Tar Spot and Fungicide Application Timings! Although tar spot was detected in Ontario in the first week of July the past two years, 2022 is much different than 2021 and shows the importance of environmental conditions for disease development. Remember, this holds true for any disease! The big difference was the dry conditions early and […]
Managing cover crops ahead of the 2023 corn crop If you’re like many Ontario farmers, you are not only watching as your crops head toward the finish line, but also keeping an eye on the progress of the cover crops you seeded after cereal harvest. With recent rainfall in many parts of the province, cover […]
How Close is Your Corn Nitrogen Rate to Optimum? Testing Nitrogen Rates On-Farm. Simple Summary Three methods can provide insight for how close grower corn nitrogen (N) rates may be to the optimum Multi-Rate N Trial – the most accurate for determining optimum N rates, but also the most work Delta-Yield Estimation – provides a […]
Continuous Corn and Bt Corn Rootworm Resistance Unexpected damage on Bt rootworm (Bt-RW) hybrids – hybrids with below-ground protection – has been found in several fields and new counties this month. The damage includes significant stunting, root clipping, goosenecking, silk clipping and abundant rootworm adult populations mating and feeding (Figure 1). All of these are […]
Root growth of corn plants (V5 growth stage) growing in soil compacted to different bulk densities before corn seeds were planted (Strachan and Jeschke 2017) […]
Weather Much of the province received rain this past week, with significant rainfall (over 76 mm or 3 inches) in Huron Shores and Georgian Bay and eastern Ontario. A 25 to 50 mm (1-2 inch) rain mid-summer can still help finalize average yields, but it is too early to make final yield predictions. Crops that […]
Conditions Some sporadic rains have occurred across the province this last week. In areas where planting is mostly complete, these rains have generally been well received. Temperature swings between stretches of very warm and cooler weather has continued this spring, though crop heat unit (CHU) accumulation is similar to slightly ahead of normal. Cereals Emergence […]
Conditions A large storm system with high winds, and variable amounts of rain on Saturday swept across Windsor to Quebec City, and left widespread power outages, downed trees, and property damage. The storm was classified by Environment Canada as a Derecho, (Figure 1.) which is defined as a line of intense, widespread and fast-moving windstorms and […]
Conditions Large swaths of the province saw rain early this week, which put a pause on a very productive planting window over the previous week and a bit. The forecast predicts slower progress due to more regular precipitation, which will provide some stress relief on fields that were starting to turn alarmingly dry. Northwestern Ontario […]
Winter Wheat Winter wheat is at Zadok’s growth stage 31 in many areas, especially if planted before mid-October. Early planted wheat has reached GS 32 in some regions and GS 33 in the deep southwest. Nitrogen applications are largely completed, even on heavier-textured soils in Niagara and Lambton County. The focus has turned to herbicide […]
Due to cool temperatures and wet conditions (in some areas) over the past week, essentially no meaningful acreage of corn or soybeans have been planted. Most field activities thus far have been field preparation such as manure applications and tillage Winter Wheat Fields that went into last winter in good shape, with uniform emergence and […]
This 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 […]
There are currently three key topics for forage production: nitrates, potato leafhopper, and planting annual forages for fall production. Nitrate poisoning of livestock is a risk in a dry year In a dry year, high nitrate levels in forages are a concern. Fast-growing grass species, such as corn, sorghum-sudangrass, and cereals are most likely to […]
The establishment of cover crops after cereal harvest has been shown to reduce weed seed production and dispersal to the soil. This is of particular benefit when trying to manage glyphosate resistant weed species like Canada fleabane and waterhemp (a relative of redroot pigweed). Some highlights from recent studies include: […]
Harvested wheat fields offer the perfect opportunity to focus on improving soil health. Planting cover crops and/or applying manure or other organic amendments provides soil microbes with the carbon compounds that help create a more porous soil structure which improves water, air and nutrient cycling. Here are a few common questions that come up every […]