but should rapidly recover. Frost seeded crops are at the early tillering stage, and weed control needs to be completed immediately.

Corn: Greg Stewart
Corn planting continued to progress rapidly, with 85% of the crop in the ground by May 15th. Some exceptions are areas where heavier soils continued to dry slowly or where rainfall amounts were higher. Crop Heat Unit (CHU) accumulation in the first 14 days of May has been 203 and 222 for London, and Ottawa respectively, with the 30 year average being 156 for both locations. Since corn requires approximately 180 CHU to emerge, most of the corn planted in the first few days of May has emerged. Localised pounding rains have caused some crusting. Keep an eye out for fields that might benefit from a pass with the rotary hoe. If rain was not received within 5-7 days after application of pre-emergent herbicides, a shallow cultivation is required to activate the herbicides.

Forages/Pastures: Joel Bagg/Jack Kyle
Forages: Early maturing orchard grass varieties have headed. Dairy producers are monitoring alfalfa maturity and will begin harvesting haylage soon. Growing Degree Days are currently normal, but 2 weeks behind last year. Scissors Cutting and PEAQ (Predictive Equations for Alfalfa Quality) Sticks are also methods used to determine when to harvest for optimal quality. (Using “Scissors Cutting” To Optimize Forage Quality http://fieldcropnews.com/?p=2610). Watch new seedings closely for annual broadleaf weeds and to determine optimum time of spraying. The risk of injury to alfalfa seedlings is greatly increased when 2,4-DB application is made outside of the first- to the third trifoliate stage window. 2,4-DB can suppress legume growth for a period of 2 – 3 weeks and severe injury can occur under drought or high temperatures.
Pastures: Grasses are advancing quickly with orchardgrass now starting to head. Using a quick rotation to graze all paddocks before the grass becomes mature is important. In a rotational system, look to the last paddock in the rotation and adjust the rotation speed to arrive at the last paddock before the grasses have headed out. To maintain good growth throughout the summer, do not over graze pastures, leaving 7-10 cm (or more) of green material will allow the plants to recover quickly. Applying 40 kg/ha of nitrogen after the first or second rotation will stimulate growth. If you will need to source extra forage consider planting an annual crop for grazing. For more information on annual crops follow this link http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub811/3species.htm#annual.

Soybeans: Horst Bohner
Soybean seeding is well under way. Some growers have finished seeding. Soil conditions have been good. Soybeans should not be seeded too deep at this date because cooler soil temperatures will slow emergence. As long as the seed is put into moisture, a 2.5 cm (1”) seeding depth is sufficient in no-till. Seed should be placed about 1 cm into moisture. Switching to shorter maturity beans rather than adapted varieties to a specific area is not recommended unless planting date is delayed past June 15th. Choosing a shorter day bean now is unnecessary and can significantly reduce yield potential even if winter wheat is to be seeded this fall. If planting is delayed into June seeding rates should be kept high unless the field has a history of white mould. If planting later than the first week of June increase seeding rates by 10%.

Weather Summary: Source: www.weatherinnovations.com/weather.cfm

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

by

CROP REPORT: May 8, 2013

Canola: Brian Hall
Planting is 30% complete in southern growing areas and nicely started in northern districts. Begin checking emerged canola every 2-3 days for flea beetles. Striped flea beetles are becoming more common every year. They are tougher, emerge earlier from overwintering sites than the black crucifer type, feed more aggressively and are more tolerant of seed treatments. Flea beetles prefer warm sunny weather, and high populations can overwhelm a canola field, reducing stand population and causing uneven growth. If conditions are wet and cool, look for feeding damage on the undersides of leaves or for girdling of the stem. If populations are high in slow growing canola, you may not be able to rely solely the seed treatment to provide control. Threshold for control is 25% leaf feeding. Figure 1. Striped Flea Beetle

