OMAFRA Field Crop Report

Table of Contents

• Edible Beans
• Soybeans
• Winter Cereals
• Spring Cereals
• Forage
• Pasture
• Corn

For emerging issues, questions or to provide feedback on this report, contact the CropLine at 1-888-449-0937. Technical information can also be obtained at the OMAFRA Field Crops Webpage at www.ontario.ca/crops and Crop Pest Ontario at www.omafra.gov.on.ca/croppest . Referenced OMAFRA Publications include the new edition of Publication 811 Agronomy Guide for Field Crops, 812 Field Crop Protection Guide, 75 Guide to Weed Control, and 505 Ontario Weeds. These can be obtained from your OMAFRA Resource Centre, or by calling 1-800-668-9938.

Edible Beans

Edible beans are maturing rapidly with harvest of cranberry and other early maturing types starting. What looked like an average to excellent yielding edible bean crop has deteriorated over the past two weeks due to white mould. Mould is present in most fields with over 50% infection in a few fields. Bacterial blight is also present in many fields but at relatively low levels. There are no effective products for control of these diseases at this stage.

Anthracnose has been identified in some white and black bean fields. The heaviest infections tend to occur in water runs and low lying areas. Infected areas are often visible from a distance as brown patches. When pods and seed become infected, pods develop sunken brown cankers and seeds display brown to light chocolate spots. Upon delivery to the elevator, infected beans are included as 'pick'. At high levels, this can result in an entire load being rejected. Scout fields for hot spots of anthracnose and avoid harvesting these areas. The disease is carried over on infected seed and to a lesser extent on dry bean residue. Clean all tillage and bean equipment of debris before storing for the winter. OMAFRA is conducting a race type survey for anthracnose. If you find anthracnose evident in white or black beans, please contact the Stratford OMAFRA office (519-272-0280).

Plan whether your fields will require a pre-harvest treatment. The Ontario Bean Dealers are recommending that on Otebo beans, only Ignite be used where a pre-harvest treatment is required. In all other bean types, only glyphosate plus AIM is permitted. Check with your dealer for further details.

Soybeans

The majority of soybeans are in R6 (full seed) to R7 (beginning maturity). Pod counts have improved significantly in the past two weeks and now range from poor to average. Soybean aphids persist in a number of fields, but control is not warranted once soybeans reach the R6 (full seed).

Bean leaf beetles continue to be active in soybean and edible bean fields in a few areas. As leaves mature, the beetles move to clipping the bean pods or feeding on the surface of pods, opening them up to diseases. Damage in IP beans can impact seed quality where visual appearance is important. If adults are present and pod feeding is evident, scout fields every three or four days. If 10% of the pods inspected have feeding damage and the adults are still visibly active in the field, a spray is necessary. Check the pre-harvest interval of pesticide prior to application.

A late weed flush is now evident above the crop canopy in some fields. Preharvest herbicide may be warranted as a harvest aid. This will not speed up crop maturity, but helps dry down the crop and weeds more evenly, allowing timely harvest and reduced field losses. In Identity Preserved (IP) soybeans, preharvest burn down can help to maintain bean quality by reducing staining. Delaying harvest while plants dry down can result in low seed moisture, significantly increasing the risk of checked or cracked seed coat damage during harvest. Perennial weeds such as milkweed, Canada thistle, and perennial sow thistle can be controlled by a preharvest glyphosate application when weeds are actively growing and in the bud to flowering stage. Glyphosate will not be effective on some perennial or annual weeds (e.g. ragweed) that have already set seed, nor will the seed bank of these weeds be reduced. Do not use glyphosate in fields intended for seed.

Soybean cyst nematode damage is more prevalent this year. If soybean cyst nematode has been a suspected problem, now is a good time for soil sampling to determine populations. This information will aid in the selection of soybean varieties for next year. Submit one soil sample per 20-25 acres. Sample both suspect, and non-suspect areas for comparison. These soil samples should represent similar cropping history and soil type.

Winter Cereals

The 2009 Winter Wheat Variety Performance Trial information is now available on the web at: www.gocereals.ca.

For optimum dates to seed winter wheat, refer to Figure 4-4, (p. 93) OMAFRA Publication 811, Agronomy Guide.
www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub811/4planting.htm#figure4-4

Research shows a 0.07 t/ha (1.1 bu/ac) decrease in yield for each day planting is delayed past the optimum date. If seeding ten or more days before the optimum date, use Cruiser® seed treatment to control cereal aphids and reduce seeding rates by 20%. Target the optimum seeding rate: 3.75 million seeds/ha (1.5 million seeds/acre or 22 seeds/foot of row) on loam, and 4.5 million seeds/ha (1.8 million seeds/acre or 26 seeds/foot) on clay soils. Seed size varies from year to year and between varieties, making calibration of the seed drill extremely important.

