Field Crop News

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

July 14, 2009 Vol. 09:19

IN THIS ISSUE:

Weather Outlook
Dealing with DON in Wheat
Vomitoxin in My Wheat? (Risk Management Implications)
Ten Rules for Better Marketing
Soybean Leaf Cupping — Possible Causes
Insect Update: Soybean Aphid and Western Bean Cutworm
Corn Crop Development Lagging a Bit
Upcoming Events

Weather Outlook — Paul Knight, Pennsylvania State Climatologist

Record chill will be modified by daybreak on Wednesday with only a few readings in the 40’s across the northern tier. A flow of warmer (and more humid) air will arrive on Wednesday so that the southern half of the state will reach the 80’s. As a front crosses the Commonwealth during the first half of Thursday, a few showers and scattered thunderstorms are likely in the eastern half of Pennsylvania, this part of the state will only receive a quarter inch of rain or less. A drier and seasonably warm afternoon is likely in most sections on Thursday. A series of cool fronts will push into the region starting later Friday and this will continue during the weekend. Clouds and scattered showers are likely with each front. There is a chance of a well—organized disturbance on late Saturday or Sunday that would bring widespread rain. Cool weather will return for the first half of next week with daytime readings mainly in the 70’s. Clouds should dominate early in the week with more sunshine at mid—week.

A notable wet period is still possible in the latter half of July or August. Odds favor the first named storm in the Atlantic (Ana) to form near the Southeast coast between July 20–31. The hurricane season should have most of the storms develop after August 20. A very cool spell is likely during mid—September, with perhaps an unusually early end to the growing season in the northern counties. However, the latest indications point to a warmer than average September and October. The development of a weak El Nino conditions in the Pacific portend a wetter winter (and probably snowier) in the state.

Dealing with DON in Wheat — Pest and Crop Newsletter, Purdue Cooperative Extension

This week is a critical time to begin observing fields and determine management tactics. Here are some items I observed during my field visits.

Editors note: With wheat harvest underway in Central and Southeast Pennsylvania, some producers are faced with testing and, in some cases rejection of wheat due to DON detection. Some rejected wheat is still acceptable as feed wheat. The following article from Purdue should provide some useful insight into the issues.

Wheat harvest is underway in southern Indiana and with high levels of Fusarium head blight (scab) in many fields this year, it is possible that wheat may be contaminated with the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol, also known as DON or vomitoxin. DON is produced by the fungal pathogen that causes Fusarium head blight, and it is especially toxic to swine, but consumption of high levels of the toxin can impact the health of many animals. It is important to check fields to determine if scab is present. If the disease is present, increasing the fan speed on the combine at harvest can blow out the lighter scab—infected kernels, which contain most of the DON.

1. What is DON or vomitoxin?

DON is a toxin produced by the fungus that causes scab. The toxin is referred to as deoxynivalenol and vomitoxin. The occurrence of scab does NOT automatically mean that DON is present, but high levels of scabby kernels in the harvested grain should be suspect. DON can affect the health of animals that consume contaminated grain. DON also can affect flavors in foods and baking quality.

2. How does DON affect livestock?

DON causes feed refusal and poor weight gain in livestock. Hogs are most sensitive to DON, even at one part per million (1 ppm) contamination of hog feed. Cattle, sheep and poultry are more tolerant of DON. Diluting scabby wheat with normal quality grain may be a logical method of feeding wheat safely to on farm livestock.

3. What are safe levels of DON?

The Food and Drug Administration has established DON advisory levels as follows:

1 part per million for finished grain products for human consumption.
Swine: 5 ppm (not to exceed 20 percent of ration with finished feed = 1 ppm).
Ruminating beef and feedlot cattle, over 4 months old: 10 ppm (not to exceed 50 percent of diet with finished feed = 5 ppm)
Poultry: 10 ppm (not to exceed 50 percent of diet, with finished feed = 5 ppm).
All other animals: 5 ppm (not to exceed 40 percent of diet).

4. How can I determine if grain has DON?

The presence and amount of DON from scabby grain can only be verified through chemical analysis. There are a variety of commercial laboratories and quick test kits for mycotoxin analysis. Romer Labs http://www.romerlabs.com/ and Neogen http://www.neogen.com/ sell test strips for toxin analysis. For information about DON and other commercial laboratories visit the links at NC1025: Mycotoxins: Biosecurity and Food Safety http://www.btny.purdue.edu/NC1025.

