Join us as Phil Long answers the question: Are nitrification inhibitors worth applying in the fall?
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Tune in for an update from our Agronomy Specialist, Phil Long, on Latham’s Precision Ag Platform. He shares tips and pointers that farmers can implement in the field starting this harvest!
Welcome back! It’s been a wet and cold fall for many farmers in our marketing territory. Today, our Agronomy Specialist, Phil Long, discusses different types of ear rot he has seen in the field and how to plan for the next year.
Thanks for tuning in and have a safe harvest.
We know it’s hard to patiently wait for fields to dry up before continuing #harvest17. Phil Long, our Agronomy Specialist, gives advice and shares identifying factors to look for when prioritizing fields. Tune in to hear what he has to say! Below are images Phil refers to in the podcast.
Have a safe and happy harvest!
Phil Long discusses the difference between Sudden Death Syndrome and Brown Stem Rot. Tune in to learn about the identification, life cycle and management practices for both of these diseases. Also, find differentiating pictures of both of these diseases below.
Thanks for tuning in and find us back here next week!
By: Phil Long, Agronomy Specialist
Let’s start by examining the process a yield monitor performs to capture yield information while the combine moves
through a field. The GPS receiver on top of the cab pinpoints where each piece of data is coming from; that location data goes to the monitor in your combine to integrate the location with information coming from sensors in the combine. Without correct communication between the receiver and monitor, you cannot record a yield map.
One of the two main sensors recording data is a moisture sensor, which is typically located in or on the side of the clean grain elevator or in the grain tank. The other main sensor is the mass flow sensor, which is typically located at the top of the clean grain elevator. This sensor translates the impact of the grain into an electrical impulse and uses the moisture to correlate a yield value to that sample of grain.
Systems installed on modern combines can be very accurate if properly calibrated. Calibration procedures usually require a series of loads (at least 3,000 pounds) to be run through the combine to provide the mass flow sensor with calibration standards. These calibration loads should be different amounts, and at different flow rates or combine speeds, to make sure the mass flow sensor can adjust to different yield conditions. The moisture sensor also should be calibrated; it’s important to calibrate it against an accurate tester.
There are several other important settings that should be checked before harvest starts: header height stops; flow delay settings; swath width and initial vibration settings for the mass flow sensor. Also be sure field names are in the monitor. This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s meant to serve as a reminder of what to check before harvest begins.
Major yield map issues that may be fixed before or during harvest are setting the correct flow delays and swath widths. If you are not harvesting with a full header because you are not using assisted steering, then bump your width down by a foot or two; that will make your yield calculation more accurate. Setting the flow delay for how long it takes the crop to begin hitting that mass flow sensor from the time your header is lowered will positively impact data quality. (See image.)
Pre-harvest is the best time to look at your yield monitor and settings. Help farmers you work with to calibrate during harvest, so they have quality data to use when making post-harvest decisions.
This week on our Ask the Agronomist podcast, Phil Long discusses the heavy topic of resistant weeds. Tune in a grab a bit on information on resistant weeds overall, as well as in-field action items for the years ahead.
Thanks for tuning in and find us back here next week!
This is the second article in a three-part series, focusing on how to deal with herbicide-resistant weeds. Didn’t catch the first article in the series? Click here to read Weed Management, PART I: Learn from the Past, Look to the Future.
Plants that develop resistance to herbicides are simply following the age-old process of “survival of the fittest.” This process acts on phenotypes, or the plants in this case, but the unit of inheritance is the gene.
Different versions of the same gene are called alleles. Individuals usually have two different alleles for each gene. An example of this in humans is blood type, where each parent contributes a different allele to the offspring.
Therefore, herbicide resistance can be defined as “an increase in frequency of resistant alleles in a plant population after exposure to herbicide selection.” There are three main sources of these resistant alleles: new mutations, immigration and standing genetic variation.
New mutations are rare and impossible to predict, so there’s really nothing we can do about those. Immigration occurs when a population is found in new territory, such as when Palmer Amaranth invades an area. Immigration also is considered to be fairly rare unless it’s introduced through an outside source.
The most common source of resistant alleles is from standing genetic variation. We’ve all seen studies of how this can happen. Herbicide is sprayed on a field where there is a high concentration of weeds. Most of those weeds die but a few survive. If not controlled with another method or herbicide, those few surviving weeds will produce seeds that will germinate the following year. If the same herbicide is used that next year, the population can increase dramatically. After multiple years of this practice, a tremendous weed problem exists.
When waterhemp became a serious problem in Illinois, Dr. Aaron Hager and his colleagues conducted a multi-year study on what factors contributed most to the occurrence of herbicide-resistant weeds. They took into consideration a wide range of factors within four main categories: Management, Weeds Present, Soil Properties and Landscape.
Three major findings resulted from the University of Illinois study:
On the first TECH Tuesday of next month, I’ll further discuss the concept of managing weed resistance by rotating herbicide traits and mixing different sites of action.