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.

Wheat conditions

Oklahoma panhandle –

Wheat remains in better than average condition.  One exception to this statement is the double crop irrigated wheat after corn.  In most cases, this rotation looks pitiful.  The majoirity of these fields are lacking in nitrogen and have poor plant stands.  The dry land, continues to get enough rain to keep it going.  Leaf rust is starting at very low levels.  Based on conditions today, Barley Yellow Dwarf Disease will have a greater impact than leaf rust.  The weather has been right for rust development, but it just hasn’t materialized at this point.  Much of the wheat is starting to pollinate and that would put projected harvest dates at June 14th.  Russian Wheat Aphids are still active in places but starting to crash due to predation.

Southwest Kansas-

Wheat continues in above average condition.  Like the panhandle, timely rains continue to occur.  Minor levels of Leaf Rust in the lower crop canopy are evident in many fields now. Most of the wheat is in the boot to heading stage.   The potential for damage from this Leaf Rust is a concern.  The earlier in the growth stage of the wheat crop that Rust strikes, the greater the damage.  I would speculate that Leaf Rust will end up being more of a factor in Kansas than it will in Oklahoma.  Over the past week, Barley Yellow Dwarf Disease has started to show up in many fields.  It also will be a yield limiting factor for the 2009 Kansas Wheat Crop.   In spite of these potential negatives, we are on track for a decent crop.

Row Crop Conditions-

Southwest Kansas and Oklahoma Panhandle

We still are behind normal planting dates for this area.  I would say that my customers have 70% of their corn planted.  Although we are well into May now, yield expectations have not been reduced, but if we go much past the 15th of May, I think we can expect the final outcome to be affected.  

At the current time, there are no significant pest problems in the corn.   

Wheat conditions

Oklahoma panhandle –

Wheat is just starting to head out with much better soil moisture conditions now.  There is a potential for a better than average crop. Freezes that occurred in late March have had very little impact on yield potential.  At the current time, foliar disease pressure is nonexistent.  That will likely change over the next couple of weeks, especially if we stay cool and wet.  It makes sense to delay the decision on the use of fungicides for at least another week.  There is quite a bit of Barley Yellow Dwarf starting to show up over the past few weeks.   Barley Yellow Dwarf is very common in numerous fields, but the area in these fields is quiet small.  This should not have a huge impart on yields.  There are lower than normal incidence of Wheat Streak Mosaic.  Most of the insect problems are behind us now, as a high percentage of fields have already been sprayed for Russian Wheat Aphids and Green Bugs.   Low numbers of both of these pests are moving back into the wheat now.  This late in the season, predators should be able to handle these reinfestations. 

Southwest Kansas-

Wheat is still a week away from heading out in the Garden City area.  Wheat yield prospects are above average as well.  Recent rain fall should carry the crop to pollination and beyond but will still need some timely rains to achieve the potential.  Like the panhandle of Oklahoma, freeze injury is not much of a factor. 

Powdery Mildew Disease is common in many fields with susceptible varieties like Jagaline.  There is absolutely no evidence of Stripe Rust or Leave Rust yet.  That doesn’t mean we’re home free, it just means fungicide applications if needed, will be applied later into the growing season.  The decision needs to be based on cost of the fungicide, yield potential of the wheat, price of the wheat and disease resistant traits of the variety. 

 

Row Crop Conditions-

Southwest Kansas and Oklahoma Panhandle

Obviously off to a slow start with the 2009 corn crop.  Based on estimates today, would say no more than 50% of the crop is in.  We are approaching cut off dates for full season hybrids.  (118 days plus).  Would probably need to switch to something shorter if the corn does not go in by May 15th.   Not seeing any significant disease or insect problems.    

Wheat Condition:

The wheat (where it hasn't hailed) is still hanging in there.  Harvest will likely start in a little over a week in the Liberal area and is still over 2 weeks out in the Garden City area.  In some cases it is dying instead of maturing due to ongoning dry conditions in many areas.  The foliar leaf diseases have never really materialized and at this point, there isn't time for them to.  Aphids (Greenbugs and Cherry Aphids) have been eliminated by predators now.  It still looks like there will be pockets of good wheat.  In the Garden City area the best yields will be north and east of town with much more spotty conditions south and west. 

