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November 6, 1998 Vol. 98.14

IN THIS ISSUE:

INDEX OF 1998 ARTICLES:

Vol. 98.1 - January 23, 1998

Vol. 98.2 - March 10, 1998

Vol. 98.3 - April 17, 1998

Vol. 98.4 - May 1, 1998

Vol. 98.5 - May 15, 1998

Vol. 98.6 - May 29, 1998

Vol. 98.7 - June 12, 1998

Vol. 98.8 - June 26, 1998

Vol. 98.9 - July 10, 1998

Vol. 98.10 - July 24, 1998

Vol. 98.11 - August 10, 1998

Vol. 98.12 - September 4, 1998

Vol. 98.13 - October 9, 1998

Vol. 98.14 - November 6, 1998


Department of Agronomy FY99
Extension Educational Meeting Schedule
Date County Specialists
Dec. 16 Fayette Beegle (Fertility)
Jan. 5 Bedford Calvin (Pest Management)
Jan. 18 McKean, Clearfield Hall (Forages)
Jan. 21 Western PA Precision Ag  
Jan. 22 Lycoming Hall (Forages)
Jan. 25-29 Adams, Franklin, York, Cumberland, Perry Beegle (Fertility)
Roth, Yocum (Crop Management)
Jan. 26-29 Southeast PA Hatley (Crop Management)
JoAnn Whalen (26th&27th)
Calvin (28th&29th) (Pest Management)
Feb. 1 Lebanon Hall (Forages)
Feb. 2-5 Beaver, Butler, Armstrong, Indiana, Lawrence Roth (Corn),
Calvin (Pest Management)
Feb. 2 Berks (Forage School) Hall (Forages)
Feb. 3 Adams (Forage School) Hall (Forages)
Feb. 3 Penn-Jersey Hatley (Crop Management)
Feb. 4 Centre Hatley, Yocum (Crop Management)
Feb. 9 Lancaster Beegle (Fertility),
Roth (Corn)
Yocum (Crop Management)
Feb. 10 Penn-Jersey Beegle (Fertility)
Feb. 11 Clarion (day), Venango (evening) Hatley (Crop Management)
Calvin (Pest Management)
Feb. 12 Mercer Hatley (Crop Management)
Calvin (Pest Management)
Feb. 12 Franklin Beegle (Fertility),
Hall (Forages),
Ayers (Pest Management)
Feb. 16 Centre Hall (Forages)
Feb. 17 Penn-Jersey Lingenfelter (Pest Management)
Feb. 24 Penn-Jersey Yocum, Hatley (Crop Management)
Feb. 25 Fulton/Huntingdon Roth (Corn)
March 2 Centre Beegle (Fertility)
March 2 Dauphin Hall (Forages)
March 3 Penn-Jersey Roth (Corn)
March 3 Adams/Franklin/Cumberland Hatley, Yocum (Crop Management)
March 4 Fulton Beegle (Fertility)
Stehouwer (Soil Management)
Calvin (Pest Management)
March 3&4 Grazing & Forage Conference Hall (Forages)
March 10 Schuylkill Yocum, Antle (Crop Management)
March 11 Potter Calvin (Pest Management)
March 15-19 Bradford, Tioga, Wayne, Sullivan Beegle, (Fertility)
Bill Hoffman (Pest Management)
March 16 Chester Hall (Forages)
March 17 Potter/McKean Beegle (Fertility)
Wagner (Precision Ag)
March 17 Lancaster Hall (Forages)
March 17 Centre Roth, Antle (Crop Management)
April (TBD) Centre (Scouting Clinic) Beegle (Fertility)
Ayers (Pest Management)
Calvin (Pest Management)
Lingenfelter (Pest Management)


Pest Management:

NEW REGISTRATIONS AND PRODUCTS

Aim (FMC)

Aim herbicide from FMC is labeled for early postemergence use on corn (field, seed, popcorn, and silage). Aim (carfentrazone-ethyl) is an inhibitor of protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO). Its action results in membrane disruption, which ultimately kills sensitive weeds. The label warns against tank mixing with EC (emulsifiable concentrate) formulations of other herbicides due to greater potential for crop injury. The use rate for Aim is 1/3 oz./acre which should only cost about $4. Aim is effective on small black nightshade, velvetleaf (up to 36"), common lambsquarters, and redroot pigweed. It is likely to be used as a tank mix partner to improve broadleaf control. Aim may be tank-mixed with atrazine, Banvel, or Clarity.

