Fulton County Agricultural News & Events - May 2018

Transcription

1 Fulton County Agricultural News & Events - May 2018 A message from Ben April was definitely an interesting month, Mother Nature threw us just about a little of everything snow and sleet, rain, wind, sunshine, and did I mention Cooperative Extension Service Fulton County 2114 S 7th Street Fulton KY Phone: (270) Fax: (270) extension.ca.uky.edu RAIN. Charles Choate came by the office about the middle of April asking about a crop update and asking if it was starting to get late for planting corn. At that point, no it wasn t with the weather we were having. Now, as we move into April 30 th and beyond, as some would say You don t plant corn in the month of May. Yes we getting late on the calendar, but soil temperature has only been above 50 degrees since April 21 st based on the newly installed soil temperature and moisture sensor on the Fulton County Mesonet. (Additional info in articles below). I am not going to get into the topic of rain as the reports are across the board for rainfall this month, but the river tells the story on how much rain we have had in the area. Let us turn to what we have in the field as of now. Corn, we are in stages of field prep/planting, but this week I feel everyone will be in the field running. As we continue with planting, watch field conditions for equipment compaction issues and sidewall compaction from planting. In some cases, it would be a matter of hours or a day that separate sidewall compaction issues. Compactions leads to yield loss! Corn that was already planted, depending on the rainfall amounts and temperatures, entire fields may have to be replanted as well as other spots. Check for stand populations and plant health and uniformity. (For more information, see AGR-195.) I had heard of some soybean that were planted in a few locations, mainly in Tennessee, again be looking at populations, health, and uniformity. Soybean will compensate for gaps, but this delays canopying. The big question, this early in the season for soybeans, do we want to risk it with the planting window just opening up. Moving on to wheat. Wheat is across the board, we have fields that look great, fields with water damage, tall wheat, short wheat, many tillers, and just a few tillers. In general, most all of the wheat seems to have had a reduced root growth from all of the wet weather. This will play a part in our yields at harvest. In just looking at moisture, if we dry out and continue to stay dry, I think the yields will be lower due to reduced root systems. How much nitrogen that was applied this spring will be an issue, it has been wet so applications were limited for most, how much and how effective the plant is in getting to that nitrogen is going to effect the yield. Disease has been an issue with some fields. Septoria Leaf Blotch has been an issue from the cold, wet weather. If you are a week and half or less from head emergence I would consider waiting to make an application of fungicide so that you can make one application across the field. (UKY Wheat Fungicide Chart is included). I have not found any Stripe Rust in our fields, it could be out there but I have not found any. As with most diseases, it may not be there today, but in a matter of a couple days it could be an issue. All you have to have is the right conditions and disease can spring up almost overnight. This time of the year is one of the fastest moving, stressful, and enjoyable times of the year for myself and others. But, it also can be one of the dangerous as well. Please watch out for yourself as well as others, take your time when traveling on the road (move if possible out of the heavy traffic times), remember your

2 safety equipment and also warning lights, eat and get some rest. If things are getting too much for you, take a step back and rethink the situation or run it by someone else, they may have a different outlook on the situation. Please contact me if you hear or see issues that are happening in your field or near us. I encourage you to take time and read through this newsletter for current information in the agriculture field and upcoming dates of meetings and field days. Like us on Facebook. Ben Rudy Fulton County Extension Agent for Agriculture & Natural Resources May July 2 Poultry Grower Meeting, Clinton 1 st Assembly of God, 9:30 AM 8 Wheat Field Day - Princeton Research and Education Center, Princeton, Ky 17 UK Sprayer Clinic, Princeton, Ky 18 Fulton County Rinse and Return, Helena Chemical, Hickman, Ky 19 WAVE Ag Day, Bardwell, Ky 24 UKY Corn, Soybean, and Tobacco Field Day, Princeton Ky 26 UT Milan No-Till Field Day, Milan, Tn Wheat Field Day The University of Kentucky Wheat Science Group will host its annual field day Tuesday, May 9 at the UK Research and Education Center farm in Princeton. Registration begins at 8 a.m. CDT. The tour starts at 8:45 a.m. Specialists with the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment hold the annual meeting to help producers learn about the latest research and trends in wheat production. Topics on the agenda include management decisions following a severe spring freeze, drone use in wheat production, disease management, spring aphid populations, diagnosing herbicide injury, variety trial walkthrough and a soil Q&A. Attendees can receive three hours in continuing education units for Certified Crop Advisers. These include one hour each for nutrient management, crop management and pest management. Pesticide applicators can receive one general and one specific hours in categories 1A, 10 and 12. The Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association will provide a free lunch to attendees immediately following the field day. The UK Research and Education Center Farm is located at 1205 Hopkinsville St. in Princeton. If using a GPS device, use the address of 1134 Hopkinsville St., Princeton, KY