Corn Conditions:

Corn plant stands are finally in place.  In many cases the first planted corn took over a month to fully emerge.  With warmer weather, fields that were planted 3 weeks later really aren't that far behind in maturity.  The biggest problem has been the wind.  Fields that don't normally blow have blown in 2008.  Some have blown several times and are still vulnerable today.  If a field blows and damages corn once the corn can recover and produce normal yields.  If it recovers and blows a second time, there may be some loss in plant vigor and yield.  After three times it is likely the corn will never fully recover it's potential.  It definitely does not have nine lives.  

Spider Mites are becoming established on the edges of many fields.  Nothing is to treatable levels and it would be unusual to actually have to spray this early for this pest.  In some ways an early infestation of Spider Mites may actually be a positive thing.  Past experience has shown that the fields that develop serious Spider Mite problems later in the season are the ones where Mites themselves became established much later and due to lack of predators had numbers build to damaging levels rapidly.  Where fields have Spider Mites established now the weather is less conducive to rapid builds and it should give predators more of a chance to become established as well before the real heat of summer hits in late July and early August.

Corn Rootworm hatch should be started in the Liberal area within 7 days and likely under two weeks out in the Garden City area.  We have still seen no evidence of either root feeding or the larva.  Development of this insect is driven by growing degree units and we are well behind normal years and so I would expect the rootworm hatch will be delayed by about a week as well.  In a normal year the hatch would start during the last week in May in Liberal and the first week in June in Garden City.       

Wheat Freeze Again

On Sunday morning May 11th temperatures dipped below freezing again over a wide area of southwest Kansas.  Impact on the wheat is still unknown but there is likely incremental damage.  Evaluating damage will be a little easier at these growth stages than earlier ones.  At partial heading, temperatures below 32 degrees can cause partial or total head sterilility. Normally only the top portion of the head is impacted.  Awns or entire spikelts will turn white within a few days of the freeze.  If the wheat was fully headed damage may be harder to evaluate.  Flowering parts within the spikelets could be damage and there may be no outer signs of damage.  At this point it appears that this latest freeze may have caused as much as 20% damage in individual fields but no more than 5% damage to the area as a whole

Fungicide Decisions on Wheat

We are at a point where wheat growers need to decide on the use of fungicides.  Cut offs for using fungicides are prior to pollination and we will be there within days.  You would think with a better wheat price than past years it would be easier to decide but the conditions in the fields make it more difficult.  As of today, we still have no leaf rust or stripe rust anywhere in the area.  The other important disease, Powdery Mildew is a problem in some of the thick canopied Jagalene.  In many cases Jagalene has already been sprayed in irrigated wheat but not dryland.  It is probably not a matter or if we'll get the rusts but when will we get the rusts and that will determine the amount of yield loss that we can expect.  If these foliar diseases cause 20% leaf loss at heading or pollination we can probably expect to see 20% yield reduction.  If this same leaf loss doesn't occur until the milk stage, the yield loss is probably only 2% to 3%.  It is obvious now that we won't have heavy pressure prior to pollination so the decision is much more marginal than past years.  Yield potential, varietal resistance, wheat price and the cost of the treatment all come into play. 

Alfalfa Weevil

Many of the Pyrethroid treatments that were applied for alfalfa weevil control have been much less effective than past years.  It doesn't seem to matter which product was used.  The only common factor associated with these failures has been temperatures at the time of application.  In many cases these failures had the product applied when temperatures were in the 30's.  Two weeks post treatment some of these fields have as many as 70 to 80 larva per 10 sweeps.  In those cases if harvest is still more than 10 days away it may be necessary to come back with a knockdown treatment.  Probably the most effective would be .5 pt Furadan.  This won't give much if any residual but it should give quick knock down for what is in the field.  There is a 7 day harvest interval required with this rate of Furadan.

Corn Conditions

The freeze on Sunday morning also impacted a low percentage of corn fields.  In some cases all of the leaves were burned off and the plants are starting over.  It doesn't appear that the growing points were affected so in theory these plants will recover with no loss in yield.  In past freezes however even though the growing point was not affected the new growth struggled to emerge from the damaged whorl and many plants tend to buggy whip or wrap.  This caused a significant delay in recovery and probably did have an impact on yield.  If it is just scattered plants in a field that are affected I would do nothing but if it is 20% plus of the plants in the field I would probably consider replanting.  We don't have the luxury of watching this corn for a week or two to make a decision and it is still only May 13th and this planting date still has the potential to produce high yielding corn        