Accent Gold (DuPont)

Accent Gold is a new mixture from Dupont. It contains nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron, flumetsulam, and clopyralid. The rates of nicosulfuron and rimsulfuron are the same as are found in Basis Gold, but flumetsulam and clopyralid (aka: Hornet) have been substituted for atrazine. The product is targeted for producers who like the concept of Basis Gold, but do not want to use atrazine. The use rate is 2.9 oz/A on corn up to 12" in height or 6 collars. Accent Gold should be applied prior to foxtails reaching 6" in height. Accent will provide broad spectrum control of most weeds that are emerged at the time of application. It is still unclear whether Dupont will be marketing this new product in our area.

Axiom (Bayer)

Axiom herbicide was labeled for use in corn and soybean early last summer. Axiom is a combination of fluthiamide and metribuzin sold as a 68% DF (54.4% fluthiamide and 13.8% metribuzin). Fluthiamide is an amide type herbicide similar in control spectrum to Dual, Harness, Surpass, Frontier, etc. Performance of Axiom on annual grasses and small seeded broadleaves has been similar to Dual, although it may need some assistance with yellow nutsedge. Axiom can be applied to corn from 13 to 23 oz/A, while the current maximum use rate for soybean is 13 oz/A.

Celebrity ( BASF)

BASF and DuPont have entered a marketing agreement and will be selling Celebrity, a premix of the sodium salt of dicamba (Banvel) and nicosulfuron (Accent). Celebrity will be marketed as a co-pack; each co-pack will treat 8 acres and deliver 0.26 lb a.m./A of dicamba (equivalent to 0.5 pt/A of Banvel) and 0.031 lb a.i./A of nicosulfuron (equivalent to 2/3 oz Accent).

FirstRate (DowAgrosciences)

FirstRate (Cloransulam-methyl) is a new active ingredient from DowAgrosciences available for use in soybean. Cloransulam-methyl is an ALS-inhibitor and is in the same chemical family as flumetsulam (Python). Although FirstRate is registered both Pre and Post in the Midwest, it appears that the product may only be marketed Post in the Northeast. The strength of FirstRate is its activity on weeds in the composite family, including cocklebur and common and giant ragweed. It is not effective postemergence on common lambsquarters or eastern black nightshade. First-Rate should be applied at 0.3 oz/A for postemergence applications.

Leadoff (DuPont)

LeadOff is a prepackage mix of dimethenamid (Frontier) and atrazine being marketed by Dupont that contains the same ratio as Guardsman herbicide from BASF. LeadOff contains 2.33 lb/gal of dimethenamid and 2.67 lb/gal atrazine and may be soil applied to field corn, seed corn, sweet corn and popcorn.

NorthStar (Novartis)

Novartis will be marketing a new pre-package postemerge herbicide called NorthStar for use in corn. NorthStar is a premix of the equivalent of 0.5 oz Beacon (active ingredient primisulfuron) and the equivalent of 4 oz of Banvel or Clarity (dicamba). This product should perform very similarly to the mixture of Beacon plus Banvel often termed the "Beacon Blast". The labeled use rate for NorthStar is 5 oz product/acre and it can be applied over-the-top to corn between 4 and 20 inches tall. Unlike Exceed, NorthStar only has an 8 month rotation restriction for soybeans.

Spirit (Norvartis)

Spirit is a combination of prosulfuron and primisulfuron, the two active ingredients in Exceed. Spirit may replace Exceed herbicide in certain geographic locations due to the concern for the carryover of prosulfuron. Spirit is a 3:1 ratio of primisulfuron: prosulfuron, whereas Exceed is a 1:1 ratio. There will be a 10 month rotation restriction for soybeans south of I-80 and an 18 month restriction north of I-80. Spirit should perform similarly to Exceed, but may need some additional help with lambsquarters or bigger velvetleaf.



ROUNDUP RESISTANT RIGID RYEGRASS

The following article was written by Dr. Bob Hartzler, Iowa State University. With all the attention on Roundup and the issue of weed shifts and resistant weeds, this article summarizes a situation that has occurred in Australia with Roundup-resistant rigid ryegrass. Just some food for thought.

