CMEG Crop Management Extension Group

Field Crop News

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

October 3, 2006    Vol. 06:23

IN THIS ISSUE:

Weather Outlook — Paul Knight

There will be a feel of summer in the air on Wednesday as readings approach record maximums in the southeast counties (middle 80’s). A strong cold front will push from northwest to southeast across the state starting in the early afternoon in Erie and reaching Delaware after midnight. A few potent thunderstorms will accompany the front in the northwest quarter of Pennsylvania. Temperatures may drop as much as ten degrees in one hour after the front passes. Thursday will feel like mid—autumn with plenty of sun, a gusty wind from the north and readings in the 50’s to mid 60’s. The majority of the computer guidance points to dry weather from Friday into next Monday with very chilly mornings yielding to increasingly milder afternoons. Valley fog would be common particularly along the rivers each morning. There is a minority of the computer forecasts that show an intense low developing near the Virginia Capes and its circulation tossing ocean clouds back across the eastern half of the state during the weekend, with even some drizzle. Either way, by this coming Monday, it will turn warm with a few late day showers preceding a new push of seasonably cool air.

Can Alfalfa be Harvested Yet This Fall? — Marvin Hall, Dept. of Crop & Soil Sciences

Managing alfalfa stands in the fall is really very similar to deciding whether or not to exceed the speed limit. Both involve the continuous assessment of the benefits and risks associated with your actions. For example, you probably wouldn’t break the speed limit if you knew that the police were waiting just down the road looking for speeders. The risk of a ticket would be greater than the benefits of speeding. Likewise, you probably wouldn’t take a harvest in the fall if you knew that a very cold and open (no snow cover) winter was waiting just ahead. The risk of loosing the alfalfa stand would be greater than the benefits of taking the harvest. The benefits and risks of fall harvesting, just like speeding, must be assessed in each situation to determine if the risks are greater than the benefits.

The benefits of fall harvesting change continually depending on the amount of forage needed and the price of purchased forage. In a drought year, alfalfa is likely to be scarce and expensive. In this situation, the benefits of taking a fall harvest may be great enough to completely ignore the risk to stand health or life. Likewise, in a year when the barns and silos are full of quality alfalfa then the benefits of taking a fall harvest are much less than the risks.

Below are some things to consider and help make the decision about taking a fall harvest or not.

Age of stand: Older alfalfa stands are more likely to winter kill or suffer winter injury following a fall harvest than younger alfalfa stands.
Variety: Alfalfa varieties with moderate resistance to several diseases and sufficient winterhardiness have greater tolerance to stress from fall harvesting than less disease resistant or winterhardy varieties.
Soil pH and fertility: Adequate soil pH and fertility minimizes the risk of fall harvesting by allowing alfalfa plants to develop properly and be healthier.
Soil drainage: Alfalfa on well—drained soils is less likely to suffer winter injury than alfalfa on poorly—drained soils.
Harvest frequency: Alfalfa harvest schedules which do not allow the alfalfa plant to flower once during the season, predisposes the plant to winter injury.
Fall cutting height: Leaving six to eight inches of stubble when taking a fall harvest will reduce the risk of winter injury.

The decision to take a fall harvest is not always as simple; however, assessing the risks can be helpful in making the “best” decision.

Grubs in Pastures and Hay Fields — Del Voight, Lebanon Co.

Grubs are continuing to affect grass hay. Here is a discussion of the management of grubs by Kathy Flanders an Alabama Entomologist. While their mild environment is different they deal with these issue more than we do in the North. To view the entire publication, ANR-991, with photos follow this link. http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0991/

Four types of grubs are common in grass pastures. They are the larval stages of green June beetles, May beetles in the genus Phyllophaga, southern masked chafers (occasionally northern masked chafers), and Japanese beetles. The green June beetle is an increasing problem in Alabama. The grubs of this beetle rarely feed on grass roots, but their extensive burrowing activities disrupt the root—soil contact. Once the soil around the roots is loosened, grazing cattle can easily uproot the plants. When green June beetle grubs are present, the pasture will seem to have thinned out. There will be areas where the soil is pulverized, and you may see 0.5—inch—diameter tunnels that the grubs have made. The green June beetle grub is stout, it has short legs, and it crawls on its back. This distinguishes it from other white grubs which have longer legs and typically curl up into a C—shape when disturbed. Grubs typically come to the surface at night to feed on organic matter.

