CMEG Crop Management Extension Group

Field Crop News

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

January 23, 2007    Vol. 07:01

IN THIS ISSUE:

Weather Outlook — Paul Knight

While we have passed the mid-point of the three coldest months of the year (Dec-Jan-Feb), it is clear that real winter is about to begin in Pennsylvania. The long spells of warm weather which dominated from mid-December until this week will shrivel into a few days of mild air at irregular intervals during the next six weeks. The majority of the time will average near or below seasonal temperatures from Jan 17-March 1. During this period of wintry chill, the Great Lakes will be prolific in snow production and there should be several threats from nor'easters, though the main storm track should be just offshore. Odds favor the best chance of significant snow in Pennsylvania between Jan 21 and Feb 10, the latter half of February should be drier than normal and the chilly pattern may break after February 20th. The specifics for the next week show the frigid air on Wednesday relaxing to a more seasonable chill on Thursday and Friday.

A new surge of frigid air will arrive with snow showers (mainly west and north) on Friday afternoon into early Saturday. This chill will relax on Sunday as a complex storm moves toward Pennsylvania. The most likely scenario is for a light snowfall in the northwest half of the state (couple of inches) and a mixture of snow, sleet and rain in the southeast half. By the middle of next week, the coldest air of the season will be on our doorstep.

Nutrient Management and Soil Conservation Requirements for Smaller Farms — Doug Goodlander, Nutrient Management Program Director, State Conservation Commission

Nutrient Management requirements relating to larger animal operations has recently been the focus of many education and outreach efforts. These larger operations have a whole new set of nutrient management planning and implementation efforts. But what has not been discussed to any great extent is the state agency requirements for smaller animal operations and how they need to deal with nutrient management and soil loss control.

What small and mid sized farms in Pennsylvania are required to have and implement in order to be in compliance with Pennsylvania water quality laws are:

  1. An agricultural erosion and sedimentation control plan (or conservation plan) and
  2. A manure management plan

DEP is just now finalizing the framework for developing a farmer friendly agricultural erosion and sedimentation control plan. These plans are intended to address soil loss associated with all cropland on your farm, just like conservation plans have done for years. In addition to developing an agricultural erosion and sedimentation control plan under this soon to be released format, this requirement can also generally be met by obtaining a current conservation plan through NRCS or the conservation district.

DEP is just now finalizing the framework for developing a farmer friendly manure management. These plans are intended to describe proper manure handling and application practices for your farm. A manure management plan looks at both nitrogen and phosphorus losses from the operation, with the farmer selecting their method for addressing phosphorus based on a number of options available to them. It also requires that barnyards and feedlot areas be managed in such a way as to eliminate manure directly running off of these areas into streams. In addition to developing a manure management plan under this new format, this requirement can also be met by developing a nutrient management plan as described in the Pennsylvania Nutrient Management Act.

It is DEP’s intention that implementing a well designed manure management and conservation plan will enhance the long-term sustainability for your farm. Sound soil and nutrient management practices equate to enhanced soil quality, improved animal health, more efficient crop production, and a better bottom line.

Farmers need to act now to develop these farm management tools to help them maintain their important farm water resources and to ensure environmental compliance. The regional DEP office, county conservation district or local NRCS office can assist landowners in understanding these important farm management tools and how to go about developing these site specific plans.

Corn on Corn Considerations — Greg W. Roth, Grain Crop Management, Crop and Soil Sciences

The demand for corn and the higher price are making many producers consider increasing the amount of corn they grow. My understanding is that more Midwest corn producers are considering moving toward a corn-corn-soybean rotation in contrast to the typical corn-soybean rotation. Before considering a major switch in rotations consider the impacts on crop storage requirements, timeliness of planting, conservation plans and profitability. In some areas of Pennsylvania with less than ideal soils, corn yields are lower relative to soybean yields than in the Midwest and the crop benefits to rotation may be larger.

