Wheat conditions

Oklahoma panhandle –

Wheat continues in above average condition.  Aphids have been totally illuminated by predators and won’t be an ongoing threat.  Leaf rust has increased and on susceptible varieties, such as Jagalene, light infestations can be found on the flag leaf.  The wheat itself is entering the milk stage, and loss of plant health from leaf rust, this late into the growing season, should only have minor impacts on the yield.  Hind site is always 20/20 but it looks like the right decision this year was to not use fungicides.       

Southwest Kansas-

Most of the wheat in the Garden City KS area is pollinating to half filled.  With cool wet weather one would expect Leaf Rust to develop rapidly.   This has not been the case.  Rust can be found in almost all fields now, but lesions and pustules are still confined to the lower crop canopy.   It looks like the crop will out mature the problem.   We are at the growth stage now where fungicides are not permitted due to grain residues from the products themselves.  Like Oklahoma the crop will out mature the problem and yield loss should be minor.  Aphids have totally crashed or are in the process of crashing due to predation.

Row Crop Conditions-

Southwest Kansas and Oklahoma Panhandle

The corn crop is 100% planted.  Almost all of it is in the 1-4 leaf stage.  There are still no significant pest problems however, a number of fields are showing injury from fertilizer burn in strip till corn.  This is a problem that occurs to some extent every year.  The only solution for these fields is water.  In most cases these were fields that were stripped and fertilized within a month of planting the corn.  The corn emerged and looked great until about the 2 leaf growth stage.  At that point, the seedling roots encountered the salt band from theNH3 application.  These root tips have burned and blackened and the corn plant is unable to take up water and nutrients even in good moisture situations.  Irrigation will disperse these salts and should allow the corn plants to recover.  If that happens quick enough and the corn recovers the outcome will be negligible.

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