Rigid ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) is a major weed of southern Australia. The weed is unique in its propensity for selection of resistant biotypes. It has resistance to most of the herbicide families used in Australia. Biotypes with multiple resistance, therefore making all herbicides cleared for use in wheat ineffective, have forced Australian wheat farmers to change production practices due to the lack of effective herbicides. In 1997, it was first reported that a population of rigid ryegrass with resistance to Roundup was identified. An article in the Sept.-Oct. 1998 issue of Weed Science provided more details regarding Roundup resistance in rigid ryegrass (Powles, S. B., D. F. Lorraine-Colwill, J. J. Dellow, and C. Preston. 1998. Evolved resistance to glyphosate in rigid ryegrass. Weed Sci. 46:604-607). This article will summarize some of the information in this article.

The resistant biotype was obtained from an orchard near Orange, New South Wales, Australia. The site had intensive selection pressure, with two or three applications per year of Roundup (2 to 4 qt/A) for 15 years. The Roundup was used to control weeds within rows of trees. Seeds were collected from suspected resistant plants in December 1995 for use in the experiments. Four experiments were conducted, three using the isopropylamine salt of glyphosate (Roundup) and one with the trimethylsulfonium salt (Touchdown). Similar results were found with both formulations. On all occasions the resistant population was found to be between 7 and 11-fold resistant to Roundup compared to the susceptible population. (See following table.)

Response of a susceptible and resistant rigid ryegrass biotype to Roundup. Plants were grown in pots and sprayed at the two to three leaf stage. Measurements were taken 21 days after treatment.
Roundup Rate (Pints/Acre) Percent survival Dry Wt (mg)/Plant
  Susceptible Resistant Susceptible Resistant
0 100 100 190 180
0.6 88 100 106 -
1.3 20 100 30 -
2.6 5 88 20 110
5.3 0 85 0 65
10.6 0 48 0 58
21.1 0 18 0 20
Adapted from Powles, S. B., D. F. Lorraine-Colwill, J. J. Dellow, and C. Preston. 1998. Evolved resistance to glyphosate in rigid ryegrass. Weed Sci. 46:604-607.

At this time the mechanism of resistance that allows rigid ryegrass to survive Roundup has not been reported. This species has numerous mechanisms that provide resistance to other classes of herbicides, including several altered sites of action (ALS, ACCase) and enhanced metabolism (ALS, ACCase, dinitroanilines, photosystem II, amides). In addition, a second case of Roundup resistant ryegrass has been reported in Australia, this time in an agronomic setting with less intensive selection pressure than occurred with the biotype reported here.

Bill Curran, Agronomy, Weed Science


Precision Vision:

GETTING TOGETHER AT THE COFFEE SHOP FOR SINKERS AND PRECISION AG TALK

The year has gone too fast and this last column is now about to become history. I hope that those of you who have read the 12 columns of Precision Vision that I wrote for the Field Crop News have gained some better understanding of this "new" technology of Precision Agriculture. I have had several of those readers comment that they enjoyed the column and did learn from the material. I plan to condense the 12 columns into a single publication as a pamphlet as an introduction to the subject of precision technologies. Available from your county agent in the future!

I have been busy this past year providing precision application training sessions throughout the State of Pennsylvania, and I find that I have truly enjoyed the people I met and this beautiful state we live in. We are truly blessed, though there are those days when the rain has not been there to help the crops, or it has been too wet to get tractors in the fields.

I have been exploring my roots too, here in Pennsylvania. My great-great-great-great-grandfather Henry Wagner received a grant from William Penn for 178 acres of land near Centerville and Liverpool Pa. According to my father, my great-grandmother was a full blood Susquehanna Indian girl. We can't prove it, so for now its part of the Wagner family myth. Being a descendant of those Pennsylvania Dutch farmers who helped colonize Pennsylvania, I felt at home talking with farmers and extension agents. I am proud to be here, and hopefully will provide some usefulness to all of you who depend on agriculture for your living. This winter, many of you will be getting together for morning coffee, to talk about the drought of 1998, the poor prices of 1998, and how you will "just have to think about gettin out of the farming business, before you run out of money." Farming runs in the blood, and next spring when the leaves start budding and the snows begin to melt, the urge to plant and to harvest will be there again. I am reminded of the words that old Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, "Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward."

The goal is, of course, to make a living and to run a profitable business - and to have farming be that business that will allow us to pay the bills, the mortgage, buy seed and fertilizer - and to have enough left over to replace the old pickup truck and perhaps send the daughter or son to college, "down at State College." We need new blood in agricultural engineering who believe in making the land produce.

I believe that one of the problems facing Pennsylvania agriculture is that we have so many restrictions and more added every year. It is difficult to know how to use all the resources available. There seems to me to be almost an answer to every question, but often a person doesn't know who to contact or where to go to get the right answer. Extension is there to provide many of the answers, and we have access to innumerable resources - if we really know what you needed for answers.

