It’s that time of year when communities show their hometown pride by turning ot for Friday night football games. Saturday I’ll be heading to Ames, Iowa, where I’ll be celebrating Iowa State’s 100th Homecoming – and hopefully a Cyclone victory. Whether or not ISU gets the “W” will depend on how well they play as a team – on both sides of the fields.
Regardless of how good a particular football team is, I’m sure you’ll agree that it can’t win on the gridiron by having only a strong offense or a strong defense. It takes both!
The same is true whether you’re planting in a corn field or a soybean field. Remember to plant a minimum or four different seed numbers, with a mixture of offensive and defensive traits. You also want to make you have a mix of maturities to further reduce your risk.
As you finalize your seed purchases for 2013, remember:
As if yield losses to dry weather stress weren’t enough, the drought of 2012 has brought another problem to the forefront of soybean producers in the Upper Midwest – Charcoal Rot. Also known as dry weather wilt, this is a soil-borne root and stem disease that usually develops in mid-to-late summer when plants are under severe heat and drought stress. Not since 2003 has there been an outbreak of this disease that had a major impact on yields and the effect on this year’s crop could be the worst in recent memory.
Spores overwinter in plant tissue and can survive for several years in dry soil. Infected plants often appear yellow, wilted and stunted. These symptoms are very similar to other yield-robbing problems that farmers experience in our growing region, so they may go unnoticed or could be attributed to other pests like Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN), Brown Stem Rot, Sudden Death Syndrome or even Iron Chlorosis. One fairly easy method of identification is to dig up soybean roots and take a knife to gently scrape off the epidermis (outer layer) of the root. Gray-colored lines or striations present throughout the root tissue are an indication of Charcoal Rot.
There are no viable methods to manage this disease other than to do your best to insure ample moisture for your crop throughout the growing season. Anything that reduces soil moisture, including unnecessary tillage passes or excessive tillage, will add to the impact of the disease. There is no known varietal resistance available on the market today, however, there are some soybean cultivars that show tolerance to Charcoal Rot. Contact me or your local Latham® representative for more information.
guest blog post by Mark Licht, ISU Extension and Outreach
Current weather pattern trends are causing some concern that moisture reserves will be depleted for the 2013 crop. While we can’t control the weather, we can help manage soil moisture reserves by reducing tillage.
Reducing fall tillage will help conserve soil moisture as each tillage pass can lead to ¾ of an inch of plant available water. Tillage reduces water infiltration by breaking large pores, and the small pores are clogged by the dislocation of soil particles. Raindrops break the soil aggregates, which clog soil pores leading to slow water infiltration and increases surface runoff. Additionally, subsequent rains result in more runoff because of potential soil crusting. Research has shown a significant decrease in water infiltration rate as the intensity of tillage increased as shown in the figure below.
Figure 1. Water infiltration with five different tillage systems. NT=No-till, ST=Strip-tillage, DR=Deep Rip, CP=Chisel Plow and MP=Moldboard Plow. (Al-Kaisi, 2011). Note that strip-tillage infiltration rates were taken in the tilled zone.
Three reasons why farmers should consider avoiding fall tillage this year include:
Crop residue moderates soil temperature, leading to less soil moisture evaporation.
Residue helps reduce the amount of wind at the soil surface, which helps further reduce soil moisture evaporation.
Soil compaction due to equipment traffic was minimal due to dry conditions from planting through harvest 2012.
There is no reason to allocate time and fuel for deep tillage; the normal freeze/thaw cycles should alleviate any mild compaction that resulted.
Another benefit of leaving standing corn residue is that it can help catch snow that would otherwise blow across the surface and pile up somewhere else. Eight to 16 inch corn stalks hold more snow than bare soil. Additionally, corn stalks will help reduce runoff and increase infiltration of snow melt in the spring. This could mean another 1 or 2 inches of soil moisture next spring.
A final reason to forego tillage this fall is because Goss’s Wilt was not a large concern in 2012. Goss’s Wilt survives the winter on corn residue, but because there was minimal presence this year, there is no need for tillage this fall to further reduce risk in 2013.
Drought stress during the growing season contributed to the Green Stem Syndrome in Soybeans that’s apparent in certain fields this fall. In some areas, pods and/or seeds were aborted. Plants that abort pods or seeds then redistribute sugars and nutrients, thereby increasing the concentration of photosynthate in the stem and causing it to retain the green color longer.
Harvesting soybeans with green stems can be a challenge. Green stems are difficult to cut and are known to plug up combines, so combine operators must proceed at slow speeds – and with caution. Combine must be properly adjusted, and the cutting knife must be sharp.
