Before long, the 2018 winter wheat crop will be seeded across the province (Figure 1). Long-term research at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus shows that winter wheat in rotation provides an additional 10 bushels per acre to corn and 5 bushels to soybeans. At current crop prices, that means an extra 107 dollars per acre over a rotation. What…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team August 31, 2017 3134 Comments Off on Ontario Field Crop Report – August 31, 2017Managing Phosphorus to Reduce Losses Phosphorus (P) is an essential plant nutrient. Sufficient phosphorus fertility means improved root growth and winter hardiness, accelerated maturity, and improved yields. However, when phosphorus makes its way off of fields through runoff or tile drains, it can negatively impact the health of rivers and lakes. Lake Erie is the strongest example of this locally….
OMAFRA Field Crop Team August 24, 2017 2149 Comments Off on Ontario Field Crop Report – August 24, 2017With the delay in growing degree day accumulation and crop maturity, many fields are still in the ideal growth stages that put them at risk of some of our later season pests and diseases. Western bean cutworm (WBC) Peak moth flight for western bean cutworm has finally passed for all regions of the province. Central and eastern counties were the…
Tracey Baute August 21, 2017 2421 Comments Off on Keeping an eye out for Trochanter mealybugs in soybeanAuthor: Julia Mlynarek, Research Scientist – Field Entomology, AAFC-Harrow The Trochanter mealybugs Pseudococcus sorghiellus (Forbes) are small (at most 2mm), whitish, wax-covered insects that feed on plant roots (Fig. 1). Because of their size and life history, they are often overlooked but have been found in Southwestern Ontario. Trochanter mealybugs are part of a family of unarmored, scale insects that…
Tracey Baute August 18, 2017 3187 Comments Off on The Season is Not Over Yet for Late Season Pests Like Bean Leaf Beetle, Soybean Aphids and OthersDespite it being the middle of August, some pests are not showing signs of wrapping this season up. Bean leaf beetle are a particular concern in food grade IP and seed soybeans and edible beans across Ontario. As are pod piercing pests like stink bugs and tarnished plant bugs. Soybean aphids are also increasing in numbers, particularly in fields in…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team August 17, 2017 1962 Comments Off on Ontario Field Crop Report – August 17, 2017Parts of southwestern Ontario remain dry, while eastern Ontario continues to have frequent rainfall and saturated soils in many areas. While yields have been good, making dry hay continues to be a struggle for many growers under the later conditions. Winter wheat harvest has continued this past week in eastern Ontario. Most fields in the area have yielded between 70…
Tracey Baute August 11, 2017 2158 Comments Off on Western Bean Cutworm Still A Concern For Edible Beans & Late CornWe are still seeing WBC trap counts going up in most counties north and east of Perth. That means that WBC moth flight has not yet peaked in those counties. This is important because this also means that we haven’t reached peak egg laying in those counties and that there are a wack of moths flying around looking for somewhere…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team August 10, 2017 2014 Comments Off on ONTARIO FIELD CROP REPORT – August 10, 2017Western Bean Cutworm Update Western Bean Cutworm continues to be a concern for pollinating corn in areas with high trap counts. Peak moth flight has occurred in some of the counties in the southwest but counties east and north of Middlesex and those in Central and Eastern Ontario have not reached peak yet. Moths will now be looking for late…
Mike Cowbrough August 8, 2017 2607 Comments Off on Crop response to herbicides applied prior to and after emergence.For over 30 years, the Ontario Agriculture Weed’s team has competed in the Collegiate Weed Science Competition organized by the North Eastern Weed Science Society. In preparation for the “herbicide identification” portion of the competition, an area at the Elora Research Station is planted to a number of different crop and weed species and then sprayed with several herbicides. This training…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team August 3, 2017 2240 Comments Off on Ontario Field Crop Report – August 3, 2017Cover Crops The underseeded red clover is looking pretty good where the winter wheat has been harvested. As is often the case some fields have variable stands and others have poor or non-existent stands. If the red clover stand is poor and it is insured nothing can be done until it is released by Agricorp. If it is not insured…
General Another large hit of rainfall in eastern Ontario has put a stop to field work in the area again. Other parts of the province were slowed down by smaller amounts of rainfall over the weekend and overnight Thursday; however combining and hay harvest have started again. The two week forecast is showing some real opportunity to get field work…
Cereals Winter wheat harvest has begun throughout southwest Ontario but intermittent rainfall has caused delays. Some farmers in Essex County have finished harvest and initial word is that the quality and yield of the crop has been good. Harvest progress is likely 7-10 days behind what was observed in 2016 but comparable to the 2015 season. Post-harvest weed management A…
Nutrient Deficiencies in Soybeans Leaf yellowing and slow growth is evident in many fields. Stressful growing conditions will amplify nutrient deficiency symptoms, insect feeding, and disease symptoms. When plants are already stressed it’s even more important to manage deficiencies wherever possible. Fortunately, weather conditions over the next four to six weeks are more crucial to seed development than the first…
I’m seeing a lot of pics on Twitter of recent WBC moth catches in traps, which I think is great. The more people that are trapping, the more data we have to work with to determine when peak flight takes place and when scouting is required. But trap counts do not indicate if a spray is required in corn. There…
Western Bean Cutworm Western bean cutworm (WBC) traps have been set on corn and dry edible bean fields across southern Ontario, and low numbers of moths are being caught. Traps are used to monitor moth activity (Figure 1.) and indicate when scouting is required, and are not intended to determine when to spray insecticide. Up to date trap capture data…