Wheat Conditions - On Staurday night / Sunday morning we again dipped below 32 degrees for about 4 to 6 hours.  Will this latest freeze impact the wheat crop?  I really would doubt it.  In the Garden City area the wheat is in the 1st to 2nd node growth stage.  At that point freezing temperature have the potential to cause damage but we have a few factors going for us.  We only got that cold for a short time period and the ground temperature was over 50 degrees and it provided some protection as well.  The following day (Sunday) we rebounded with warm temperatures so it is not the typically scenario to expect anything more than minor damage.  It will take at least a week to evaluate but at this point I would say there is no damage.  We are not far enough along on the crop where the head damage will manifest itself later (meaning the plants look good but the heads are sterile).  That can occur from the boot stage on.  The flowering parts have not developed in the heads yet.  The biggest concern for this wheat crop continues to be the dry conditions.  We continue to live from shower to shower with no soil moisture profile beneath it. 

Alfalfa - Both alfalfa weevils and aphids have reached threshold for treatments on numerous fields south of Garden City and the sandhills south of Deerfield and Lakin.  Overall it does appear to be a lighter than normal year for weevil but part of this may be just a dealy in what is to come.  Alfalfa weevil development is driven by growing degree units and we are far behind normal for this time of year.  I would expect the first cutting of alfalfa is at least a week behind riight now and if you were treating for weevils this week I would still likely use full rates of Pyrethroids.  If aphids are present in significant numbers add 4 oz Lorsban to the Pyrethroid.

 

Corn - The first corn to get planted went in about 2 weeks ago today.  Those fields are just now starting to emerge.  Current soil temperature is 52 degrees and I would expect that we'll see corn going in today emerge in about 8 days.  At this point there are no pest problems with the crop.

 

    

After weather service predicted lows of 34 degrees for Garden City on the morning of April 18th, much colder lows were encountered.  Late in the day on April 17th the skies cleared and the temperature plunged.  According to accuweather it only reached a low of 31 degrees in Garden City.  My thermometer showed 28 degrees.  Lows of 28 degrees were reported in Liberal, KS and lows of 24 degrees were recorded in Guymon, OK. 

Will these temperatures damage the wheat?

We've all been through this many times before and about all you can do immediately after a freeze is report the lows and evaluate the growth stage of the wheat.  In Garden City most of the wheat is at 1st node.  The growing point on the wheat is about 1 to 2 inches out of the crown.  In Guymon most of the wheat is at 2nd node.  Damage to wheat is a function of growth stage time and temperature.  In past years where late freezes have been an issue most occured at this same time or even a little earlier.  The most devastating ones occured for more than one night in a row.  The daytime highs between these nightly freezes were typically colder than what we went through today.  It will take at least a full week to evaluate the extent of damage if any.  Immediately after a freeze lower stem splits would already be visable.  I noticed none today in the Liberal area.  If head death occured it will take at least a week to evaluate.  The head can be found by splitting stems above the highest node.  After a week these heads will start to turn brown and shrivel.  A few days after that the whorls on dead tillers will start to push a dead leaf.

I tend to be a glass half full kind of person but just based on what we know today I would doubt very much that the wheat crop was damaged north of Liberal with the jury still out on the wheat in the Oklahoma panhandle.            

There is a freeze warning for much of Oklahoma and into north central Texas for the early morning of April 14th.  It will also likely freeze across Kansas but the concern will only be for the southern areas where the wheat is much further along.  In Kansas the most advanced wheat is just setting first node and a light freeze will be no threat to this crop.  In southern Oklahoma and Texas the wheat is in boot to partial heading and temperatures as low as 30 degrees can cause significant damage.  The 14 day forecast currently shows no further threats after Sunday night.  

Greenbugs are becomming established in the wheat in the Oklahoma panhandle but still at less than treatable levels.  Revised economic thresholds from KSU would suggest that treatments are warranted when 2 greenbugs per tiller are present on a little over half of the tillers in the field.  This threshold assumes $9.50 / bu wheat with a $9.00 insecticide treatment.

Alfalfa Weevil progression has slowed to a stop over the past week due to the lack of GDU's.  This insect lays it's eggs in alfalfa residue in the fall and the early spring and egg hatch is driven by temperature.  We have not even averaged 50 degrees now for the past 10 days and with the warmer forecast are still likely 10 days from treatments in the Liberal and Guymon area and 14 days from treatments in the Garden City area.