Sometimes just certain areas of a field – mostly low-lying areas or areas protected by shelter belts, groves or buildings – may be affected by Green Stem Syndrome. In some cases, local soybean growers went around these areas and will come back to harvest them at a later date.
Depending on the severity of the green stem syndrome, certain soybean fields may need a killing frost before they’re harvested. However, waiting for such a frost may lead to additional yield loss if pods shatter during harvest. Fields should be monitored and harvested according to moisture content.
About 90% of the green stems I’ve seen in my lifetime are caused by some environmental issue. Diseases also can cause it. However, other factors like herbicide injury or nutrient deficiencies are not usually a major factor.
by John Toft, CCA in Nebraska and Iowa
Latham’s Regional Sales Manager in Nebraska
There is a common belief that seed treatments only pay when we experience colder, damper conditions at planting time. This past winter was mild with relatively little spring snowmelt. We also experienced unseasonably warm temperatures in March and April, which contributed to warmer, dryer conditions at planting time. As a result of weather and soil conditions at planting , many farmers opted not to treat their soybeans last spring.
Today I’d like to encourage you to view seed treatments differently. Instead of viewing seed treatment as an input cost, consider seed treatment as an insurance policy.
Why wouldn’t you want to protect a crop that’s worth more than $17 per bushel?
Insect pressure across the nation is at an all-time high, and if we can prevent that early plant feeding, we can add multiple bushels. By design, seed treatments protect the seedling plants until they have a fairly well-established root system. Almost all seed treatment insecticides belong to the neo-nicotinoid family of products. They do a great job of controlling insects while the plant is in the seedling stage, the effect soybean treatments have on soybean aphids longer lasting. Aphids are such fragile insects that it doesn’t take much of the chemical to kill them, so we see aphid control last from 40 to 50 days after planting.
Fungi are another factor hindering bean yields. Because producers are planting earlier each year, seed treatment provides added protection. Seed treatments also help protect against nematodes, which are becoming more prevalent. Many fully-loaded treatments may have innoculants, micronutrients or plant food.
There are many new technologies that chemical companies are bringing forward. This offers the producer better controls, and more importantly more freedom within their operations.
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds has treatment packages that offer a broad spectrum of control. SoyShield is Latham’s fungicide-only package, and SoyShield Plus contains fungicide and insecticide. The best part is, it takes less than a bushel of soybeans to pay for the cost of treatment!
Latham’s Early Order program makes seed treatment an even better value. Contact your local Latham® representative or contact the company directly at 1-877-GO-LATHAM (1.877.465.2842).
Through a series of weekly video blogs, Latham Forage Products Manager, Corey Catt shows how corn has evolved through time. Last week Corey introduced us to wild teosinte, which originated in Mexico and dates back to 5,000 B.C.
This week Corey continues his walk through time, showing how early corn varieties have been refined through many years of good breeding. Take a look – you might be surprised to hear him mention “gourd seed.”
Dry growing conditions in 2012 are prompting questions this fall about soil fertility, herbicide carryover and seed product selection. Implementing best management practices this fall will help reduce stress for crops next spring.
Conserve Soil Moisture
When soils are dry, farmers must conserve remaining moisture. This may mean holding off on disking and cultivating, so as not to let moisture escape in the process. Keeping the harvested crop’s residue on the ground’s surface also will help conserve soil moisture.
Test for Herbicide Carryover
Herbicide breakdown may be slowed greatly in drought conditions. The best time to test for carryover is between late October and mid-November. By this time, soil temperatures remain below 50° F – a point at which herbicide breakdown is minimal. If you take residue samples before this time, herbicide levels could be greater than those that will be present at the time of 2013 planting.
Select Seed Products
Since dry conditions could increase the chances of herbicide carryover, farmers may want to select seed for 2013 with greater tolerance to the herbicide used during the 2012 drought year. Another option might be to alter your crop rotation to avoid planting a crop susceptible to the herbicide used.
Whether you want to plant corn, soybeans or alfalfa – Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® or LiberyLink®, SmartStax® RIB Complete, Herculex® XTRA or Agrisure® GT – Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds has the products and our trait packages to fit your needs. Call your local Latham® rep or 1-877-GO-LATHAM (1-877-465-2842). The time is now to plan for the 2013 growing season!
guest blog post by Rhett Schildroth, Product Manager at Kinze Manufacturing
Kinze Has ISOBUS Electronics Capability Plug and play operation with ISOBUS-equipped tractors
There is much confusion in the marketplace about the compatibility of monitor technology between tractors and planters of different brands. I’d like to offer some facts to farmers who have questions about compatibility.
Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. now has ISOBUS compatibility. This capability allows easy “plug and play” operation with any ISO-compatible tractor, including those sold by John Deere with GreenStar™Displays. With this interconnectivity, farmers do not have to change monitors, displays, wiring harnesses, or electrical connectors with different implements.