5. Will drying and/or storage reduce scab or DON levels in grain?

NO. DON is a stable mycotoxin and drying and/or storage will not reduce DON levels in the infected grain. If handled properly, DON levels will NOT increase once grain is harvested and stored. The fungus requires 22 to 25 percent moisture content to grow. At moisture levels below 18 percent, the scab fungus will not continue to grow. Moisture content of scabby grain going into storage should be below 13 percent. There is no evidence of DON from scabby grain continuing to increase, if grain is stored at appropriately low moisture.

6. How should DON—contaminated grain be stored?

When storing scabby grain, try not to mix it with good quality wheat. The light, thin kernels caused by scab tend to accumulate in the center of a storage bin, and hot spots may occur if higher moisture fine material is present in the core as well. Using a cleaner to remove fines from the wheat before binning and a grain spreader to distribute scabby kernels more evenly will minimize spoilage risks. If a cleaner and a spreader are not available, the wheat should be cored as soon after binning as possible.

Fields being double cropped with soybeans could be at higher moistures at harvest than in normal years. If the grain is being dried in—bin with unheated air, the grain moisture at harvest should be below 18 percent. With scabby grain, it may be necessary to increase the rate of air flow to decrease the drying time. This can be achieved by reducing the depth of grain in the drying bin below normal levels. For example, a grain depth reduction by 25% from 12 ft to 9 ft will increase the airflow through wheat from a 10 HP fan by 50%. If the harvest moisture is above 20 percent, it will be necessary to use heated air in either bin or column dryers.

Reprinted in part from “Dealing With DON in Wheat” by Kiersten Wise and Charles Woloshuk in the June 19, 2009 edition of the Pest and Crop Newsletter from Purdue Cooperative Extension.

VOMITOXIN IN MY WHEAT? — John Berry, Lehigh County

The Raleigh Regional Office of the USDA Risk Management Agency reminds producers that carry multi—peril crop insurance policies subsidized and reinsured by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation may be eligible for quality loss adjustments if the reason for the loss in value is due to a covered event.

In order to protect your rights under your policy, it is imperative that you always report any damage in the required timeframes and seek advice from your insurance company before proceeding with harvest or destruction of the damaged crop. Failure to do so may jeopardize your claim. Crop insurance policies require that farmers notify their company within 72 hours of noticing a loss. It is important that farmers be proactive in checking their fields to determine if there is any damage to the crop before harvest.

Quality adjustments are available for loss in value for conditions such as low test weight, damaged kernels, and shrunken or broken kernels. Discounts made for crop insurance loss purposes may not be the same as those seen at the elevator.

In the event that the production has a Zero—Market Value Production, RMA loss procedures require insurance providers to make every effort to find a market for the production before declaring a zero value. Therefore, insurance providers will not be making declarations of zero market value until they can firmly establish that there is no market for poor quality grain.

Quality adjustments are based on samples obtained by the adjuster or other disinterested party authorized by the insurance provider, such as an elevator employee.

If vomitoxin is suspected, the sample must be collected before the grain is placed in storage to be eligible for quality adjustment. The samples should be placed in a heavy paper bag for delivery to an approved laboratory for a determination of whether vomitoxin is present. RMA has established predetermined discount factors for vomitoxins in the range of 0.1 to 10.0 parts per million. It is very important that producers work with their insurance providers if they believe they have quality losses on their wheat.

The following link provides details on these changes and examples of the application of quality adjustment factors: http://www.rma.usda.gov/news/2006/11/qualityadjustment.pdf

