Introduction Lodging of cereal crops can be a major harvest challenge and can cause significant yield loss when it occurs early crop development. Variety selection, history of manure and organic matter levels, seeding dates and rates and disease infections all play a role in lodging susceptibility. There are significant varietal differences in resistance to lodging. […]
Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are applied to winter wheat to reduce plant height and increase stem thickness. Reducing the risk of lodging or delaying the onset and amount of lodging that occurs makes it easier to manage and harvest wheat. PGRs can also improve yields, particularly where moderate to severe lodging occurs. The simple answer […]
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. […]
By OMAFRA FIELD CROP TEAM Winter wheat harvest is quickly approaching so as we get prepared here are a few quick reminders to help us get through what will hopefully be a great harvest! Watch for Pre-harvest Intervals (PHI) With armyworm, as well as other insects being monitored in many areas through to harvest, and […]
Over 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 […]
This past fall brought challenges for many growers. Prolonged wet weather delayed soybean harvest and pushed winter wheat seeding into late October and early November for some. Before the snow fell, many fields had not yet emerged. While the seed did germinate and vernalize, the late planting meant no tiller development. As a result, nitrogen […]