3 Watch for Seedling Blights in Corn Kiersten Wise, Extension Plant Pathologist, University of Kentucky The abnormally cool, wet spring has delayed planting across Kentucky. Although farmers are understandably eager to begin planting corn, planting into cool, wet soils can increase the risk of seedling blight. CAUSES Seedling blights are caused by several soil- or seed-inhabiting fungi or fungus-like organisms that are prevalent when cool, wet soil conditions persist during and after planting. Cool, wet soils also slow plant growth and development and give pathogens more time to infect and damage seedlings. Two of the most common seedling blights of corn are caused by Pythium and Fusarium species, but other fungi can occasionally cause seed and seedling issues. SYMPTOMS Fig. 1 Corn plants affected by seedling blight may have poor emergence within a row or an area in the field. (Photo: Kiersten Wise, UK) Symptoms of seedling blights can be observed after emergence and in the early vegetative stages of growth. Farmers should look for areas in the field with poor emergence, patchy stands, and/or stunted plants (Figure 1). Often these symptoms are observed first in poorly drained or ponded areas of the field, and areas with heavy or compacted soils. Infected seeds may rot after germination, preventing emergence and leading to the patchy appearance of plants in a field. Infected plants that do emerge may be yellow, stunted, and have discolored roots. In severe cases, large areas of plants may die leading to reduced stand (Figure 2). It is very difficult to accurately determine the specific organism responsible for a suspected seedling disease issue in the field. Submitting samples through a county Extension agent for submission to the University of Kentucky Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory can help with obtaining an accurate diagnosis. Fig. 2. Severe stand reduction due to seedling blight. (Photo: Kiersten Wise, UK) The risk of corn seedling blights decreases when corn is planted into dry soils with soil temperatures above 50 F. These conditions allow seeds and seedlings to germinate and emerge rapidly. However,

4 it is often necessary to plant into less-than-ideal soil conditions, and standard corn fungicide seed treatments provide a short window of protection against seedling blights. Fulton County Mesonet System Upgrade and Partnership The Fulton County Mesonet weather station has recently received an overhaul of its existing sensors and had new sensors added for the recording of barometric pressure, inversion monitoring (air temperature at 18, 72, 120 ) soil monitoring (soil temperature and moisture at 2, 4, 8, 20, 40 below the surface) and a full precipitation upgrade. Currently all of the recorded data is available on the Ky Mesonet website (kymesonet.org) except for the inversion monitoring, which should be online hopefully sometime in May. This upgrade is made possible by the commitment of the Fulton County Soil Conservation District who provided the maintenance funds for and the budgeted commitment from the Fulton County Fiscal Court and Fulton County Soil Conservation District. We are still looking for additional commitments from other groups or individuals. If you are interested in helping with the annual maintenance fees associated with this site, please contact me to discuss the project. The Mesonet stations collect real-time weather and climate data on temperature, precipitation, humidity, solar radiation, wind speed and direction. Data is packaged into observations and transmitted to the Kentucky Climate Center at WKU every five minutes, 24 hours per day, throughout the year and is available online. The statewide automated environmental monitoring network supports a variety of needs across Kentucky in agriculture, education, emergency management, energy, engineering and construction, recreation, transportation, water supply management and weather forecasting. A mobile app is now available for both android and ios through the App Store and Google Play Store. You can find the app by searching Kentucky Mesonet or clicking the links above. Soybean Residual Herbicide Consideration Larry Steckel, Extension Weed Specialist, University of Tennessee Residual herbicides will play a large role in the success or failure of our weed control program in Last year a number of folks used Engenia plus Roundup followed by Engenia plus Roundup as needed in soybean. That will lead to failure if not in the short term certainly in the long term.