Wheat should be planted into moisture for quick emergence, to a maximum depth of 8 cm (3 inches). With good soil moisture, optimum seeding depth is 2.5 cm (1 inch) which encourages early emergence and rapid development of an extensive secondary root system. In soils that are too dry, plant 2.5 cm (1 inch) deep, but plant! Do not leave seed in the bag and wait for rain.

An application of a glyphosate herbicide prior to no-till planting winter wheat is recommended to control winter annual and perennial weeds. For control of wild carrot add Refine Extra to the glyphosate.

Wheat is very responsive to phosphate applied with the seed. Applying 28 kg/ha (25 lbs/acre) of P2O5 at planting with drills lacking a fertilizer attachments can be accomplished by blending 57 kg/ha (50 lbs/acre) of MAP (11-52-0) with the wheat seed, and running the blend through the seed box. Fall nitrogen applications (other than starter) are simply not recommended in Ontario.

Spring Cereals

Spring wheat quality remains variable with high levels of fusarium and reduced test weights in a significant portion of the crop. To reduce the risk of fusarium mould growth and toxin production, harvest the remaining crop as soon as possible and dry the grain if necessary. Where quality is an issue, secondary cleaning over a gravity table has shown some success in improving grade. Freshly stored wheat needs to be properly conditioned and monitored for heating.

Forage

A week with no rain in the forecast combined with the beginning of the Critical Fall Harvest Period, has resulted in a flurry of activity to harvest a final cut of what may be the best quality hay this season for many forage producers. Growers with fields that will be harvested during the critical period can reduce the impact of harvesting by ensuring soil P and K levels are adequate and avoiding fields that are stressed by disease or aggressive cutting schedules. Yield in the first-cut next spring will be sacrificed to gain some extra feed right now.

Solid manure application to forages following the final cut can be an excellent method of supplying nutrients, especially P and K, that have been removed. Contamination of hay is not an issue when no harvest is planned until next spring. Attention must be given to uniformity of application. Large clumps can smother alfalfa and grass plants.

Pasture

Cover crops, such as spring cereals or peas, seeded into cereal or canola stubble can provide excellent feed if harvested before they are frozen. These cover crops can also provide fall grazing when the fields are divided into paddocks with temporary electric fences. The loss of organic matter from harvesting or grazing can be compensated for by applying livestock manure to these fields.

Pasture growth has been rejuvenated in some areas by recent rains. Although it may be tempting to continue grazing, it is important to consider that pastures also need a fall rest period. Fall grazing rotations should be planned to allow pastures to store carbohydrates in the roots to support next spring's growth. This is particularly important where pastures have been stressed by over-grazing. Fields intended for renovation can be over-grazed this fall to open up space in the stand for new legume seedlings to get established.

Corn

Western Bean Cutworm (WBC) moths continue to be caught in traps. On August 26th the first WBC larva found in Ontario was found in a field near Rodney and a week later near Newbury. This suggests that there are likely other sites with some larvae. Scout your fields for the eggs and larvae. Eggs can be found on the upper leaf surface of the upper leaves of the corn plants while larvae are most likely be found in the ear. More information on the Western Bean Cutworm can be found at http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/news/croppest/2009/12cpo09a6.htm .
Additional scouting information can be found at www.bautebugblog.com.

The corn crop continues to progress well although the cool wet period and low early morning temperatures at the end of August did slow grain fill somewhat. Most of the crop is in the milk to the early dent stage. The crop heat unit accumulation continues to be behind normal in most of the province. Windsor is still near the 30 year normal for crop heat units while Hamilton is about 6% behind normal and Ottawa is about 4% behind normal.

The best silage fermentation and livestock performance usually occurs when whole plant moisture is 65-70%. This corresponds well to horizontal silos, but silage may have to be a bit drier in tower silos to prevent seepage. Recommended moisture contents for corn silage are as follows:
" horizontal bunker silos (65-70%)
" bag silos (60-68%)
" upright concrete stave silos (62-67%)
" upright oxygen limiting silo (50-60%)

The kernel milk line has often been used to determine when to harvest corn silage. The traditional recommendation has been to harvest from one-half to two-thirds milk line. However, the range in whole plant moisture when plants are at one-half milk line can be very large. Check whole plant moisture by chopping a sample and using a microwave, Koster tester, or laboratory. Silage moisture typically falls by 0.5% per day approaching harvest. Refer to "Harvesting Corn Silage at the Right Moisture" for more details.
www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/07-047.htm.