Ten Rules for Better Marketing — John Berry, Lehigh County

Know why you are using the markets. Is your objective to make money trading or to reduce cash market risk? This will help you in deciding whether you are a hedger in the market (reduce cash market risk) or if you are a speculator (make money trading).
Always trade with the trend. Bucking the trend can be like standing in front of a freight train or trying to swim upstream. Someone once told me that trading against a prevailing market trend is like trying to catch a falling piano, painful. Instead, trade with the trend and ride on the train.
Do not play “wait and see”. Decide to be either in or out of the market. Develop a plan and execute the plan.
Use stops. When you enter a position, decide at what point you will exit that position. This prevents a loss from becoming a huge loss and eliminates irrational, emotional decision—making.
If you are not a pure hedger, keep your losses small. Do not let a winning position turn into a loser. If you take a big loss on a position, it makes it very difficult for you to earn a profit over time.
Do not enter a trade without at least three good reasons. Do not exit without at least three good reasons. Emotion must not be one of the three reasons. By forcing yourself to only act after finding three reasons to do so, rational, logical decision—making will win over emotions.
Do not try to out—guess the top or the bottom of a market, as this is impossible to do. Let market price signals tell you when to buy and when to sell.
Use limit or price orders when appropriate however do not be afraid to place orders at the market. Trying to squeeze out an extra penny or two can result in you missing the whole move.
Prices can easily move higher or lower than most people expect. Do not buy just because a market seems too low or prices are cheap. Do not sell just because it seems too high. Markets can always go higher or lower than most people would expect.
Do not cancel a stop to avoid closing a position. You decided when you entered the position how much risk you wanted to take, do not change our mind in the middle of the trade. Stick to your game plan, no matter what.

Soybean Leaf Cupping: Possible Causes — Bill Curran and Dwight Lingenfelter, PSU Weed Specialists (with the help of Iowa State and the University of Illinois).

Every summer, soybean leaf cupping begins to show up in some fields across the state. As it often goes, the soybeans were sprayed with a post herbicide (glyphosate) from a tank that did not have a history of plant growth regulator herbicides. Here’s a brief review of this phenomenon.

When we see leaf puckering/cupping injury on soybeans, two questions are generally raised: a) what caused the response, and b) what impact will the abnormal growth have on yields? Leaf cupping can be caused by several factors including:

Growth regulator herbicides: Dicamba (Clarity, Banvel, Status, Distinct), 2,4–D, and clopyralid (Stinger and Hornet) are commonly used in our area and can cause problems by either drift or spray tank contamination. Several herbicide premixes contain some form of dicamba, such as NorthStar, Yukon, Marksman and others. According to the 2005 USDA Agricultural Chemical Usage Field Crops Summary (latest I could find), about 12% of the US corn crop and 7% of the PA corn crop is treated with dicamba. Most of this is applied postemergence to the corn. Even very small amounts of growth regulator herbicides can affect soybeans. Dr. Chris Boerboom did a nice job summarizing dicamba movement to soybeans in a paper he presented back in 2004 at the Wisconsin Fertilizer, Aglime, and Pest Management Conference available http://www.soils.wisc.edu/extension/FAPM/2004proceedings/Boerboom3.pdf
Postemergence herbicide applications: The response may be due to the inert ingredients in the herbicide formulation, the herbicide itself, or the spray additives (e.g., nonionic surfactant, crop oil concentrate, ammonium sulfate, UAN) used with the herbicide. The number of problems associated with leaf cupping has increased with the increase in postemergence applications in soybean.
Environmental response: One theory suggests that soybean plants may also develop cupped leaves in the absence of herbicide applications. This most commonly occurs during conditions of rapid growth. The theory suggests that under these conditions, the balance of naturally occurring hormones in the plant is disrupted, resulting in symptoms characteristic of growth regulator herbicide damage. When this situation develops, the entire field frequently develops symptoms and there will not be any indication of a “drift” pattern. Another thing to look for is the presence of growth regulator symptoms on susceptible weeds in the field. Velvetleaf or pigweed are fairly responsive to low levels of dicamba. If soybeans are exhibiting cupped leaves but velvetleaf in the field appears normal there is a good likelihood that the cupping is an environmental response rather than one caused by a growth regulator herbicide.
New genetics: A possible explanation is that current genetics found in soybean are more prone to a growth regulator type response. Some researchers speculate that possibly today’s higher yielding varieties are more temperamental than older varieties, and thus results in their hormones getting out of balance occasionally and creating a growth regulator herbicide—type response. We have not seen any data to support this theory.

So how does this effect soybean yield?

In short, little data exist that definitively explain every case of cupped or puckered soybeans. It is unlikely that one “blanket” explanation exists; each case may be somewhat unique. When dicamba or some other growth regulator herbicide are not involved, soybean plants typically resume normal growth shortly after the cupped leaves are observed. Frequently two or three leaves will develop symptoms and then normal growth resumes. It is believed that soybean yield should not be impacted under these situations.