Cereals: Peter Johnson
Rye for forage is advancing rapidly, with early planted fields approaching flag leaf stage. Highest protein is achieved at flag leaf, but yields are much higher at later stages. Winter wheat has entered the rapid growth stage with stem elongation underway. Temperatures have been ideal for cereal growth: no high temperatures or warm nights to increase lodging concerns. Nitrogen applications are complete. Advanced wheat is at second node, perfect timing for the first fungicide application: most wheat is at first node. Disease levels remain low. Annual weeds have germinated and herbicide applications are underway, far too late for control of dandelion or winter annual weeds. Manganese and sulphur deficiency are evident on fields with a history of the respective nutrient deficiency. Correct these shortfalls immediately to avoid significant yield loss. Spring cereal plantings are winding up, with quick emergence and excellent stands. Frost seeded cereals have a huge jump this spring, already at the 3 to 4 leaf stage as other spring cereals just emerge.

Corn: Greg Stewart
Seventy percent of the provincial corn crop has been planted; most in the last 5 days. The crop left to plant is on heavier land that is just now reaching planting condition. Ontario farmers are now equipped to plant 15% of the corn crop per day. There has been a bit of a fertilizer supply issue, or really a logistical issue in getting fertilizer delivered to farms since so much activity has occurred in such a short time span. Farmers are encouraged to plant the crop to achieve optimal planting dates and field conditions, and not delay waiting on fertilizer application but ensuring at least 34 kg/ha (30 lbs/ac) of nitrogen (N) goes down with the planter. Conditions for the crop planting have been near optimal. The earliest planted corn on light textured soils has emerged. With weather conditions to date, expect corn to emerge in 7 to 8 days. Pre emergent herbicide application is in full swing. With the rapid emergence of corn watch staging and product labels carefully. Pre emergent herbicides require moisture to be effective. If rain is not received within 5-7 days after application, a shallow cultivation is recommended to activate the herbicides and kill the first flush of very small whitish/green weeds. Most pre emergent herbicides will not control emerged weeds, especially grasses, even when the weeds are still essentially invisible.

Forages/Pastures: Joel Bagg/Jack Kyle
Forages: Alfalfa winterkill is particularly severe in the Ottawa Valley and New Liskeard. There are many options, depending on the calendar date, urgency for short term feed, and forage yield and nutrient quality requirements (http://fieldcropnews.com/?p=6680). Forage supplies are extremely tight, and acreage needs to be increased to rebuild inventories. The best option is to replace the winterkilled stand by seeding a new forage stand in a new field in the crop rotation. Corn can follow the winterkilled alfalfa to take advantage of the 123 kg/ha (110 lb/ac) N credit and the rotational benefit of 10-15% corn yield increase. A direct seeding can be done, or use a companion crop such as cereals or cereal-pea mixtures. Do not reseed alfalfa into a winterkilled alfalfa stand, unless it was seeded the preceding spring. Autotoxicity reduces the germination and growth of new alfalfa plants for the life of the stand. Nitrogen application can increase yield and protein in good grass stands.

Pastures: Pasture growth has progressed well over the past week with warm temperatures. Growth over the next couple of weeks will be rapid; this first rotation is when you get your pastures set for the remainder of the season. Do not over graze, leaving 3 – 4 inches of grass behind will allow for rapid re-growth and the development of a strong stand. Assess your pasture now to determine if an annual crop will be needed for mid or late summer grazing. Sorghum-sudan, brassicas, cereals, annual rye grass or corn are crops to consider.

Soybeans: Horst Bohner
Soybean planting has started in much of the province. Soil conditions have been excellent in dryer areas and soil temperatures have been ideal. Some growers have finished planting both corn and soybeans. When temperatures are warm soybeans can emerge in less than one week. Glyphosate burndowns should be applied 5 – 7 days before planting to ensure adequate translocation into perennial weeds. If annual weeds are the target, a 3 day pre-plant interval is adequate. It’s estimated that up to 20% of Ontario fields are below ideal levels of potassium (K) for soybeans. Applying K before planting is an acceptable practice for fields with low soil test levels. Any field with less than 100 ppm K in soil test results may suffer significant yield losses, especially in dry years. A 50 bu/ac crop removes about 70 lbs/acre of potassium.