As already mentioned, average temperatures have been below 50 degrees for the past 10 days and if anything, soil temperatures have dropped.  Currently in Liberal the 3" soil temperature is 42 degrees at 10:00 AM.  In Garden City the temperature is also 42 degrees.  In a situation where a grower is looking at 30 days to get their corn crop planted, it might make sense to start early the week of April 14th but if a grower can plant their entire crop in 14 days or less I would wait until late in the week of the 14th or early the week of April 21st.  We should see 50 degrees at that point based on the warmer forecast.    

We finally have some rain in the forecast.  As of this writing the first of our chances went east of Garden City, Liberal  and Guymon with only very low amounts in the western areas.  Most of the wheat south of Garden City is just starting to joint with the earliest planted wheat in the Oklahoma panhandle putting on first node now.  We have some mildly concerning temperatures in the forecast with a light freeze called for on April 16th and 17th.  Right now forecasters are calling for lows of 30 degrees both nights in Garden City and a low of 30 degrees as far south as Guymon for the night of April 16th.  If it gets no colder than that, the wheat should be fine.  If it gets down to the mid 20's or below there could be some problems.  We are still not seeing any significant disease pressure in the wheat.  Leaf Rust is being reported in north central Oklahoma and extreme south central Kansas and we'll likely see the start of infestations here over the next few weeks.  Greenbugs are starting to become established in fields at very low levels in the Oklahoma panhandle.  At this point we are still not seeing any in Kansas. 

The alfalfa is off to a good start with southern fields having as much as 6" to 8" of growth.  Temperatures in the high 20's will have no negative impact on the crop and we should see normal to a little earlier than normal 1st cutting dates.  Because of the spread between alfalfa prices and corn prices we'll see significant acres of alfalfa come out after 1st cutting and go to corn.  We are seeing about 30% of our irrigated alfalfa being taken out this year.  Alfalfa weevil numbers continue to increase and we will likely see the 1st insecticide treatments applied in the south in about 7 days.  We are probably closer to 14 days out on the alfalfa in the Garden City area.  In many cases we have also had pea aphids and cow pea aphids invade these fields as well.  If a Pyrethroid Insecticide is going to be used for weevil control and it does not contain Lorsban it is a good idea to add a low rate of Lorsban to the application to pick up the aphids that are present in the field.  4 to 8 oz of Lorsban will be sufficient. 

Corn Planting Dates - Current soil temperatures are around 46 degrees in the south and 44 degrees in Garden City on pre watered strip till ground.  We really need closer to 50 degrees with a warming trend predicted.  I really don't think it makes sense to start the corn until the middle of the week of April 14th in the panhandle and late in the week of the 14th at Garden City.        

Wheat Conditions:

Still no significant rain and none in the two week forecast.  This same forecast is favorable from the standpoint of expected low temperatures with no lows below 30 called for through the first week in April.  Traditionally, when we have had a spring freeze problem with the wheat it has occurred closer to mid April.  Much of the irrigated wheat is being watered now and this could set us up for a problem should drastic cold temperatures occur.  If the forecast changes and we expect to see lows in the low twenties or teens it would help to shut the water off 3 or 4 days in front of it.  Drought stressed wheat can handle colder temperatures than lush actively growing wheat.

Still no significant insect problems in southwest Kansas or the Oklahoma panhandle.  That could change over the next few weeks as aphid pressure is starting to build in north central Oklahoma.  Both greenbugs and cherry aphids are active in fields in that area.

I have been hearing several radio commercials for a fungicide suggesting that now is the time to apply it for wheat.  On rotated wheat ground or wheat / fallow / wheat this makes little sense to me.  The main diseases these applications could be targeted for at this time of year are tan spot and possibly powdery mildew.  Tan Spot is a disease problem always associated with continuous wheat and I am seeing no evidence of powdery mildew in the fields yet.  Given the high wheat prices I would lean toward using a fungicide this year but it needs to be applied at the proper time.  The proper timing for the leaf rust diseases are partial flag leaf emergence to heading.  I would tend to go on the early side (partial flag leaf emergence) if rust were already started in the field at that time.  I would delay the application closer to heading if disease was still not present in the field at that time.  We are going to get about 2 weeks residual control out of these products and the later we can wait the further the application will take us toward maturity of the crop.

Alfalfa Conditions:

We are at the very early stages of alfalfa weevil hatch in extreme southwwest Kansas.  It will likely be 10 days to 2 weeks before treatments for control of this insect will be justified.  Also starting to find low levels of cow pea aphids.