1. Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan: Preparing for Year Two

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Number 326 November 18, 2011 1. Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan: Preparing for Year Two 1 2. Comparison of Bt events in corn currently on the market 2 3.

1 Number 326 November 18, Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan: Preparing for Year Two 1 2. Comparison of Bt events in corn currently on the market 2 3. Comparative Vegetation Condition Report: November Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan: Preparing for Year Two The Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan (SMP) was initiated in spring 2011 for Kansans who conduct spring prescribed burning in the Flint Hills. The goal of the plan is to reduce the movement of smoke plumes from Flint Hills burning into large metropolitan areas, and minimize the number of days of ozone exceedances in those cities. The plan called for voluntary compliance from those who conduct prescribed burns on rangelands, and regulated non-agricultural burning in selected counties during the month of April. No changes to the SMP for the 2012 burn season are planned, although there will be some changes to the website for 2012 (described later in this article). A full copy of the plan and a summary document can be found at Due to the short time between the passage of the legislation enacting the SMP and the beginning of the burn season in the spring of 2011, there was an intense effort to educate local emergency management officials and agricultural producers about the SMP. Following the burn season, two surveys were conducted on the effectiveness of the outreach effort, the ways in which Kansans responded to the SMP, and how prescribed burning activity may have been altered for smoke management purposes. About 50 producers in 12 counties completed the burn boss survey. K-State Extension, public meetings, and newspaper articles, as well as word-of-mouth, were cited by producers as the most common sources of information about the SMP. Over half looked at the information on the website. About half of the producers read the smoke forecast discussions on the website, and about 30 percent reported modifying their prescribed burning decisions based on smoke management considerations. Modifications included burning on a different day, and burning during March rather than April. About 30 county emergency management officials (sheriffs, emergency managers, fire chiefs, and dispatchers) in 7 counties completed the emergency manager survey. K State Extension, intra-agency memos, word-of-mouth, and newspaper articles were cited by emergency management officials as the most common sources of information about the SMP. About 70 1

2 percent felt that they had been adequately informed about the plan prior to the 2011 burn season. Many county staff members spent time explaining the SMP to the public and fielding inquires about the April Burning Restrictions. The most commonly observed change in prescribed burning practices was burning earlier or later than normal (March and May). Unfortunately, there were 4 days with ozone exceedances in Kansas last year, the most ever recorded, due in part to some complicating factors. About 30% of the counties in the Flint Hills region reported heavier than normal fuel loads for spring Wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma contributed to air quality exceedances in Kansas as prevailing winds moved smoke north. About 2.6 million in the Flint Hills are estimated to have burned in 2011, which is 108 percent of the 10-year average. While there was use of the website modeling tool to determine where the smoke plume would go, fire safety was considered the most important factor when planning a burn. Days with good smoke dispersion were also often too windy for safe burning. The website will be updated for the 2012 burn season, with improved modeling tools and a section for emergency management staff. Outreach for producers will continue with the incorporation of smoke management topics into upcoming burn workshops and other meetings. Other outreach efforts are being planned, with an overall objective of decreasing ozone exceedances in Due to dry conditions and exceptionally heavy grazing this summer, it is anticipated that there will be lower fuel loads and fewer acres burnt this coming burn season, which would reduce smoke production from prescribed burning. -- Carol Blocksome, Range Management blocksom@ksu.edu 2. Comparison of Bt events in corn currently on the market Since Bt corn first came on the market several years ago, there have been many advancements and changes. Now there are several different Bt products on the market, and various stacked versions. The following chart lists the genes, events, and insects controlled by each of the different products. Producers should try to avoid using hybrids with traits that are not necessary, as this will only serve to increase the chances of insects developing resistance to the traits. For example, producers who are not in a continuous corn system probably do not need corn rootworm Bt hybrids. There is a question about whether it will help to rotate hybrids with different Bt proteins (events) for a given insect. The answer is yes. Much like rotating different classes of insecticides, it doesn t hurt to use hybrids with different events and different modes of action for a specific pest. For example, the Agrisure, Herculex/Optimum, and YieldGard/Genuity hybrids use different events. This may help delay resistance. Producers should also pay attention to whether an insect is controlled or suppressed in a hybrid. In the tables below, an asterisk indicates that the pest is suppressed rather than controlled. Producers should be sure to follow refuge requirements for the various traits and trait stacks as applicable to their location. Their seed suppliers should provide that information with the seed as part of the grower agreement. 2

