Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Wanstead light bkgrd logo

AGRONOMY WEEKLY NEWS

Wheat

T3 fungicide spraying in the wheat is coming up quickly (During wheat heading). A lot of the spraying will be coming up late this week and next week.


Make sure your field is in the queue with Wanstead if we will be spraying for you.


With stripe rust concerns being raised by agronomists in Southwestern Ontario, there is even more incentive to protect the crop. Rust diseases represent the most economically significant fungal diseases in wheat (Bayer).


 Joanna Follings and Albert Tenuta authored a paper that noted, "The optimal temperatures for stripe rust development are 10-15°C with periods of high relative humidity but as we observed in Ontario, stripe rust can develop at higher temperatures. Windy days will also help with spore dispersion. Stripe rust causes yellow to orange, blister-like lesions that are arranged in stripes on the leaf of the wheat plant (Figure 1). If left untreated, stripe rust can cause significant yield reductions. In 2016 and 2017, where growers had a high incidence of stripe rust that was not controlled through appropriate variety selection or fungicide application, yields were reported to be as low as 45 bu/ac."

!

Preparation/Planting

Spotty rains are making this planting season quite a bizarre one. Some people are days away from turning a wheel, while others barely got a sprinkle. Either way, there should be no lacking of soil moisture across the county, and this week's forecast -knock on wood- looks like good drying weather.


Due our April showers extending into May, in most cases weeds are a mess. They love the hot weather and rain we have been getting. Big massive weeds usually mean we will be battling them all year. Giant rag, thistles, fleabane and dandelions seem to be especially thriving right now. This means multiple chemicals will be needed when spraying.


A lot of IP soybeans need a good burndown and most chemical must be applied for pre-emerge. With hot weather soybeans will pop up faster than planting in colder weather. Be aware and get the chem on before emergence.


There is still time to plant corn. For longer heat unit corn it would be good to look into getting a lower unit variety if we don’t plant next week.


In Last Week's Poll, we asked whether you had been able to start fieldwork yet. Nearly 60% of respondents were waiting for things to dry up, while 25% had started planting, and 15% were in the field but not yet planting. This week, we are leaving the poll the same. With spotty showers across the county, we are curious whether you have had the opportunity to make any progress!

Have you been able to start fieldwork?
Yes, but not planting
Yes, started planting
No, waiting for things to dry up

Do you have any questions that you want our agronomists to answer in our next edition?


Let us know at this anonymous feedback form OR reach out to one of our agronomists!


Jason (519) 330-9746

Darrin (519) 330-9812

Natalia (519) 383-4843

Mike (519) 466-9200

Agronomy Tip of the Week

Darrin's Tip of the week: "Please be careful if spraying dicamba. Follow all the rules and regulations. Using the Engenia Spray Tool is a great place to start. It will tell you what to look out for and when your best times to spray (or not to spray) will be. Remember this is a tool, not the answer. If you show up in your field and wind is blasting, you must use best practices."

Read more editions on our website
Connect with us
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram