Field Updates | CropWatch

July 27, 2007

Order Wheat Seed Sooner than Later Grower Tip: There have been reports of wheat seed dealers in Nebraska receiving order inquiries from areas south of here. Nebraska growers may want to contact their seed dealers soon to ensure they can get the varieties they want.

Kansas Seed Concern On Friday, July 27, Kansas State University Extension released the following news story:

Reports of low test-weight wheat coming into elevators, particularly in eastern and central Kansas, have prompted some producers to ask if it will be suitable to use for seed this fall, said Jim Shroyer, K-State Research and Extension crop production specialist.

"There's no simple answer to this question," Shroyer said. "Producers who want to plant back some of the wheat they harvested from this year's crop should have it cleaned out to a test weight of at least 56 pounds per bushel if possible. Wheat with a lower test weight may have a good germination test, and may even emerge just fine, but will often have lower vigor and yield potential than wheat with a higher test weight."

The effect of test weight on emergence, vigor, and yield potential will vary from year to year, he added.

"When there is stress on the seedlings or young plants in the fall from freeze or drought or some other factor, the effect of higher test weight seed is often greatest," he explained.

Studies have been conducted in Kansas in years past on the effect of seed test weight on germination, field emergence, and the ultimate yield and test weight of the subsequent grain crop, Shroyer said. These studies showed:

Test weight had no effect on germination.
Higher test weight seed had 20-40 percent improved field emergence.
Higher test weight seed emerged four to six days sooner .
Higher test weight seed resulted in about a 2- to 5-bushel yield increase.
The test weight of the seed had no effect on the final test weight of the subsequent crop.

Shriveled seed, even when it has a fairly high germination percentage, is likely to produce weak sprouts and plants that do not have enough vigor to survive unfavorable conditions, Shroyer said. Producers planting low-test-weight seed will also have to be extra cautious not to plant the seed too deeply, since seedling vigor will be below average.

Gary Lesoing, Extension Educator in Nemaha County: We received some timely rains the past couple of weeks, but unfortunately they were quite variable and some areas of Nemaha County and surrounding counties did not receive much. Overall, the corn is in pretty good shape and most is in the grain filling period. Most of the soybeans are in the R4 growth stage. Disease pressure is light in soybeans with some septoria brown spot and bacterial blight. We are seeing more bean leaf beetles in fields, but numbers are still low and defoliation levels are also low.

Grasshoppers are increasing, especially around in field borders. I have seen some stink bugs and stink bug eggs. I have not seen any live soybean aphids in soybean fields. Earlier, potato leaf hoppers were infesting most alfalfa fields. Some producers treated fields and others harvested alfalfa. The third cutting seems to be regrowing okay. Wheat yields in the area were good compared to some areas. There were several yield reports of 50-60 bushel per acre wheat. Several producers double cropped soybeans after wheat.

Jennifer Rees, Extension Educator in Webster County: We treated one soybean field with frogeye leaf spot a few weeks ago, but we haven't seen any in other fields. Right now we're seeing downy mildew, septoria brown spot and wooly bears in soybeans. Gray leaf spot hasn't progressed as some thought it would and is still hanging around the ear leaf. Fungicides are being applied.

Al Dutcher, Extension State Climatologist: The wet spring helped carry subsoil moisture levels until the recent hot dry conditions. The models indicate southwest Nebraska and possibly the southern Panhandle may see 2-3 inches of moisture over the next few days. Next week shouldn't be as hot and the 7-14 day forecast (starting Aug. 2) shows continual shots of thunderstorms throughout the region, with an almost daily chance of precipitation. A monsoon weather pattern is expected to move out of Arizona and settle over the Central Plains.

Drew Lyon, Extension Dryland Crops Specialist, Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Scottsbluff: Wheat harvest is pretty much done in the Panhandle. The southern Panhandle was very pleased with yields and the northern Panhandle, where it had been drier and there had been more freeze injury, had "okay" yields. The break in temperatures this week came at just the right time. Crops here are at critical stages — corn is tasseling, beans and sunflowers are flowering, and proso millet is heading. We'd had temperatures in the 100s with relative humidity of 20%. Rains would help everywhere, especially in the northern Panhandle where they're starting to see crop stress. Mexican bean beetles are flying in dry edible beans.

David Stenberg, Extension Educator in Dawson County: A lot of people sprayed for rust in wheat and got some pretty good yields. Soybeans look pretty good, but some common rust and bean leaf beetles have been reported. Corn looks great. We're seeing a little bit of everything in it — grey leaf spot, goss's wilt, disease mimic and some rust — but most isn't at treatable levels. We are seeing a fair amount of preventative spraying for rust. We could use a nice 2-inch rain. They[ve been hitting irrigation hard for two to three weeks.

Steve Melvin, Extension Educator in Frontier County: Irrigation's been underway two to three weeks, except in the Curtis area where it was started about 10 days ago. This is about the latest I've seen irrigation start. Dryland still looks good, but needs rain. Wheat harvest went pretty well, even with some rain delays, with yields of 60-70 bushels per acre reported.

Charles Shapiro, Extension Soils Specialist at the Haskell Ag Lab, Concord: We've received a couple calls about late season streaking of corn. It's showing up more on long-term no-till and appears to occur right behind the floater. It's widespread in the Emerson area, suggesting an environmental interaction. It's likely that with heavy early season rains, applied nitrogen moved deeper than the roots. We're taking deep soil samples for nitrogen. We've seen some grey leaf spot and disease mimic.

Keith Jarvi, Extension IPM Educator, Northeast Research and Extension Center in Norfolk: Growers are still battling potato leafhopper in alfalfa. Second generation corn borers are starting to fly and growers should be scouting. There was a reasonably good flight of western bean cutworm this year, but we're not even finding enough eggs to conduct our research in test plots. Growers should start watching for spider mites; if the heat continues and we don't get much rain, they could increase. Soybean aphid numbers are low, but should be watched, especially if temperatures stay in the 80s. Like everywhere else, it's dry here, but dryland crops are still doing pretty well except on poorer soils. Irrigation has been keeping up and irrigated crops look good.

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