3 Comparison of Bt Events Currently on the Market: Non-Stacked Resistance Product Name Bt protein(s) Insects Controlled or Suppressed* Above-ground Insect Resistance Agrisure CB Cry1Ab Corn borers, corn earworm*, fall armyworm*, stalk borer* Agrisure Viptera 3110, Agrisure Viptera 3220 Cry1Ab Vip3A Corn borers, corn earworm, black cutworm, western bean cutworm, fall armyworm, stalk borer Genuity VT Double Pro Cry1A.105 Corn borers, corn earworm, and fall armyworm (VT2P) Cry2Ab2 Herculex I Cry1F Corn borers, black cutworm, western bean cutworm, fall armyworm, corn earworm* Corn borers, black cutworm, western bean cutworm, fall armyworm, corn earworm*, stalk borer* Optimum AcreMax, Optimum Intrasect Cry1Ab Cry1F YieldGard Corn Borer Cry1Ab Corn borers, corn earworm*, fall armyworm*, stalk borer* Below-ground Insect Resistance Agrisure RW mcry3a Northern and Western corn rootworm Herculex RW Optimum AcreMaxRW YieldGard Corn Rootworm Cry3Bb1 Northern and Western corn rootworm Northern and Western corn rootworm Northern and Western corn rootworm YieldGard VT Rootworm Cry3Bb1 Northern and Western corn rootworm * Suppression only Comparison of Bt Events Currently on the Market: Stacked Resistance Product Name Bt protein(s) Insects Controlled or Suppressed* Stacked Resistance Agrisure CB/LL/RW Cry1Ab mcry3a Corn borers, corn earworm*, fall armyworm*, stalk borer* Agrisure 3000GT Cry1Ab Corn borers, corn earworm*, fall armyworm*, stalk borer* Agrisure Viptera 3111 Agrisure 3122 Refuge Renew Genuity SmartStax, Genuity SmartStax RIB, SmartStax, Refuge Advanced Powered by SmartStax Genuity VT Triple Pro (VT3P) Herculex XTRA Optimum AcreMax1 (AM1) Optimum AcreMax XTRA YieldGard Plus, YieldGard VT Triple (VT3) * Suppression only mcry3a Cry1Ab mcry3a Vip3A Cry1Ab Cry1F mcry3a Cry1A.105 Cry1F Cry2Ab2 Cry3Bb1 Cry1A.105 Cry2Ab2 Cry3Bb1 Cry1F Cry1F Cry1Ab Cry1F Cry1Ab Cry3Bb1 Corn borers, black cutworm, western bean cutworm, fall armyworm, corn earworm, stalk borer Corn borers, black cutworm, western bean cutworm, fall armyworm, corn earworm*, stalk borer* Corn borers, corn earworm, fall armyworm, black cutworm, western bean cutworm Corn borers, corn earworm, fall armyworm Corn borers, fall armyworm, black cutworm, western bean cutworm corn earworm* Corn borers, fall armyworm, black cutworm, western bean cutworm, corn earworm* Corn borers, fall armyworm, black cutworm, western bean cutworm, corn earworm*, stalk borer* Corn borers, corn earworm*, fall armyworm*, and stalk borer* 3

4 You might also want to check out a similar table in a recent publication from Chris DiFonzo at Michigan State University and Eileen Cullen, University of Wisconsin, at: -- Kraig Roozeboom, Cropping Systems and Crop Production Specialist kraig@ksu.edu -- Jeff Whitworth, Extension Entomologist jwhitwor@ksu.edu 3. Comparative Vegetation Condition Report: November 1 14 K-State s Ecology and Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory (EASAL) produces weekly Vegetation Condition Report maps. These maps can be a valuable tool for making crop selection and marketing decisions. Two short videos of Dr. Kevin Price explaining the development of these maps can be viewed on YouTube at: The objective of these reports is to provide users with a means of assessing the relative condition of crops and grassland. The maps can be used to assess current plant growth rates, as well as comparisons to the previous year and relative to the 21-year average. The report is used by individual farmers and ranchers, the commodities market, and political leaders for assessing factors such as production potential and drought impact across their state. The maps below show the current vegetation conditions in Kansas, the Corn Belt, and the continental U.S, with comments from Mary Knapp, state climatologist: 4