Here is a list of the columns that I have written over the past eight months for Field Crop News:

3/20 Intro and Sprayer Cleaning
4/17 Airblast Sprayer Calibration and Spray Arithmetic
5/1 Boom Sprayer Calibration and Nozzle Selection
5/15 Pesticide Spray Drift - your angry Neighbors!
5/29 What are these things called GPS?
6/12 Mapping my Farm - Who needs it!
6/26 Does a GIS have a place in my farming operations?
7/10 Soil Sampling - Do I average or map my sampling data?
7/24 Variable Rate Application - Show me the Beef
8/10 Getting Ready for Ag Progress Days
9/4 What about yield monitoring?
10/9 Getting the year's data into my Farm Management Software

If you are interested in reading any of them again, let me know and I will get you a copy. Each copy of Field Crop News is also on the Internet at:

http://fcn.agronomy.psu.edu/

Contact me if you need help

David Wagner,
Ag & Bio Engineering, Precision Ag


Agents Corner:


BERKS COUNTY

It is the first week of November and we have had no better weather for getting grain crops harvested the past 3-4 weeks. In spite of beneficial weather, a good portion of the crop is yet to be harvested. Some earlier pockets of frost delayed soybean leaf drop, thus combine operation. Also, hay growers pushed the time limit on their final cutting, especially alfalfa. It looks like they may have been granted a longer window for regrowth.

Overall, the word is that most growers are holding grain in storage due to low price. I also suspect that many growers are taking advantage of solar power to dry down grain for storage. Corn yields are lower (grain and silage), probably due to the late summer dry spell. Soybean yields are all over the board. Some beans never did grow well due to the environment. Yet, I have made some good yield checks of soybeans that would make any grower happy.

Overall, the word is that most growers are holding grain in storage due to low price. I also suspect that many growers are taking advantage of solar power to dry down grain for storage. Corn yields are lower (grain and silage), probably due to the late summer dry spell. Soybean yields are all over the board. Some beans never did grow well due to the environment. Yet, I have made some good yield checks of soybeans that would make any grower happy.

One of the surprises in the field that I encountered with 5 acre corn club checks was the dreaded burcucumber. Looks like the last flush came on late and strong when moisture finally came in late summer.

Mena Hautau,
Berks County

CRAWFORD/ERIE COUNTIES

Greetings once more from the great Northwest. It's really quite remarkable that we are this far along into harvesting (and the football season) and have yet to see any white stuff (snow) or wallowing in the mud. We're not complaining but it's sure unusual.

For as dry of a season as we've had, crops, in general, have not been all that bad. Certainly, our corn silage yields will be down, perhaps 30% as a ball park estimate. Corn grain yields, however, appear to be closer to our average production levels. Somehow, despite very limited rainfall, pollination and grain filling still were not too disappointing except for on the coarser textured soils. As would be expected, soybean production was not as adversely effected by the dry season. A small trial I had out with a cooperating producer yielded in the 55 bushel per acre range. As I had noted earlier, some of our producers were introduced to spider mites in a fairly big way. Also, I had previously reported on at least one instance of what I had initially diagnosed as Mexican bean beetle larvae feeding on soybean roots. However, Penn State Extension entomologist Dennis Calvin recently informed me that the culprit was more likely a bean leaf beetle larvae feeding on the roots. On the bright side, our incidence of white mold (Sclerotinia) was less than usual.

The conditions this fall have provided an excellent opportunity for lime applications, and many producers seem to be taking advantage. This is obviously very positive, as the importance of proper pH can't be over emphasized in my book. Another positive aspect of the unusually dry season is that fields should be in better than usual shape for no till plantings next spring. That will certainly be a luxury that we're rather unaccustomed to.

Finally, we kicked off the 1998 Agronomy Service School here in Meadville this week. We had a fine turn out, and the consensus here is that the Agronomy specialists have put together a first rate program (once again).

Here's hoping that you take advantage of as many educational opportunities as possible this winter. I'll look forward to keeping you posted from our neck of the woods again next season.

Joel Hunter,
Crawford County

DAUPHIN COUNTY

Although Dauphin County has received some rain recently, conditions county-wide are still relatively dry, particularly in the upper part of the county. Corn and soybean harvest is in full swing. Yields seem to be variable. Indications are that corn yields are lower than normal except for a few producers in the lower part of the county. Yields for late cuttings of alfalfa were below normal.