5 With respect to the traditional residual herbicides used in soybeans the playing field has changed. No longer can one rely on a PPO herbicide alone to provide consistent Palmer amaranth control. Research this past year at a known PPO-resistant Palmer amaranth site not only showed that PPO herbicides are no longer effective POST applied but lose a good bit of time for how long they provide residual control. This research is presented below. These data clearly show that the 2 oz/a rate of Valor at a site with known PPOresistant Palmer amaranth only provided 87% control 3 weeks out and control had slipped to less than 80% by 4 weeks. This compared to a site where the Palmer amaranth has yet to evolve PPO resistance and we get the results we have seen for the last decade. That is 100% control of Palmer amaranth for 3 to 4 weeks. So should we use a PPOherbicide for residual control of Palmer amaranth? As the data below shows Spartan (sulfentrazone) alone provides 80% control 28 days after application of even PPO-resistant Palmer amaranth. Therefore the PPO-herbicide still has value for Palmer amaranth. In order to provide residual control for the 20% that get by the PPO-herbicide and provide 2 effective modes of action on the PPO-susceptible pigweed we recommend that those herbicides be applied with another herbicide mode of action that still is effective on Palmer amaranth. Herbicides like Authority

6 MTZ (Data presented above), Fierce, Prefix, Verdict and Warrant Ultra would all be examples of this concept with a PPO-herbicide premixed with another herbicide that is effective on Palmer amaranth. Corn Nitrogen and Wet Soils Angela McClure, Extension Corn and Soybean Specialist, University of Tennessee With continued wet weather, growers are sharing concerns about how rains may have impacted preplant or at-plant nitrogen in fields designated for corn. Most producers have applied only about one third of their total corn nitrogen amount which means less is potentially exposed to heavy rains or flooding. In most cases, fields that drain fairly well with some breaks between rains do not lose significant amounts of nitrogen quickly. The amount of nitrogen loss depends on several factors such as the fertilizer source used, time between application and wet conditions, as well as the duration of waterlogging or saturated conditions. A rough estimate of nitrogen loss in medium textured soils using the information below may help producers determine if or how much fertilizer should be added back at layby timing. Nitrogen in the nitrate form is most prone to loss via leaching or through denitrification in saturated soils. When fertilizer is applied to the soil, urea and ammonium eventually convert to nitrate over several days. The closer fertilizer is applied to wet conditions, the less nitrate conversion has taken place and the less potential loss would be expected. For Nitrogen applied as urea, UAN, ammonium nitrate, or anhydrous ammonia two weeks or more prior to very heavy rain events, we can assume the urea and ammonium have mostly converted to nitrate: In well drained fields that are saturated for 2 days or less we can assume minimal loss. In poorly drained fields, with the majority waterlogged for longer than 2 days, there is approximately 4% loss of nitrate nitrogen per day due to denitrifcation. For example, if 70 pounds of N were applied 3 weeks ago in a field waterlogged for 4 days, denitrification has occurred for 2 days, therefore 8% or about 6 pounds of the total nitrate nitrogen may have been lost from the field. The layby fertilizer rate can be adjusted by this amount. The Pre-Sidedress Nitrate Nitrogen Test (PSNT) was designed to measure soil nitrate levels where manure is used as a fertilizer source. It is not suited to fields where N is banded or variable rate applied and it s value in predicting nitrogen levels in broadcast N fields is widely debated. Tissue testing (6 or taller) corn plants may be a more accurate predictor of nitrogen deficiency than the PSNT if nitrogen loss is suspected later in the season. Timely Tips Dr. Roy Burris, Beef Extension Professor, University of Kentucky Spring Calving Cow Herd Watch cows and calves closely. Save every calf (you can cull/sell them later). Calves can be identified while they are young and easy to handle. Commercial male calves should be castrated and implanted. Registered calves should be weighed at birth. Cows that have calved need to be on an adequate nutritional level to rebreed. Increase their feed after calving. Don t let them lose body condition. Keep feeding them until pastures are adequate. Don t rush to grass although it can be really tempting. Be sure that grass has accumulated enough growth to support the cow s nutritional needs before depending solely upon it. Cows may walk the

