Corn is the perfect crop for receiving the nutrients from manure. Liquid manure applied to meet two-thirds of the nitrogen needs will generally provide a good balance of the macro and micro nutrients needed for a highly productive corn crop. Using commercial starter and nitrogen for the balance of the crop’s needs ensures nutrients are available early in the…
Soybean lodging (plants that fall over) can seriously impact yield. Fortunately, it’s often only small portions of a field that lodge. In rare cases whole fields will go down, which devastates yield potential. Light penetration into the canopy during key growth stages will be impeded by lodging, reducing a plant’s ability to produce seed. Lodging that occurs from R3…
Alexandra Collingwood November 3, 2020 868 Comments Off on Cover Crop-Based Organic No-Till Soybean Production In OntarioWhile there are many benefits of organic agriculture, one of the potential downsides can be the frequent requirement for tillage, in particular during the soybean production phase. Excessive tillage is known to have negative impacts on soil structure and soil health as a whole. In an effort to reduce the tillage requirement for combating weeds in organic soybean production in…
A pre-harvest herbicide treatment can make harvest more efficient when there are an unacceptable number of weeds in a soybean crop. Both conventional and glyphosate tolerant fields that are weedy can benefit from a pre-harvest herbicide. Drier plant matter will pass more easily through the combine, lowering seed losses and reducing seed staining…
Reports have been coming in about pod feeding from bean leaf beetle (BLB) in IP, food grade and seed soybeans. Pod damage on crush beans typically does not warrant control. Foliar feeding (defoliation) is rarely the concern this time of year. But BLB can feed on the surface of the pod which exposes the seed inside to pod diseases that…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team August 13, 2020 719 Comments Off on OMAFRA Field Crop Report – August 13, 2020This week we would like to discuss tar spot in corn as well as soybean cyst nematode and sudden death syndrome in soybean. Tar Spot in Corn There is a lot of discussion and questions surrounding tar spot this year in Ontario. Tar spot is a new corn disease in the US midwest and since its initial confirmation in northern…
Reports have already come in of a few soybean fields that have reached threshold and need to be sprayed this week for spider mites. This hot, dry weather at the start of wheat harvest is the perfect scenario for significant spider mite infestations to move into soybeans, dry beans and possibly even the corn crop. Spider mites are currently on…
Land rolling helps conserve moisture, levels the soil, and pushes small rocks into the ground. Some producers roll immediately after planting, while others wait until the soybeans have emerged. Rolling immediately after planting provides improved seed-to-soil contact and reduces the likelihood of plant injury. But, it also increases the chance of soil crusting, which hinders emergence. Some growers choose to…
Soybeans are prone to poor plant establishment because the seedling must pull the cotyledon seed leaves through the ground to emerge. Plant stand reductions are rarely uniform, which makes the decision to replant difficult. Do not assess a poor soybean stand too quickly, since more seedlings may still emerge. In 2020 we have seen soybeans emerge 40 days after planting….
Prolonged cold weather this spring has led some producers to wonder if soybean planting should be delayed. Over the next few days weather forecasters are even predicting a “polar vortex” with possible daytime highs of 3°C and nighttime temperatures of minus 3. Does this mean soybean planting should be delayed until things warm up? There is an old adage that…
While the growing season started early in many regions, cooler temperatures over the last week have slowed progress. Manure applications continue where soil conditions are fit. Cereals Winter wheat planted prior to mid-October continues to look good. However, some late planted fields have holes due to winterkill or excess water. Growers with a market for mixed feed grain are choosing…
Why organic no-till? Organic soybean production relies on a significant amount of tillage. When done well, yields can rival conventional production. There are drawbacks, however, including a high labour demand in the spring and the potential for soil degradation over time. Cover crop-based organic no-till soybean production techniques have been developed in recent years and proven to work in parts…
By Mike Staton, MSU Extension Soybean Educator and Horst Bohner, Soybean Specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Some soybean producers in Michigan are experimenting with ultra early planting dates (late-March to mid-April) with positive results. To date, research trials have not shown a consistent yield benefit to planting this early when compared to planting during the last…
There were a record number of unseeded acres last year. This means not all soybean seed intended for the 2019 growing season was used. Can carry-over seed (grown in 2018) be used successfully in 2020? Before answering that question, it must be stated that soybeans are one of the least storable seeds when compared to many other crops. This is largely because…
Horst Bohner April 1, 2020 807 Comments Off on Does Soybean Photoperiod Sensitivity Impact Variety Selection?There are two distinct growth stages in many crops; the vegetative and reproductive stages. In soybeans the vegetative stage usually lasts between 30 to 50 days after emergence. Once a flower appears on the plant the reproductive phase has begun. What makes soybean unique is that vegetative growth (leaf number, node number, and dry weight) continues as flowers are formed….