On good soils, corn yields may average 180 bushels per acres and soybeans 60 bushels, for a 3:1 ratio. On droughty soils, in some areas of our state corn yields average 110 bushels/acre with soybean yields of 45 bushels, resulting in a ratio of 2.4. I’d consider using a partial budget approach (http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/ua366.pdf) to assess the potential of a rotation change, including N, yields, insecticide and other costs before making a switch in rotations. In one grain farm assessment we did on lower yielding corn soils, we did not find any benefit to moving to more corn. On higher yielding soils, it could be more favorable. On dairy or livestock farms, it might be good to consider the potential of growing more corn grain or silage to offset purchased grain costs.

Moving to more corn following corn has some production considerations. First is the lack of a N credit from the previous crop that will need to be accounted for. This will result in 50 lb/acre more N compared to following a 50 bu/acre soybean crop. A second consideration is 8-10% lower yields of corn following corn compared to corn following soybeans. On some of our shallower soils, this effect could increase to 20%. On deep river bottom and limestone soils, this “rotation effect” is smaller and on the highest yielding soils may be negligible.

Another consideration is residue management. If tillage is not an option, consider planter options to successfully deal with the higher residue levels. Associated with the residue is the potential for cooler and wetter soils at planting. Delaying planting of these high residue fields and using planter attachments that help with potentially wetter soils (wavy coulters, spade tooth closing wheels) could help improve no-till success. An extended wet spring is not ideal when you have lots of no-till corn on corn to plant.

Pest management is another issue. Corn rootworms are a concern in some fields. The rootworm Bt hybrids have performed well relative to insecticides in our trials, especially on compacted or shallow soils, so these could have a good fit in some corn-corn situations. An in-field refuge planted to another corn hybrid will need to be part of this plan. Weed control in corn on corn fields is often straightforward and similar to other rotations, except there may be more risks with controlling volunteer corn, especially if its glyphosate tolerant and glyphosate is part of the weed control program.

Another issue is the increased potential for foliar diseases in some fields, especially if they are no-tilled. Hybrids should be selected that have above average tolerance for gray leaf spot or northern corn leaf blight. Hybrids should also be selected for good drought and overall stress tolerance. I might also hedge a bit on the earlier side for corn on corn hybrids to account for slower emergence and more rapid development to help avoid a late season gray leaf spot epidemic. Fungicides are also a possibility if gray leaf spot or other foliar diseases are anticipated.

In summary, corn following corn can be a profitable option, but will require more management, especially in no-till situations where residue levels are high. With our dairy farm crop rotations, many of our producers have considerable experience successfully growing corn following corn, but paying attention to the details is often a key part of their success.

Is Your Planter Ready? — Sjoerd Duiker, Soil Management, Crop and Soil Sciences

The quality of your corn stand will largely depend on planter performance. An irregular stand can easily cost you 10% of your yield. Planter performance is especially critical in no-till because of high penetration resistance, crop residue at the soil surface, and a rough soil surface. Inadequate planting will result in uneven seed depth and plant spacing. Hairpinning is common if coulters and row cleaners don't work properly. Now is the time to get your planter maintenance done. Here are some tips to prepare your planter for the new season.

