UNL CropWatch May 7, 2010: Field Updates

UNL CropWatch May 7, 2010: Field Updates

May 7, 2010, updated May 10, 2010

May 10, 2010

Tom Dorn, Extension Educator in Lancaster County:  Corn planting is nearly complete in Lancaster County. About 80% of the corn is in the 1- to 2-leaf stage. A small percentage of soybeans had pushed through the surface as of last Friday.

Bill Booker, Extension Educator in Box Butte County: It appears that 30%-50% of the state's seedling sugarbeet crop may need to be replanted due to a combination of damage factors:

  • Ongoing, miserably windy, dry days and several storms
  • Temperatures over the weekend dropped — in Alliance to 14°F and nearby to 12°F — which may have affected emerged plants down to 1 inch deep
  • Many fields were being watered to keep soils from blowing, but this may have increased damage with the unusually low temperatures.

Beets and corn may be damaged, but wheat was just jointed and should survive. Wheat just needs some warm weather to recover now.

Duane Lienemann, Extension Educator in Webster County:  

An early Saturday morning freeze has caused some concern here, especially for newly planted crops in low-lying areas, but generally I don't think it was cold enough long enough to cause much damage.  There could be some tissue damage to cold-sensitive crops like newly emerged soybeans andeven alfalfa in lowland areas (especially if it were in early bloom). Corn should have avoided any damage since the growing point should still be below the surface.  I am actually more concerned about the effect that "crusting" may have on the corn and beans trying to emerge. Wheat along the Kansas border has the flag leaf showing and some is in the boot stage, while that a little further north in the county is a bit behind boot.  

May 7, 2010

Michael Rethwisch, Extension Educator in Butler County: In sampling alfalfa in Butler County on Monday, I did not find any alfalfa weevil larvae, but I did pick up quite a few adult weevils from last year (probably getting ready to begin oviposition). I also collected another weevil which was as abundant as the adult alfalfa weevils. I believe it to be the clover root curculio and am waiting for verification. In alfalfa I also found pea aphids, blue alfalfa aphids, and lygus bugs. Also prevalent were beneficial insects such as ladybird beetles, primarily the spotted ladybird beetle, which might explain the fairly low numbers of aphids. All in all, the alfalfa quality looks great and should only be one to two weeks away from first harvest.

Brandy VanDeWalle, Extension Educator in Fillmore County: Most of the corn has been planted in the area. Farmers are working to finish up on corn, get soybeans into the ground, and apply herbicides. Corn has started to emerge in numerous fields and pivots have been started in some fields. Wheat appears to be in mostly good condition. A little bit of leaf spot disease has been reported in alfalfa fields, but it hasn't affected the overall health of those fields.

Karen DeBoer, Extension Educator in Kimball and Banner counties:  We haven't received any reports of insects or diseases in wheat. The very cold temperatures we had in late April occurred before most of the wheat was jointed. Farmers are spraying for weeds, disking summer fallow, and planting corn.
 

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