May 29, 2007
Weekly Rainfall
Logan County Extension Office
|
Week ending |
Rainfall in inches |
Week ending |
Rainfall in inches |
|
3/11 |
.14 |
||
|
3/18 |
.02 |
||
|
3/25 |
1.24 |
||
|
4/1 |
.34 |
||
|
4/8 |
.12 |
||
|
4/15 |
.80 |
||
|
4/22 |
0.0 |
||
|
4/29 |
1.32 |
||
|
5/6 |
.94 |
||
|
5/13 |
0.0 |
||
|
5/20 |
.6 |
||
|
5/27 |
.56 |
||
Posted by John Fulton at 1:33 PM | Permalink |
May 23, 2007
sulfur deficiency on corn
Posted by John Fulton at 10:33 AM | Permalink |
May 23, 2007
Wheat Leaf Diseases
Area wheat is showing some additional problems in the form of leaf diseases. Rust is now common on some varieties. Once the head was fully emerged, and the disease is somewhat prevalent, we are too late for fungicides to be of value. Losses from foliar diseases are equivalent to losing leaf tissue in a hail storm.Posted by John Fulton at 8:32 AM | Permalink |
May 23, 2007
Weekly Rainfall
Logan County Extension Office
|
Week ending |
Rainfall in inches |
Week ending |
Rainfall in inches |
|
3/11 |
.14 |
||
|
3/18 |
.02 |
||
|
3/25 |
1.24 |
||
|
4/1 |
.34 |
||
|
4/8 |
.12 |
||
|
4/15 |
.80 |
||
|
4/22 |
0.0 |
||
|
4/29 |
1.32 |
||
|
5/6 |
.94 |
||
|
5/13 |
0.0 |
||
|
5/20 |
.6 |
||
Posted by John Fulton at 8:27 AM | Permalink |
May 15, 2007
freeze damage on wheat
Information on freeze damage to wheat from Loretta Ortiz-Ribbing Crops System Specialist
Emerson Nafziger offers some explanation that may relate this to the cold weather and physiological development of the wheat plant, as many areas are reporting short wheat, which suggests that stem growth was inhibited. It is not clear why this would have happened, but it might have been reduced cell division or damage to the vascular system.
"When stem growth of wheat is slow, awns of awned varieties tend to get stuck in the collar of the flag leaf, and as the stem elongates, the heads get pushed out the side of the boot, through the opened leaf sheath. There isn't much that can be done about this. If the heads stay in the "crooked" condition through pollination, there's a good chance that the flowers inside the crook will fail to pollinate, and there could be a blank spot on such heads. It's common that the heads pull free at some point."
Whether heads pull free before or after pollination obviously will make a difference. In most cases, the percentage of spikelets affected on the head will probably be less than 10%, and most wheat spikes have some crooking normally."
Wheat plants can compensation if remaining kernels get larger, but development of kernels this year is anyone's guess.
If you are out checking wheat heads here is some information from Kansas State University to assess the pollination ability of the wheat plant. It includes great pictures of the wheat anatomy which I will describe. The online link is: www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/crpsl2/C646.pdf -
Remember that most of this information is for wheat that experiences freezing temperatures during the boot stage which was not the case in our area, but you can still examine the health of the pollinating structures of your wheat. The pictures are Great!
Posted by John Fulton at 7:33 AM | Permalink |
May 7, 2007
Weekly Rainfall
Logan County Extension Office
|
Week ending |
Rainfall in inches |
Week ending |
Rainfall in inches |
|
3/11 |
.14 |
||
|
3/18 |
.02 |
||
|
3/25 |
1.24 |
||
|
4/1 |
.34 |
||
|
4/8 |
.12 |
||
|
4/15 |
.80 |
||
|
4/22 |
0.0 |
||
|
4/29 |
1.32 |
||
|
5/6 |
.94 |
||
Posted by John Fulton at 12:58 PM | Permalink |
May 4, 2007
Field Crops Update
Information from Matt Montgomery - Sangamon-Menard Extension
Armyworms - We noticed a few armyworms on our pant legs while visiting a few fields in Menard County Friday afternoon. While this by no means indicates a problem, it does remind producers to keep their eyes open for armyworm problems in their field. The economic threshold for armyworm is six or more 3/4 to 1 and 1/4 inch larvae per linear foot. The larvae that we detected were exceptionally small and would probably be difficult to detect in the field. Consider using a sweep net to at least determine the presence or absence of armyworms.
Head Scab - Head scab is caused by various species of Fusarium fungi which invade the spikelets, bleaching and sterilizing them. As with any disease, a suitable host is needed along with inoculum and a suitable environment. Progress has been made on the resistance front and inoculum may or may not be present. As far as the environment goes, scab is favored by warm, moist weather at flowering. Wheat in our area is currently at Feekes 10.1 to 10.5 (i.e. the head is now visible through the split in the boot or the head has emerged). This means that flowering will soon begin. If warm, moist weather becomes the trend, one set of variables will be set right for head scab to appear. As of Friday, the Wheat Head Scab Prediction Center computer model rated our risk as low, but that could change. Review that computer model at: http://www.wheatscab.psu.edu/model_details.htm
Posted by John Fulton at 4:27 PM | Permalink |
May 1, 2007
Biting Insect Outbreak
There seems to be a biting insect outbreak going on. After a brave soul actually brought some in, and a little bit of research, it seems these are biting midges. They also are called biting gnats, punkies, no-see-ums, and worse.
Like anything in the biting fly family, they are hard to control. They don't need standing water to develop in, they aren't dawn and dusk feeders like mosquitos, and they don't "roost" in a particular area. They are also small enough to come through many window screens. And when they bite, they leave a painful welt. Smaller screen wire size will help keep them from entering the home, as will keeping windows shut. Using "bug light" bulbs will also attract fewer, as will the sodium lights outside.
Insecticide treatments are hard to apply, but products such as malathion and permethrin will at least kill the ones you hit. Repellents with DEET in them, such as the mosquito repellents, will usually show some deterrent.
Posted by John Fulton at 2:53 PM | Permalink |
