Joanna Follings September 8, 2020 905 Comments Off on Winter Barley is Making a Comeback in Ontario!While not a “new” crop to Ontario, winter barley is slowly making a come back! Known for its early maturity compared to winter wheat, this crop provides an opportunity to double crop soybeans for those in longer season areas, provides coverage of the soil during winter months, is a great feed source for livestock rations and straw, helps spread the…
This article was written by Tracey Baute, Entomologist- Field Crops and Joanna Follings, Cereals Specialist True armyworm (Figure 1) has been reported in a number of regions in the province including but not limited to Grey, Bruce, Simcoe, Haldimand, Niagara, Middlesex, Lambton, Elgin, Oxford, Perth, and Bruce counties. Armyworm has been found at low levels in some fields while others…
This article was written by Tracey Baute, Entomologist- Field Crops and Joanna Follings, Cereals Specialist As we continue to scout our cereal crops, reports of cereal leaf beetle and true armyworm in fields are coming in. While most fields are not being found at threshold yet, it is important to monitor your fields and be on the lookout. True Armyworm…
Joanna Follings June 4, 2020 538 Comments Off on Disease Management in Winter and Spring Cereal CropsAs I write this article the disease pressure in cereals has been quite minimal to date due to the cool conditions cereals have experienced so far. However, as temperatures begin to rise and canopies get thicker producers should be on the lookout for those important cereal diseases in both your winter and spring cereal crops. Here are a few key…
This article was written by Tracey Baute, Entomologist- Field Crops and Joanna Follings, Cereals Specialist Cereal Leaf Beetle (CLB) is an important pest in cereal crop production feeding on wheat, oats, barley, corn, forages and grassy weeds. CLB overwinters as an adult and then emerges early in the spring and females lay their eggs on leaves in wheat fields and…
Joanna Follings May 8, 2020 1578 Comments Off on How will the cold temperatures effect cereal crops?With temperatures dipping below zero in various parts of the province last night and continued cold temperatures forecasted into the weekend, many are wondering what effect this will have on cereal crops. What temperatures will cause injury? Figure 1 shows the various wheat growth stages and when injury is likely to occur to the crop after experiencing cold temperatures for…
Joanna Follings April 24, 2020 836 Comments Off on Considerations for Nitrogen Applications in Spring CerealsAs the wheels have started turning and the spring cereals are going in the ground the question that continues to come up is how much nitrogen (N) should I apply? With spring cereals we know there is a balance between having enough nitrogen to maximize yield potential while avoiding lodging issues. However, OMAFRA’s current nitrogen guidelines for spring cereals are…
Joanna Follings April 2, 2020 893 Comments Off on Managing Oats for Maximum Yield Potential and ProfitabilityOver the winter months there has been a quite a bit of discussion around spring cereal yields in Ontario and oat yields in particular. Trendlines for oat yields in Ontario compared to western Canada (Figure 1 and 2) show that while Ontario yields continue to increase, the increase is smaller than for our friends in western Canada. While there…
Joanna Follings November 20, 2019 1145 Comments Off on Considerations for Fungicide Applications in Oat ProductionWhen we think about fungicide applications we naturally think about protection from disease. However, there has been more discussion and reflection about the additional benefits that fungicides may provide including an improvement in overall plant health and harvestability of a crop. This was something that was discussed at the Ontario Cereal Crop Committee (OCCC) table this fall as we made…
Joanna Follings October 28, 2019 2269 Comments Off on Impact of Planting Date and Growing Degree Day Accumulations in Winter WheatEveryone is probably sick of me talking about the importance of winter wheat establishment and the need to seed winter wheat at the optimum time for improved success, yet we continue to push winter wheat seeding dates later and later each year. While there may be situations where we get away with seeding wheat into late October and November, it…
Joanna Follings September 27, 2019 1442 Comments Off on Inside Fusarium Head Blight Testing in Ontario Winter WheatThis article was written by Liam McCarthy, University of Guelph. Liam was a summer student under the USEL program. Liam worked under the supervision of Nick Wilker and Mitra Serajazari from the U of G wheat breeding lab and Joanna Follings from OMAFRA. What’s the impact of fusarium head blight (FHB) on winter wheat production in Ontario? FHB is a…
Joanna Follings August 15, 2019 5756 Comments Off on Optimum Planting Dates for Winter Wheat in OntarioAs we saw in 2019, if winter wheat is planted late and if conditions are not fit, there is a greater risk of winter survival issues. When it comes to determining your optimum planting date for your region, Ontario’s Optimum Winter Wheat Planting Date map (Figure 1) is a great resource. When determining the optimum date, find your location on…
Unfortunately, due to the wet fall and spring and impact of winter or spring kill across the province this year, the Ontario Cereal Crop Committee (OCCC) winter wheat performance trial data will not be available for the 2019 season, with the exception of Area V (Emo and New Liskeard). As a result, the OCCC will not be publishing a 2019…
Joanna Follings June 17, 2019 4198 Comments Off on Plant Growth Regulators – The Why, Where and WhenEnglish Version revised March 16, 2020. With new plant growth regulators (PGRs) entering the Ontario market, many are asking, when and where should a PGR be used? First, it is important to know what the purpose of a PGRs is. PGRs can be applied to winter wheat to reduce plant height and increase stem thickness. This reduces the risk of…
The 2019 growing season has been a challenge for the winter wheat crop to say the least! While many winter wheat fields have been removed, a significant amount of stands remain and are being kept through to harvest. Given the wet conditions so far this spring and as we approach heading in many areas, it will be important to prepare…