Field scouting is an important part of cropping system and farm management. Ongoing monitoring of fields and crops throughout the growing season and beyond, allows a producer to identify issues and apply remediation in a timely manner to minimize negative economic impact, while improving field operation efficiencies. Some problems cannot be addressed when observed, but the information can still be recorded for future use.
Traditionally, field scouting has been considered a part of integrated pest management (IPM) and thus solely associated with monitoring and managing pests. Field scouting also has many other benefits, including:
- pre-planting field walks to identify drainage issues
- post-planting field walks to look at equipment performance (e.g., planters delivering desired population, depth, placement across the entire unit)
- nutrient management (identifying specific areas with nutrient deficiency symptoms)
- crop variety selection (evaluating in-field comparisons of variety performance)
- observing field conditions (e.g., erosion, drainage) outside the cropping window when performing tasks such as soil sampling
Field scouting involves recording information attained from all field observations. This is important so that necessary action can be taken, immediately or incorporated into future planning. Scouting records are an important part of an overall farm record-keeping system.
Traditional Field Scouting
Field scouting involves walking through a field and stopping at a number of either random or specific locations to make and record observations. Regular field examinations help to accurately identify yield-limiting problems during the growing season, at a time when they can often be corrected to preserve maximum economic yield potential. When scouting events occur beyond the point at which corrective action can be taken, records of the observations help plan for the next season to avoid the same problem(s). Begin every cropping season by reviewing previous scouting records and recording current year vital field information (soil fertility and crop inputs) on a field record form (either paper or electronic). This information, combined with regular field visits, accurate identification and diagnosis of problems, and a record of those observations, builds a successful crop monitoring program. In addition to dealing with immediate issues, scouting records are essential for planning purposes. For example, a pest such as soybean cyst nematode (SCN) will impact both crop rotation and variety selection in future years.
A standardized farm and field naming and numbering system is the first step in organizing farm information to obtain the most from scouting records.
Timing of Field Scouting Operations
Early recognition and action on identified problems will minimize their economic impact on a crop. Under each commodity Chapter within this publication, crop scouting calendars illustrate the timing associated with the common crop pests found in Ontario. Monitor fields regularly, since conditions can change rapidly throughout the season. As optimum plant populations are critical for achieving maximum economic yields, perform crop stand evaluations within 1–2 weeks of plant emergence, and continue on a weekly basis. When approaching a control threshold, such as the application of a post-emergent herbicide or an insecticide, fields may require daily scouting to correctly time the intervention. Later in the season, bi-weekly scouting is normally sufficient. Some insects and diseases occur later in the season and may approach control thresholds in a matter of days. Examples of such pests include armyworm and soybean aphids. If field and weather conditions favour these later-season pests, scout weekly. Pre-harvest notes are often useful to estimate yield and to start the planning process for the next cropping year. Where weed escapes have obviously survived herbicide treatment, and where application and product issues have been ruled out, collect weed seed samples for herbicide-resistance testing before harvest. Samples can be submitted to the Weeds Lab, Crop Science Building, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd. E., Guelph, ON N1G 2W1.