Green June beetles have one generation per year. The green and gold adults fly in the daytime and are a familiar sight in July and August. Eggs hatch in August and early September. Best time to spray is in September and early October. They reach 2 inches by late fall or early spring. Pastures in high—risk areas should be checked for green June beetle grubs. High—risk pastures include (1) those in which manure has been applied as fertilizer, (2) fields on sandy or light soils, and (3) fields in fruit—growing regions. This is particularly important if winter forages will be interseeded. The tunneling activities can tear up young plants. Green June beetle grubs tend to move along a drill row, pushing out seedlings as they go. The best way to scout for green June beetles is to look for tunneling holes or for thin areas in pastures. Then, use a shovel to carefully dig out a square—foot surface area to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. Sift the soil carefully, looking for the grubs. Check at least five samples per field. Treat fescue with an insecticide (see Table if more than two to four grubs per square foot are found. Bermudagrass should be treated if four to six grubs per square foot are found. Fields where winter annuals are planted should be treated if more than one green June beetle grub per square foot is found. See Extension Circular ANR-991 for more details on green June beetle biology http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0991/.

May beetles, chafers, and Japanese beetle grubs feed on the roots of pasture grasses. They can prune the roots so intensively that the pasture sod can be rolled back like a carpet. In some years, pastures may not recover from this severe pruning. At least 2,000 acres of pasture were lost to May beetle grubs in 1985–1986. Smaller populations of grubs can reduce plant stand, allowing invasion by broadleaf weeds. The broadleaf weeds, in turn, make it easier for Scarab females to get down to the soil to lay eggs, causing further damage to sod. White grubs occur in mixed populations. It is rare that an infestation consists of a single species. If all species had similar life cycles, feeding impact, and response to insecticides, management decisions could be made without identifying species. However, this is not the case. Currently, there are no insecticides registered on pastures that are effective against May beetles, Japanese beetles, and southern masked chafers. Cultural practices to promote vigorous growth can help the grass sod recover. Weed control may be necessary for 1 to 2 years after damage has occurred. Japanese beetles, southern masked chafers, and green June beetles have a single—year life cycle and their larvae are most damaging in late summer and fall. May beetles have 1– to 3– year life cycles, and their larvae are actively feeding except during the coolest months of the year.

Winter Storage of Pesticides

Plan pesticide purchases so that supplies are used by the end of the growing season. When pesticides are stored for the winter, keep them at temperatures above freezing, under dry conditions, and out of direct sunlight.

HANDLING PESTICIDES
The following points should be followed:
1. Read the label. Special storage recommendations or restrictions will be printed on the label.
2. Write the purchase or delivery date of the product on the label with indelible ink. Products may lose their effectiveness over several years.
3. Ventilation is important for storage of most pesticides.
4. Store herbicides separately from other pesticides to avoid contamination.
5. Signs of quality deterioration are shown in Table D–1.

After freezing, place pesticides in warm storage (50°-80°F]) and shake or roll container every few hours to mix product or eliminate layering. If layering persists or if all crystals do not completely dissolve, do not use product. If in doubt, call the manufacturer. For a listing of winter storage of pesticides, see Table D–2 Additional information can be obtained from manufacturers’ websites.

Source: 2006 PA Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations

Soybeans—Green Stem Syndrome — Mena Hautau, Berks Co.

Green stem is a common name for soybean plants that retain green stems well past the point of normal maturity. Green stem syndrome has been observed for years, but has increased dramatically in the past few years. This has led to increasing numbers of complaints of soybeans clogging up combines during harvest and contributing to spoilage in storage.