Weather Summary: Source: www.weatherinnovations.com/weather.cfm

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

by

Crop Advances for 2012 now available online

The Crop Advances report for 2012 summarizes many of the projects which the Field Crop team and staff from the Agricultural Development Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFA) were involved last year in partnership with commodity groups, industry and the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA). Interim reports are included highlighting on-going projects. Projects include field trials, resource tool developments, activities, among others. In addition, this report highlights some of the key extension events which the OMAFRA Field Crop team and staff from the Agriculture Development Branch are involved in which relate to field crops.

Now available online at www.ontariosoilcrop.org/en/resources/cropadvances.htm

by

OMAFRA Field Crop Corn Summary 2012

Corn Seasonal Summary by Greg Stewart, OMAFRA

Summary
The 2012 corn year had high expectations, high tension and in the end quite high yields. Corn planting was completed in near record time. On June 1, we had near record acreage and arguably the best looking corn crop ever. Dry weather in June and July significantly stressed the crop but August rainfall made for a reasonable grain filling period. By the end of the season the Ontario Crop Heat Unit (CHU) accumulation was above the 30 year normal for most locations in the province. For example, the CHU accumulation (May 1 to season-end) at London was 5% above normal, Mount Forest was 4% above normal and Ottawa was 6% above the 30 year normal.

Corn yields were surprisingly good; with about 77 % of the yields submitted to Agricorp, the provincial average yield stands at 158 bu/ac (9.9 tonnes/ha); when all calculations are completed the provincial corn yield for 2012 will most likely settle at or very near the past five year average of 149.6 bu/acre.

The 2012 harvested grain corn acreage will be approximately 2.2 million acres (890,700 ha) up significantly from last year. The relatively open fall coupled with high CHUs and good harvest conditions meant that virtually all the crop was harvested before December 15.

Growing Season
April weather was abnormally dry and planting conditions were excellent across most of the province such that by May 5 corn planting was virtually complete. May rainfall was near normal in most areas of the province.

Areas to the south and west of London received good rainfall distribution through most of June and July. However the rest of the province was quite dry through this period. Certain areas (i.e. Niagara, Waterloo, and Renfrew) were particularly hard hit by the dry weather. However, for the vast majority of corn acres August rains came in time to preserve kernel number and decent growing conditions throughout August and September lead to good yields in many areas and record breaking yields in the south west portions of the province.

All corn matured (black layer formation) before killing frosts. Some corn that filled quite slowly because of dry soil conditions did not dry down normally. A relatively wet October which left some grain no drier in late October that it was by the end of September Favourable November conditions allowed the crop to dry down and for the most part test weight and drying concerns were minimal.

Insights
Good soil conditions early in the season and low precipitation generally allowed for excellent early root growth and help set the crop up to withstand a dry July.

Early season weather conditions tended to increase mineralization of organic matter and result higher residual nitrogen in the soil. The OMAFRA Pre-Sidedress Nitrate Test (PSNT) Survey done in late May indicated soil nitrate levels that were above average. Research plots and producer fields tended to indicate N fertilizer requirements in 2012 were below average even in the face of high yields.

Leaf and stalk diseases were generally quite low in 2012 and ear mould presence and the resulting vomitoxin in the grain supply was below average as well.

2013 Outlook
Optimism is high for corn in 2013 due to the high productivity of the corn crop in the past several years. This is tempered somewhat by increasing input prices including fertilizer, seed, and land rents. Some new interest may be expressed over the use of pesticides as an insurance plan even in the absence of any identifiable pest, i.e. fungicide application on corn, seed treatments and genetic protection from root worm on rotated ground.