5 Map 1. The Vegetation Condition Report for Kansas for November 1 14 from K-State s Ecology and Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory shows that photosynthetic activity was very low statewide during the period. That would be expected at this time of the year. Snow made an appearance in the West Central and Northwestern Divisions, as well as in a very narrow area along Hwy K-177, near the Kansas River Valley. Moisture from the snowfall was limited. 5

6 Map 2. Compared to the previous year at this time for Kansas, the current Vegetation Condition Report for November 1 14 from K-State s Ecology and Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory shows there is slightly greater photosynthetic activity in the West Central Division and southern parts of the Northwest Division. Winter wheat is in better condition than last year at this time. 6

7 Map 3. Compared to the 22-year average at this time for Kansas, this year s Vegetation Condition Report for November 1 14 from K-State s Ecology and Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory shows that areas of southwest and east central Kansas have not experienced significant improvement from the recent rains. Photosynthetic activity in these regions is below the 22-year average. 7

8 Map 4. The Vegetation Condition Report for the Corn Belt for November 1 14 from K-State s Ecology and Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory shows that photosynthetic activity is limited to the southwestern corner of Missouri and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Snow cover was present on the western and northern fringes of the area. For these maps, this means snow was noted during the period, not that snow cover persisted through the entire period. 8

9 Map 5. The comparison to last year in the Corn Belt for the period November 1 14 from K-State s Ecology and Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory shows that areas of Kansas and northern Missouri have lower biomass production than last year at this time. This is also seen in parts of Iowa and Michigan, where flash drought conditions developed this fall. Eastern portions of the Corn Belt continue to experience greater photosynthetic activity, as milder temperatures prevail. 9

10 Map 6. Compared to the 22-year average at this time for the Corn Belt, this year s Vegetation Condition Report for November 1 14 from K-State s Ecology and Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory shows the impact of the warmer-than-average fall temperatures across the northern regions of the Corn Belt. Despite drought conditions in parts of Minnesota, photosynthetic activity in the region is greater than average. 10

11 Map 7. The Vegetation Condition Report for the U.S. for November 1 14 from K-State s Ecology and Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory shows that the dominate feature of the period was snow in the west and in the New England region. The greatest level of photosynthetic activity is seen along the Pacific Coast and in the South. 11

12 Map 8. The U.S. comparison to last year at this time for the period November 1 14 from K-State s Ecology and Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory shows that the level of photosynthetic activity continues to be lower than last year. Earlier snow cover in the Rockies and New England influences that image. 12

Map 9. The U.S. comparison to the 22-year average for the period November 1 14 from K-State s Ecology and Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory shows that the northern regions of the U.S. are experiencing greater levels of photosynthetic activity.

13 Map 9. The U.S. comparison to the 22-year average for the period November 1 14 from K-State s Ecology and Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory shows that the northern regions of the U.S. are experiencing greater levels of photosynthetic activity. This is due to the warmer-than-average temperatures during the period. In contrast, the increase in photosynthetic activity in eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana is in response to recent rains in the area. Note to readers: The maps above represent a subset of the maps available from the EASAL group. If you d like digital copies of the entire map series please contact us at kpprice@ksu.edu and we can place you on our list to receive the entire dataset each week as they are produced. The maps are normally first available on Wednesday of each week, unless there is a delay in the posting of the data by EROS Data Center where we obtain the raw data used to make the maps. These maps are provided for free as a service of the Department of Agronomy and K-State Research and Extension. -- Mary Knapp, State Climatologist mknapp@ksu.edu -- Kevin Price, Agronomy and Geography, Remote Sensing, Natural Resources, GIS kpprice@ksu.edu -- Nan An, Graduate Research Assistant, Ecology & Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory (EASAL) nanan@ksu.edu These e-updates are a regular weekly item from K-State Extension Agronomy and Steve Watson, Agronomy e-update Editor. All of the Research and Extension faculty in Agronomy will be involved as sources from time to time. If you have any questions or suggestions for topics you'd like to have us address in this weekly update, contact Steve Watson, swatson@ksu.edu, or Jim Shroyer, Research and Extension Crop Production Specialist and State Extension Agronomy Leader jshroyer@ksu.edu 13

Number 293 April 22, 2011

Number 293 April 22, 2011 1. Fertilization strategies for iron chlorosis in soybeans 1 2. Evaluating the need for fungicides in wheat 4 3. What is Wheat s Up? 9 4. 2011 Wheat Diagnostic School in Garden