What causes green stem
Green stem is a complex disease that appears to have more than one cause. Leaf symptoms of green stem often resemble virus infections, and both Bean Pod Mottle virus and Soybean Mosaic virus infections have been associated with green stem. However, specific viruses are not always detected in plants with green stem, and plants with specific viruses do not always have green stem!

Other factors thought to be involved in green stem are insect damage, genetic mutations, and a variety’s tendency to retain a green stem.

More information is available at http://www.planthealth.info/gss_basics.htm
Source: Plant Health Initiative

2006 Keystone Crops and Soils Conference — Andrew Frankenfield, Montgomery Co.

The 2006 Keystone Crops Conference will be held in Grantville, PA on October 25 and 26, 2006. This two day conference will provide numerous educational sessions providing up—to—date agronomic information. This year’s Seminar will offer Certified Crop Advisors the opportunity to earn up to 14 CCA Continuing Education Units (CEUs). CEUs will be available in the following categories: Nutrient Management (NM), Crop Management (CM), Soil and Water Management (SW), and Pest Management (PM).

Conference topics include:
PA No-Till and Crop Protection Update — Syngenta
Crop Diagnostics
Life of Soils: Plants, Microbes and Organic Matter
No—Till Planter Conditioning and Accessorizing Water Movement in Soils and Aquifers
Soybean Aphids: Biology & Management
Crop Protection Update — Bayer
Stress and the Common Corn Plant Nutrient Management Funding Opportunities
Slugs in No—Till Crops
Soybean Fungicides and Wheat Head Blight
Change Land Use or Cover — Change the Soil
Zone Tillage Fit in Northeast

For registration information visit http://cca.psu.edu or contact Amy Bradford, at 717-651-5920 or abradford@pennag.com.

To Store or Not to Store? — John Berry, Lehigh Co.

That’s the big question that drives post—harvest grain marketing, but you don’t need a crystal ball to make an informed decision. By learning to evaluate the post—harvest marketing landscape, you can size—up grain storage opportunities with greater confidence.

More than 8,000 producers have participated in Winning the Game sessions during the past several years. Many leave a session proclaiming it was the best marketing workshop they have ever attended. The “Winning the Game” series simulates real—life marketing decisions and we’re pleased to invite you to this practical and highly regarded workshop.

Developed by the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management, these workshops simulate real-life grain marketing decisions, enabling farmers to practice marketing without the risk of losing actual money. During the 3—hour program, participants put their marketing skills to work, making grain marketing decisions based on actual market information.

“Over the course of their career, a farmer may have only 30 crops to sell,” says John Berry, Penn State Cooperative Extension, agricultural marketing educator. “That doesn’t leave much room for learning curve errors. We designed these courses to give farmers a chance to practice their marketing skills in a no—risk environment.”

“Winning the Game: The Post—harvest Marketing Challenge” is coming to Leesport on Monday, December 11, 2006. In this workshop, participants gain a greater understanding of the seasonality of post—harvest grain prices, learn to evaluate their grain storage opportunities and explore the marketing tools available to capture post—harvest “carry” premiums. As part of the workshop, participants test their grain marketing skills with a fast—paced marketing game that simulates a complete year of grain marketing. They see the results of their decisions, not just for one year, but also against 15 years of actual market prices.

“Through the marketing game, participants learn how to size up the post—harvest market and make decisions on whether it makes sense to store grain,” Berry explains. “Farmers go to great lengths developing production plans for their crops, but they rarely plan how to get a good price for the resulting grain,” Berry notes. “In this workshop, we give farmers an opportunity to develop a marketing plan and practice its implementation, using actual daily market prices.”

For registration information email jwb15@psu.edu or call 610-391-9840 if you have any questions.

Contributors: State Specialists: Marvin Hall, Sjoerd Duiker and Doug Beegle Extension Educators: Paul Craig (Dauphin), Del Voight (Lebanon), Kevin Fry (Armstrong), Andrew Frankenfield (Montgomery), Mena Hautau (Berks), Susan Alexander (Jefferson), Mark Madden (Sullivan), John Rowehl (Cumberland), and Craig Williams (Tioga)

Editor: Andrew Frankenfield, Agricultural Educator, Montgomery Co.

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