  1. Level planter. By placing a level on the toolbar you can easily check if it is horizontally aligned. If you notice that the unit is either hanging back- or forwards, you need to lift or lower the hook-up to the tractor. This is essential to get accurate seed depth placement.
  2. Planter unit alignment. Look across your planter units from the side. Are they all at the same height? If one unit is either up or down compared to the others, it needs some work. A common problem is that some bolts are loose. You should not be able to easily lift up your unit.
  3. Diameter of seed opener disks. Check operator manual to determine acceptable disk diameter. Stick two business cards between the openers and move them as close together as possible. The space between them should be 3" or more, depending on your planter type. If opener disks are worn too much you will get a “W” shaped seed slot instead of the desired “V” slot.
  4. Diameter of coulters. Check the diameter of the coulters, and replace them if needed. You should adjust the depth of worn coulters that are still usable.
  5. Pressure on firming wheels. Check the pressure on the firming wheels. The downward pressure should be adequate, but not too high (check operator manual).
  6. Depth wheels. Depth wheels should run tight. Change washers from in- to outside (or vice versa) of depth wheel if necessary.
  7. Depth of seed placement. Place the planter on a concrete floor to measure the difference between the bottom of the depth wheels and slot opener, and adjust to the desired depth. The front coulter should be set at the appropriate depth (no deeper than the seed slot openers).
  8. Alignment of individual components. Take a rope and pull it straight from the front coulter to the back press wheels. The firming wheels, slot openers, and coulters should all be in line.
  9. Wear on chains and sprockets. Check the chains that drive meters and their sprockets. If they are worn too much they need to be replaced. Excessive wearing of these parts will cause skips and doubles.
  10. Clean metering units. Take metering units apart. Remove dirt and clean the hood with soapy water (no kerosene, diesel or oil should ever be used in metering units!). Check for broken fingers in a finger-pickup meter, check the brush that wipes of excess seeds, and see if a groove has formed in the chromium house of the metering unit. If the groove becomes large, and if brushes wear, you have a greater likelihood of doubles. Brushes need to be replaced at least every other year.
  11. Elevator belt in metering unit. The belt (in finger pick-up meters) should be flexible, not have cracks in it, and should be clean. Clean with soapy water and let it dry before putting it back in. Put the metering unit back together. The rubber belt should be placed back in the right direction, or your meter will malfunction. You can lubricate with graphite (NO OIL or WD-40).
  12. Calibrate meter. It is highly recommended to take your finger pick-up metering unit to the dealer to have it calibrated. Take a bag of your own seed with you, and give him the correct speed at which you'll be driving.
  13. Vacuum/air units. If you have a vacuum or air meter, check for leaks and appropriate vacuum or air pressure.
  14. Check your fertilizer unit. Hang a bucket below the tube of the unit, and do a test run of 175 feet in the field. Weigh the fertilizer in the bucket, multiply by 100, and you have the fertilizer you'll put on in pounds per acre (at 30" row spacing). Adjust as needed.

What’s New for Agronomic Weed Control: 2007 Overview — Dwight Lingenfelter and William Curran, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

Labeled Products — CORN

Autumn 10WDG (Bayer CropScience) contains iodosulfuron, may be applied after fall harvest and up to 30 days prior to corn planting and should generally be tankmixed with 2,4-D to increase the weed control spectrum. Autumn will provide short-term residual control of small seeded broadleaves, but will not provide season-long pre control of annual grasses and broadleaf weeds.

Impact 2.8SC (AMVAC) is a new active ingredient (topramesone) that is similar to Callisto and can be used in field or sweet corn. Impact has similar broadleaf activity but increased grass activity when compared to Callisto. It controls lambsquarters, pigweed, velvetleaf, ragweed, giant foxtail, barnyardgrass, and crabgrass. However, it is not intended to be a standalone grass herbicide, but is fairly effective on small annual grasses.

Resolve 25DF (DuPont) contains the single active ingredient, rimsulfuron. It can be tank mixed with full or reduced rates of most registered corn herbicides and can be applied pre or post. Resolve alone will control several small seedling weeds, grass less than 2 inches and broadleaves less than 3 inches.

Stout 72.5DF (DuPont) contains nicosulfuron (Accent) plus thifensulfuron (Harmony GT) and controls several annual grassy and broadleaf weeds in field corn (Stout will not control crabgrass species).

Status 56WG (BASF) is a new broadleaf, corn herbicide containing Distinct plus a corn safener.

Labeled Products — SOYBEAN

Authority First DF or Sonic 70DF (FMC/Dow AgroSciences) is a preemergence, herbicide combining sulfentrazone (Authority) and cloransulam (FirstRate) for annual broadleaf control. It provides residual control of horseweed, lambsquarters, pigweed, nightshade, ragweed, and other broadleaves in conventional or RR soybean systems.

Prefix 5.32EC (Syngenta) is a preemergence, herbicide co-pack that includes s-metolachlor (Dual II Magnum) and fomesafen (Reflex) for annual grass, nutsedge, and broadleaf control in soybeans and snap beans. Prefix can be used in conventional or RR soybean systems.