ISO monitor
from different manufacturers. The vehicle and equipment electronics speak the same language, enabling simpler operation than ever before. With ISO compatibility, one monitor in the tractor cab can run both the planter and the tractor, saving room in the cab and money on a second monitor, not to mention the time it takes to install a second monitor.
Kinze’s technology means any ISOBUS-equipped tractor can be quickly connected to our planters using the ISOBUS standard tractor/implement connectors. The user interface presented to the operator is the same, regardless of the brand of tractor or virtual terminal. Additionally, all planter settings are saved on the planter, so switching between tractors becomes a non-issue.
This technology will make life easier for farmers. We understand the importance of enabling efficiency, and ISO-compatibility will make a difference in giving more time back to farmers. We understand that electronics can be confusing, and ISO-compatibility will simplify vehicle and implement electronics.
To find out more about this issue, please attend my presentation on Saturday, Aug. 25 at the Latham Country Fair.
About the author:
Rhett has been in the ag equipment industry for almost twenty years. A graduate of Iowa State University, he started his ag career as an engineering consultant with clientele that included CNH and John Deere. He joined John Deere fulltime in 1998 to help them grow their precision farming group. In 2006, Rhett left John Deere to join Topcon Positioning as their Director of Ag Engineering. Topcon is a provider of ag electronics to many large ag equipment manufacturers, including AGCO.
Rhett Schildroth is currently the Product Manager at Kinze Manufacturing. In this role, he works closely with the Kinze management team to determine how Kinze products should evolve to meet the changing needs of farmers both in America and across the globe. As part of this work, he also leads the autonomous tractor project at Kinze.
As you drive through the countryside, it’s evident that different corn hybrids are handling the drought stress differently. Some hybrids have stronger roots and stalks, so they’re holding up better in these dry conditions. Other hybrids have weaker stalks and are lodging.
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ Genetic Garden shows how corn from many different eras is reacting to the drought conditions. You can see how much better today’s hybrids can withstand the high heat and low moisture than their early ancestors.
Genetic Garden Shows Drought Stress
Although minimal irrigation was used to keep our “living museum of corn” alive for the Latham Country Fair on August 25, many varieties still reacted to the drought. You’ll see lodging in many early varieties. (NOTE: “Early” is being used here to reference the chronological history corn of varieties, not as in the relative maturity of hybrids.)
Open-pollinated corn varieties grown during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s didn’t pollinate then, and you’ll see the same thing happened in our Genetic Garden. A corn variety found in the Genetic Garden from around the time of the 1988 drought is also showing signs of stress. One of the differences in the droughts of 1988 and 2012, however, is there was less rainfall during the months of April to June in 1988 than we received in 2012. This lack of rain during that quarter of the year meant more stress on crops during early season growth compared to this year when the majority of the stress happened around the time of pollination.
We’d like to invite you to see the differences for yourself! Take a walk through our “living museum of corn” on Saturday, Aug. 25, during the Latham Country Fair. We’ll be hosting tours between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
“Knee high by the Fourth of July” was an expression used for many years by Midwest farmers, indicating their corn crop was expected to yield well if those “knee-high conditions” existed. These days the lyrics, “The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye,” from the song Oh, What a Beautiful Morningfrom the 1943 musical Oklahoma! by Rodgers and Hammerstein, is more accurate.
This year you could even describe much of the corn crop as “high as an elephant’s eye and tasseled by the Fourth of July.” But a walk into Latham’s Genetic Garden will show you just how much corn varieties and hybrids have evolved from the 19th Century until now.
On July 4th we saw corn plants of every size: ankle high, knee high, head high and even some that had tasseled. Temperate teosinte, one of the first ancestors of corn, is about knee high. Wild teosinte is measuring around knee high. Northern flint, a red dent corn is tasseled. Current hybrids like LH 5494 3000 GT are “as high as an elephant’s eye.” This truly shows the evolution of hybrids at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds.
Many of the varieties aren’t equipped to handle the hot, humid and dry weather we have seen. Because the weather we’ve experienced this growing season is starting to take a toll on the Genetic Garden, we’ve begun to irrigate it.
Look to TheFieldPosition.com for continued updates on the Genetic Garden. We’d also like to invite you to see it for yourself! Take a walk through our “living museum of corn” on Saturday, Aug. 25, during the Latham Country Fair in Alexander, Iowa.
It’s that time of year when communities show their hometown pride by turning ot for Friday night football games. Saturday I’ll be heading to Ames, Iowa, where I’ll be celebrating Iowa State’s 100th Homecoming – and hopefully a Cyclone victory. Whether or not ISU gets the “W” will depend on how well they play as a team – on both sides of the fields.