This issue of the Crop Report will be posted as soon as possible on the OMAFRA website at: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/reports/

For more information please contact the CropLine at 1-888-449-0937 or visit http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/croppest
Send

by

OMAFRA Field Crop Canola & Edible Bean 2012 Summary

Canola and Edible Bean Seasonal Summary – Brian Hall

Canola
Summary: Canola acreage slipped below 60,000 acres, as corn and soybeans gained ground. An exceptionally early, warm and dry spell in mid March allowed farmers to get a jump on spring canola planting under excellent soil conditions. Emergence on early planted canola was generally very good. Repeated frosts at the end of April resulted in significant visual damage and some stand thinning. Dry and cool conditions through much of May resulted in slow and uneven emergence in later planted fields impacting plant populations. These same emergence issues occurred in the Temiskaming canola production area.

High flea beetle pressure in many areas on top of the slow and uneven crop development was problematic. Swede midge was a problem in midwestern Ontario affecting later May planted fields which had not bolted at time of infestation.

The yield of early planted canola was often better than expected having escaped some of the hot, dry conditions the rest of crop experienced. For the majority of canola the hot, dry conditions came during flowering and pod development, taking a bite out of yields. Rainfall amounts and timing varied greatly from farm to farm, often within a close geographical area. Reported average yields through midwestern Ontario varied widely but were often 10 -16% below normal. The most disappointing yields came from canola fields heavily damaged by Swede midge. Canola yields in northern Ontario were generally above average by 10-16% except for areas where wet fall weather delayed harvest, increasing field losses. This year’s provincial average is 0.84 t/ac which is on par with long term average.

Management: Producers must continue to strive to achieve quick uniform emergence by optimizing soil conditions, seeding depth, population and choosing the best varieties. Thy hot dry weather that limited canola yields also resulted in lower responses to management inputs. 2012 trials confirmed canola requires sulphur but there was no benefit to rates over 10 lbs S/ac. The most economical nitrogen rate was around 120 lbs N/ac. Lower final plant populations this year reinforce that stand establishment continues to be one of biggest challenges in growing canola.

The flea beetle challenges were a reminder of the need to regularly scout canola fields following emergence and of being prepared to react. In 2012 a higher proportion of stripped versus crucifer (black) flea beetle was apparent. Stripped flea beetles emerge earlier, are more aggressive and more tolerant of seed treatments than crucifer flea beetles. Research continues into management of Swede midge that affects late planted canola.

A field trial measuring combine header losses showed significant differences between standard makes and modified combine headers and the need for further focus.

Edible Beans
Summary: Excellent soil conditions allowed a majority of the crop to be planted on time. Emergence was generally good, except in areas that were very dry which resulted in uneven emergence and some replanting.

Insect and disease pressure was very low throughout the season except for a few areas where early leafhoppers numbers warranted foliar spray. White mould and anthracnose disease pressure was low and generally did not warrant fungicide application.

Yield of very early planted beans suffered from hot, dry conditions during reproductive growth stage. In areas that received timely rains, yields were much higher than anticipated with some outstanding yields exceeding 3000 lb/ac. White and black bean yields were higher than expected in most areas, favouring full season maturity varieties. The provincial average is expected to be above the long term average. Yields on coloured classes including azuki, otebo, and kidneys were generally good. Some fields of full season coloured beans were not harvested due to wet weather. Overall quality of all classes was very good, but seed size was smaller than normal.

Pre-harvest herbicides applied during the beginning of the harvest period were quite effective. The cool, cloudy weather that followed resulted in much slower activity and poor results which delayed harvest and required some re-spraying of fields were required.

Management: Edible bean acreage continues to be under pressure from corn and soybeans. Delays in accessing better preharvest herbicide options remain a frustration for growers. Newer Ontario developed upright higher yielding bean varieties with improved disease resistance across several bean types look promising and will become available to growers over the next couple of years.

Edible beans are very susceptible to the effects of tillage, soil compaction and poor soil structure. Soil management that builds soil structure and minimizes crop stress through the use of cover crops, rigorous maintenance of a 3-4 year crop rotation, managing residue, and the addition of organic amendments like manure continues to be a focus of growers, extension, and researchers to reduce root rots, reduce production risks and increase bean yields

This issue of the Crop Report will be posted as soon as possible on the OMAFRA website at: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/reports/

For more information please contact the CropLine at 1-888-449-0937 or visit http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/croppest