Labeled Products — SMALL GRAINS

Axial 0.83L (Syngenta) is a new, unique ACCase-inhibitor herbicide containing pinoxaden that controls foxtails, annual ryegrass, barnyardgrass, and volunteer oats in wheat and barley. It does not control downy brome, annual bluegrass, quackgrass, or ACCase-resistant ryegrass.

Finesse Grass & Broadleaf 71.7WDG (DuPont) contains chlorsulfuron (Glean) plus flucarbazone (Everest) and controls both weedy grasses and broadleaves in wheat. Finesse G&B has activity on downy brome, Japanese brome, cheat, annual ryegrass, wild buckwheat, chickweed, wild garlic, henbit, mustards, speedwell, Canada thistle, and several other broadleaf weeds.

Prowl H2O 3.8CS (BASF) received a supplemental label for use in wheat. This new label could be especially helpful for control of winter annual grasses. Prowl H2O should be applied from the 1-leaf to 4-tiller growth stage of wheat planted at least 1.5 inches deep and before weed emergence. Emerged weeds will not be controlled by Prowl H2O

Labeled Products — FORAGE, PASTURE and/or CR(E)P

Milestone 2L and ForeFront R&P 3L (Dow AgroSciences) are pasture herbicides containing a new active ingredient called aminopyralid. Milestone is the single active ingredient and ForeFront R&P also contains 2,4-D. Milestone is a broadleaf herbicide that provides systemic control of several problem weeds including most thistles, dock species, solanaceous weeds (e.g. horsenettle) and smooth bedstraw. Some other benefits include, very low toxicity to birds, fish, mammals and aquatic invertebrates, non volatile, no grazing restrictions, and it is NOT a restricted use pesticide (ForeFront has a 7 day haying restriction).

Prowl H2O 3.8CS (BASF) received a supplemental label for use in established alfalfa. Applications can be made in the fall after the last cutting through spring, before alfalfa reaches 6 inches of regrowth and prior to weed emergence. Prowl H2O will control many annual grasses and broadleaves.

Cimarron Plus 63WDG (DuPont) contains metsulfuron (Cimarron) and chlorsulfuron (Glean) and controls many broadleaf weeds in grass pastures and CR(E)P lands. Cimarron Plus may be applied to many native grass species (switchgrass, bluestems, grama grass, etc.) and other pasture grasses (orchardgrass, smooth brome, etc.). Do not use on timothy or Matua bromegrass, and Cimarron Plus may injure ryegrass and fescue species. Cimarron Plus will take the place of Cimarron. Cimarron 60DF is being phased out.

Pending Products

Laudis 5.25SC (Bayer CropScience) is a new, experimental, post, herbicide that contains tembotrione, for use in field and sweet corn. Laudis has similar broadleaf activity to Callisto and Impact and similar grass activity to Impact.

Olympus Flex 11.25WDG (Bayer CropScience) contains mesosulfuron (Osprey) plus propoxycarbazone (Olympus) and is pending approval for use in wheat in PA. It provides control of grass and broadleaf weeds such as annual ryegrass, annual bluegrass, downy and Japanese brome, cheat, hairy chess, bulbous oatgrass, mustards species and chickweeds.

SureStart 4.25L (Dow AgroSciences) is a new premix that contains acetochlor (TopNotch), clopyralid (Stinger), flumetsulam (Python), and a corn safener for pre control of annual grasses and broadleaf weeds. It can be tank-mixed to broaden its control spectrum or be used early post. Dow plans to market SureStart by 2008.

Other News — Incoming Herbicide Resistant Crops

Dicamba resistant soybeans are being developed by Monsanto to allow pre or post use of dicamba (Clarity, Banvel) on soybeans. Marketing of these soybean varieties is not expected until after 2010.

LibertyLink soybeans will allow over-the-top applications of glufosinate (Liberty). Glufosinate provides broad spectrum control of many grass and broadleaf weed species. A marketing date has not yet been determined.