7 pastures looking for green grass instead of eating dry feed. This lush, watery grass is not adequate to support them. Keep them consuming dry feed until sufficient grass is available to sustain body condition. We ve spent too much money keeping them in good condition to lose it now! Prevent grass tetany! Provide magnesium in the mineral mix until daytime temperatures are consistently above 60 o F. Mineral supplement should be available at all times and contain a minimum of about 14 percent magnesium. Make sure that your mineral mix also contains adequate selenium, copper and zinc. You can ask your feed dealer about the UK Beef IRM High Magnesium Mineral. Make final selection of heifer replacements. Consider vaccinating with a modified-live BVD vaccine. Purchase replacement bulls at least 30 days prior to the start of the breeding season. Have herd bulls evaluated for breeding soundness (10-20% of bulls are questionable or unsatisfactory breeders). Get all bulls in proper condition for breeding. If you are going to use artificial insemination and/or estrus synchronization, make plans now and order needed supplies and semen. Prebreeding or "turn-out" working is usually scheduled for late April or May - between the end of calving season and before the start of the breeding season (while cows are open). Consult your veterinarian about vaccines and health products your herd needs. Make arrangements now for products needed and have handling facilities in good working order. Dehorn commercial calves before going to pasture. Fall Calving Cow Herd Pregnancy check cows now and cull open ones at weaning. Reimplant feeders. Consult with your veterinarian about a preweaning working of the herd. You may let calves creep-graze wheat or rye, if it is available. Calves will benefit from extra feed until spring grass appears. Plan marketing strategy for feeder calves. Stockers Don't go to pastures too soon, give plants some growing time. Then stock at two to three times the July rate and rotate rapidly. "Condition" purchased calves prior to grazing. They should be processed and fed a conditioning diet prior to being placed on pasture. You can also use this time to introduce them to electric fences which are used in rotational grazing. Provide a good mineral supplement which contains a rumen modifier (Rumensin, Bovatec, etc.) along with adequate levels of copper and selenium. General We ve made a muddy mess this winter, so be prepared to reseed bare spots. Make plans to improve hay feeding areas to avoid muddy conditions like we have faced this winter. Consider geotextile fabric with gravel or concrete feeding pads. Prepare for the grazing season. Check fences and make necessary repairs. Check your corral, too. Get everything ready to make high quality hay in May! Have equipment serviced and spare parts on hand. Order baler twine now. Be prepared to harvest an adequate supply of hay when you have the

8 opportunity. Re-supply the extra hay that you fed out of the barn. This past winter caused most producers to exhaust their hay supply, so it s time to re-stock. Plan now for fly control... decide what fly control program that you will use but don't put insecticide eartags on cattle until fly population appears. If you would like to receive this newsletter electronically, please me at ben.rudy@uky.edu