Small grain planting is complete. Germination was somewhat delayed due to dry conditions.

Jerry Martin,
Dauphin County

FAYETTE COUNTY

I can't believe the 98 crop production season is over already and what a year it was in the SW. Corn producers are bragging about never before having yields like this year. A much higher percentage of dairymen have harvested hay fields four times plus have considerable regrowth which should provide good winter cover. All forage producers have had good opportunities to harvest quality feedstuffs. Yesterday, Nov. 4, I witnessed one producer baling dry hay. That is unheard of in the SW this late in the year.

Since mid September, very little moisture has fallen which has provided a really unusual dry uninterrupted harvest season. Of course the low rainfall is stifling winter small grain development. Also those farmers who have witnessed the benefits of subsurface tillage have had a really great opportunity to get that completed. One producer, after seeing the difference in tillage plots established on his farm this spring, subsoiled over 70 acres this fall and we haven't even harvested the plots yet.

Five acre corn club participants are experiencing yields higher than normal for the area. In one of the replications of a Bt corn plot, 174 dry bushels per acre was recorded. One producer claims 150 bushel corn averages (unverified) and another says he harvested 209 bu. per acre on a no-till field (unverified). Those yields are not the norm for the area.

But all is not rosy, there were some really shabby corn and soybean fields also. Growers have been complaining of more wildlife damage to beans than normal.

In summary, 1998 will be remembered fondly and has provided new records to be broken in the future.

Don Fretts
Fayette County

LYCOMING COUNTY

Corn in the area is running about "average". A few fields checked had yields in the 180 range but many were down at 125 to 145 bu./acre. This seems to be the norm for this region in 1998 due to the effects of the drought. Normally in a dry year we see pockets of very high corn yields in river bottom areas but they have not been found yet. There is quite a bit of corn borer present in the stalks, but little damage to yield yet, as we have had generally good weather conditions with little wind to cause breakage.

Soybeans are approximately 75% harvested in the area with yields averaging 35 bushels and better. Some fields ran 60 bushels and I heard of a local field in the low 70 range. With the good weather, lodging has not been much of a factor and bean moistures have averaged 8 to 14%.

Hay is still being harvested by some producers after the recent hard frosts. Many producers only got three cuttings this season, but I spoke with someone yesterday taking off his fifth cutting. Hay seems to be in generally good supply at the moment in the retail and hay markets. Demand for quality hay is increasing locally, so the supply situation may change by late winter.

Commodity prices seem to be stabilizing in the world at the moment. Our local grain marketing club has been watching closely for a floor in the price of corn, soybeans, and wheat. Several indicators look favorable that the bottom may have been reached and prices starting a modest rebound, but it's still early to make that prediction. Most growers with storage are filling it!

Tom Murphy
Lycoming County

MIFFLIN/JUNIATA/PERRY COUNTIES

Harvest is well underway here in Central PA. The soybeans yield reports seem to be slightly lower than last year, in the 40 - 45 bushel per acre range. Quality and size of the soybeans seems to be close to normal.

Most of the corn silage has been harvested with yields being slightly lower than normal. Low plant populations, that were a result of the soil moisture extremes we had with this spring, and shorter stalk heights seem to be the reasons for the reduced yields. Corn harvested for grain has been coming off for at least 3 weeks. However, there are still quite a few fields that have green in the stalks.

Winter wheat and barley fields that were planted close to the optimum dates look good with excellent emergence and growth. Rye planted as a cover crop is doing very well also.

Sunny days through the fall season has allowed much of the fourth cutting alfalfa to be harvested as dry hay. This late cutting will help boost the final yield per acre to above normal levels. Pastures are still green and producing well, again thanks to the fall weather conditions we are experiencing.

We have had a number of farm accidents in our locale this past growing season. These situations were truly accidents, and remind us that you can never be too cautious around equipment. The safest way to work on equipment is with the motor or the power turned completely off!

Greg Hostetter
Juniata County

YORK COUNTY

Harvest is progressing well with many good days available without rain. Actually some farmers would like to get a little rain to help get recently planted wheat going more uniformly. Corn yields reported have been very good in general; 150+ bushels per acre are common. Soybeans are also yielding quite well though perhaps not as good relative to corn, but much better than I predicted since we had very dry and hot conditions late in the season.

John Rowehl
York County

William S. Curran
Associate Professor Weed Science
email: wsc2@psu.edu

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