Optimum GAT gene is Pioneer/DuPont’s own herbicide tolerant trait and should be commercially available in corn and soybean by 2009. This gene will confer both glyphosate and ALS resistance.

Roundup RReady2Yield soybean varieties should be launched in 2009. Monsanto claims these new Roundup Ready varieties will improve yields by up to 5 bu/A, and yet have all the weed control benefits of current RR soybean varieties.

Roundup Ready/Liberty Link stacked corn is available from various seed companies. These herbicide resistant varieties are usually sold in stacked combinations with insect protection traits as well. From a weed control standpoint, this stack of traits allows for more herbicide combination options for potentially better weed control. However, the choices to control stacked, herbicide resistant, volunteer corn in other crops become more limited.

RR/STS soybeans combine the stacked traits of Roundup Ready and STS allowing for better weed control. These varieties allow the use of over-the-top applications of glyphosate and higher rates of the sulfonylurea (e.g., Synchrony XP) herbicides to manage tough to control weeds such as lambsquarters, morningglory, and perennials.

Roundup Ready alfalfa varieties are now available allowing over-the-top applications of glyphosate for weed control in alfalfa. It has a wide harvest interval following application and good crop safety. It may also provide more opportunities for no-till alfalfa production. Penn State and other research suggests that RR alfalfa has the best fit in historically weedy fields with heavy grass pressure, late emerging weeds, heavy winter annual pressure, and problems with perennial weeds. However, keep in mind, fields consistently planted to other Roundup Ready crops and routinely treated with glyphosate can potentially lead to problems with glyphosate resistant weeds.

2007-2008 Agronomy Guide Now Available — Dave Messersmith, Extension Educator, Wayne County

It’s true! The new 2007–2008 Penn State Agronomy Guide is out and it’s packed with more information than ever!

The Agronomy Guide addresses production practices for all agronomic crops. Topics include soils and soil fertility, corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, small grains, forages, cover crops and conservation tillage for soil erosion control, organic crop production, and enterprise budgets.

Also included in the Guide are tables of useful weights and measures, English/metric conversions, average bushel weights and seed per pound, and keys for identifying common grassy and broadleaved weed seedlings in Pennsylvania.

Agronomy Guides are available at your local Penn State Extension office or directly through the Penn State Publications office by calling 814-865-6713. Cost is $12.00 per copy.

The Agronomy Guide can also be found on the web at: http://agguide.agronomy.psu.edu/

Looking for a Meeting? — Dave Messersmith and Kevin Fry

The meeting season is in full swing now and you may be finding it difficult to keep track of all the meetings in your area or deciding which ones to attend. Do you ever wish there was a location that kept track of all the meetings across the state so you didn’t have to. Well I’m here to tell you there is! Now is the perfect time to check out the Penn State CMEG calendar of events at http://www.events.psu.edu/cgi-bin/cal/webevent.cgi?cmd=opencal&cal=cal209&.

Looking for pesticide points? The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) and the Penn State Pesticide Education Program maintain an online database of all approved pesticide meetings across the state. Visit www.pested.psu.edu on the web and click on Recertification Meeting Finder to find a pesticide meeting near you. While you’re there you may want to check out some of the other features of this Web site. You can Check Your Pesticide Recertification Credits status (all you need is your applicator ID number and last name as it appears on your card), find pesticide labels and MSDS sheets, and numerous other resources.

Contributors: Dept. Crop & Soil Science: Dwight Lingenfelter. Extension Educators: Kevin Fry (Armstrong), Mena Hautau (Berks), Craig Williams (Tioga), John Rowehl (Cumberland), Paul Craig (Dauphin), Mark Madden (Sullivan), Jeff Graybill (Lancaster), and Dave Messersmith (Wayne).

Editor: Kevin Fry

Upcoming Events

Real time pest and heat unit activity: http://psu.zedxinc.com/cgi-bin/site.cgi?location=2&user=psu#

Calendar of Events: http://www.events.psu.edu/cgi-bin/cal/webevent.cgi?cmd=opencal&cal=cal209&

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