Mike Cowbrough December 5, 2012 7885 Comments Off on Should ammonium sulfate be added to glyphosate?It seems to be an annual question. Do I add ammonium sulfate (AMS) to glyphosate? Will it improve weed control especially if my water source is hard? The short answer is no. Skeptical? I understand. There are many areas within the United States that insist the addition of ammonium sulfate (AMS) to glyphosate is critical, particularly for the control of…
Gilles Quesnel November 21, 2012 1951 Comments Off on Potato Leafhoppers in Alfalfa – Looking to 2013Last summer, potato leafhopper (PLH) certainly lived up to its reputation as the most damaging alfalfa insect pest in Ontario. In many parts of the province, PLH feeding resulted in yield loses of over 1 tonne of alfalfa per acre or roughly a loss of $200/acre. While PLH damage was far greater than normal, it went largely undetected, the lack…
Record acreages of emergency annual forages were seeded this summer after wheat and spring cereals were harvested. Low yields of first- and second-cut hay left many farmers with very low forage inventories. Emergency forages used included cool-season cereals (oats, barley, triticale) and cereal pea mixtures, as well as some warm-season sorghums, sorghum-sudans and millets (pearl, Japanese). Oats were the…
When we make corn silage and haylage, we are using our skills as microbiologists, just like winemakers, brewers and composters. As a biological system, silage making doesn’t always work perfectly. During an anaerobic silage fermentation, microorganisms feed on sugars and other soluble carbohydrates in the forage material and produce organic acids, such as lactate and acetate. This lowers the pH…
Forage production was extremely challenging in 2012, with low yields and tight forage inventories. Significant reductions in forage acres occurred from 2006 to 2011, of 500,000 acres of hay and 250,000 acres of pasture. Inventories of hay carried over in the spring were historically low. Export demand for quality hay to the US is very strong. Hay prices peaked at…
A winter wheat field near Owen Sound has 4 to 5 acres of “missing plants”, cut off at the soil level. Not many insects could do that kind of damage this time of year. It sounds like a case of winter cutworm. It was to the day, 4 years ago when I wrote a CropPest article about this pest. A…
Leaving a minimum of 30% crop residue has been proven to minimize top soil losses from wind and water erosion. But what does 30% soil cover look like? Do certain tillage implements leave less than 30% crop residue? Crop residue in the form of corn stalks or cereal straw, or green cover (growing crops or cover crops) are all effective…
Co-Author: Albert Tenuta, OMAFRA Field Crop Pathologist The annual corn ear mould and vomitoxin survey by the OMAFRA Field Crops team indicates that the 2012 Ontario corn crop is distinctly low in ear moulds and vomitoxin. However, stakeholders are reminded that individual field conditions (environmental, hybrid, tillage, rotation, etc.) are important in ear mould and mycotoxin development. Growers should scout…
A beautiful stand of red clover can provide as much as 75 kg of nitrogen per hectare (when at 40 cm tall) for next years corn crop. However, if the clover crop is not “killed off” in the fall, then preparing a suitable seedbed to plant next years crop in is often significantly delayed resulting in reduced yields. A review…
Albert Tenuta September 14, 2012 2602 Comments Off on First Confirmation of Soybean Vein Necrosis Virus in OntarioThe University of Guelph Pest Diagnostic Clinic confirmed this week Soybean Vein Necrosis Virus (SVNV) infection in soybean plants OMAFRA collected in Kent and Elgin counties last week. SVNV is a new soybean disease which was first identified in Tennessee in 2008. Since then the disease has been reported in many other States and most recently in bordering Great Lake…
Compiled by Chris Brown, edited by Horst Bohner 2012 Soybeans were originally introduced to Ontario as a forage crop for cattle. Today, the vast majority go for crush and the IP market. Letting the crop mature and harvesting the seed is far more profitable than using it as a forage crop but in some cases forage soybeans may be an…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team September 11, 2012 6108 Comments Off on Seed Placed Starter Delivers in Winter WheatOntario research shows an average of 7.5 bushels more wheat. Add in improved winter survival and a more uniform stand and you have an agronomic no-brainer. Stooped over a seed trench late at night, squinting through the beam of a flashlight at dark grey soil, Alan McCallum still doesn’t doubt how worthwhile starter fertilizer is for a wheat crop. In…
Farmers exposed to silo gas (nitrogen dioxide, NO2) are at risk of severe respiratory distress, permanent damage to lungs, and even sudden death. It is difficult to predict when silo gas will be produced, so always take precautions following harvest. Weather conditions and agronomic practices affect the amount of nitrates in plant material, which set the stage for the production of NO2 in…
Cutting Alfalfa This Fall? With reduced forage inventories, it will be very tempting to cut some alfalfa this fall. The decision and the immediate need for forage should be weighed against the increased risk of alfalfa winterkill. The Critical Fall Harvest Period for alfalfa is the 6-week rest period preceeding the average date of killing frost. Not cutting during this…
It can be very tempting to cut some alfalfa for haylage or baleage in the fall, particularly when supplies are tight or there is a lot of growth. The decision to cut or not needs to weigh the immediate need for forage against the increased risk of alfalfa winterkill and reduced yields next spring. How do we evaluate these risks? Stressing…