9 Management of Small Grain Diseases Fungicide Efficacy for Control of Wheat Diseases (2018 Final) The North Central Regional Committee on Management of Small Grain Diseases (NCERA-184) has developed the following information on fungicide efficacy for control of certain foliar diseases of wheat for use by the grain production industry in the U.S. Efficacy ratings for each fungicide listed in the table were determined by field testing the materials over multiple years and locations by the members of the committee. Efficacy is based on proper application timing to achieve optimum effectiveness of the fungicide as determined by labeled instructions and overall level of disease in the field at the time of application. Differences in efficacy among fungicide products were determined by direct comparisons among products in field tests and are based on a single application of the labeled rate as listed in the table. Table includes most widely marketed products, and is not intended to be a list of all labeled products. Efficacy of fungicides for wheat disease control based on appropriate application timing Fungicide(s) Class Active ingredient Product Rate/A (fl. oz) Powdery mildew Stagonospora leaf/glume blotch Septoria leaf blotch Tan spot Stripe rust Leaf rust Stem rust Head scab 4 Harvest Restriction Strobilurin Picoxystrobin 22.5% Aproach SC G 1 VG VG 2 VG E 3 VG VG NL Feekes 10.5 Fluoxastrobin 40.3% Evito 480 SC G VG -- VG -- NL Feekes 10.5 and 40 days Pyraclostrobin 23.6% Headline SC G VG VG 2 E E 3 E G NL Feekes 10.5 Metconazole 8.6% Caramba 0.75 SL VG VG -- VG E E E G 30 days Triazole Tebuconazole 38.7% Folicur 3.6 F NL NL NL NL E E E F 30 days Prothioconazole 41% Proline 480 SC VG VG VG VG VG VG G 30 days Prothioconazole19% Tebuconazole 19% Prosaro 421 SC G VG VG VG E E E G 30 days Propiconazole 41.8% Tilt 3.6 EC VG VG VG VG VG VG VG P Feekes Tebuconazole 22.6% Trifloxystrobin 22.6% Absolute Maxx SC 5.0 G VG VG VG VG E VG NL 35 days Cyproconazole 7.17% Picoxystrobin 17.94% Aproach Prima SC VG VG VG VG E VG -- NR 45 days Prothioconazole 16.0% Feekes 10.5 Trifloxystrobin 13.7% Delaro 325 SC 8.0 G VG VG VG VG VG VG NL 35 days Fluapyroxad 2.8% Pyraclostrobin 18.7% Propiconazole 11.7% Nexicor EC G VG VG E E E VG NL Feekes 10.5 Fluoxastrobin 14.8% Feekes 10.5 and Flutriafol 19.3% Preemptor SC VG VG E VG -- NL 40 days Fluxapyroxad 14.3% Pyraclostrobin 28.6% Priaxor G VG VG E VG VG G NL Feekes 10.5 Propiconazole 11.7% Azoxystrobin 13.5% Quilt Xcel 2.2 SE VG VG VG VG E E VG NL Feekes Prothioconazole 10.8% Feekes 10.5 Stratego YLD 4.0 G VG VG VG VG VG VG NL Trifloxystrobin 32.3% 35 days Benzovindiflupyr 2.9% Propiconazole 11.9% Feekes Trivapro SE VG VG VG VG E E VG NL Azoxystrobin 10.5% 14 days 1Efficacy categories: NL=Not Labeled; NR=Not Recommended; P=Poor; F=Fair; G=Good; VG=Very Good; E=Excellent; -- = Insufficient data to make statement about efficacy of this product. 2 Product efficacy may be reduced in areas with fungal populations that are resistant to strobilurin fungicides. 3 Efficacy may be significantly reduced if solo strobilurin products are applied after stripe rust infection has occurred. 4 Application of products containing strobilurin fungicides may result in elevated levels of the mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol (DON) in grain damaged by head scab. 5 Multiple generic products containing the same active ingredients also may be labeled in some states. 6 Products with mixed modes of action generally combine triazole and strobilurin active ingredients. Nexicor, Priaxor and Trivapro include carboxamide active ingredients. Mixed modes of action 5

10 WHEAT FIELD DAY MAY 8, 2018 UKREC FARM REGISTRATION: 8 am (CST) WAGONS ROLL: 8:45 am (CST) LOCATION: 1205 Hopkinsville St. Princeton, KY APPROVED CREDITS CCA: CM 2, PM 1 Pesticide: 2 general 1 specific (1A, 10, 12) For additional information contact: Colette Laurent UK Grain Crops Coordinator claurent@uky.edu (270) Ext 264 Lunch Sponsored by: TOPICS INCLUDE: Wheat Variety Trials (Walk Through) Why Keep Wheat in the Rotation? Insecticide Treated Seed: a Tough or Easy Decision for its use on Wheat? Herbicide Resistance Update Identifying and Predicting Management-Related Growth Stages in Wheat Wheat Outlook, Profitability Potential, and Returns to Storage Economics Using Wheat as a Cover Crop Economics of Harvesting Wheat Straw Fungicide Management of Fusarium Head Blight