The potential for a yield response is greater when a growth regulator herbicide is involved; however, it is impossible to determine the extent of yield loss by examining symptoms that develop after the exposure. Data exist that describe the response of soybeans to exposure to growth regulator herbicides, but other factors may also be at work. The available literature tends to suggest that this type of injury does not always necessarily result in soybean yield loss, but several factors are involved in determining if yield loss will occur. In particular, soybean variety, time of exposure, and dosage are important factors that determine whether yield loss will or will not occur. Much of the available literature suggests that if minor exposure occurs during early vegetative development, yield loss is less likely to occur than if exposure occurs when soybeans have entered the reproductive stage of development. The only reliable method of determining a yield response is comparing the yield of the injured soybean to an area of the same field that is unaffected by the herbicide. In many situations, a valid comparison is not available to help determine the cost of the herbicide damage.

Insect Update: Soybean Aphid and Western Bean Cutworm — John Tooker, PSU Entomology Specialist

Soybean aphid populations are slowly growing in Pennsylvania fields. In Centre County, we have found numbers of aphids that range from 0–40 aphids per plant and these plants range from growth stages V3 to almost R1. In one of the plots being monitoring in Lebanon County, aphids have yet to be found. Certainly populations are far from the economic threshold of 250 aphids per plant, so I would encourage growers to hold off on any insecticide treatments and continue tracking populations. Applying a broad spectrum insecticide now could do more harm than good by wasting product on aphid populations that are not causing economic damage and by killing beneficial insects that can provide good amounts of control.

As we have done for the past few years, Pennsylvania is participating in a nationwide effort to monitor soybean aphid populations. We have five sentinel plots across the state that are being monitored by extension educators, who visit weekly to scout for aphids. The data are entered into a national database, which generate infestation maps. To see Pennsylvania data, associated commentary, and population levels for the rest of the country, visit the national soybean ipmPIPE website: http://sba.ipmpipe.org/cgi-bin/sbr/public.cgi

In addition to soybean aphid, we are also tracking western bean cutworm (WBC) in Pennsylvania. You may recall that WBC has historically been a pest of dry beans and corn in the Great Plains; however, since about 2000 it has been moving eastward for some unidentified reason. In 2004, it was detected in Illinois and it has steadily continued to move our way. In 2008, it was trapped in central Ohio (Wayne Co.; < 90 miles from the Pennsylvania border). WBC has also spread to Ontario to our north. In a joint effort, county extension educators and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture are monitoring adult moths using 30 pheromone traps positioned across the state, but weighed more heavily in the western and northern portions of the Commonwealth. This pest species does not appear to cause economic damage until it is well established in an area, so our trapping efforts will allow us to determine when and where this species establishes. As of 13 July we have not had any confirmed captures. For occasional updates and more details on our efforts, please see a newly established webpage, which will be updated and improved with time: http://ento.psu.edu/extension/field-crops/corn/western-bean-cutworm.

Corn Crop Development Lagging a Bit — Greg Roth Grain Crop Specialist

Temperatures dipped into the 40’s last night in Central PA, not exactly what we would call “corn growing weather”. Cool nights have been common in June and July this year and this has resulted in a corn crop that is lagging a bit behind average in development. But so far, the delay is not a real critical problem but could be a problem in the later planted fields.

According to the recent USDA Crop report, Corn is 22% silked in the state compared to 20% for the five year average, but corn height is reported as 48 inches tall, 9 inches lower than the 5 year average of 57 inches. The PIPE system website shows that most of the state is near normal or slightly behind in GDD accumulations http://pa-pipe.zedxinc.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?

I also ran an estimate of GDD for Rock Springs using the new Weather.com GDD calculator http://www.weather.com/outlook/agriculture/forecast/16865 and found that since May 1 we have accumulated 953 GDDs, about 100 less than average for that period. Accumulations since June 1 are down about 107 GDD, indicated that much of the reduction in GDDs has been due to the cool June and July. I suspect the impacts of the cool weather might be greatest on our later planted crops. We do know from previous research that hybrids have some capability to reduce their GDD requirements by 200–300 GDDs in seasons where GDDs are limiting. We also know from last year that while these crop mature, grain drydown can be very slow in the fall.

The implications of cool temperatures during the vegetative growth stages of corn are mostly delayed development. Later during the grain fill period, the cool night temperatures could result in less dark respiration and higher yields. If the season continues like this, we will likely see some delay in silage harvest compared to normal in some areas for full season corn and probably some maturity issues in later planted corn. Monitoring maturity during the upcoming weeks will be important to optimize harvest plans so that some of this later planted corn can be salvaged for silage.

My colleague Dr. Bill Cox recently completed a three study on the timing of silage harvest following silking. Bill reported that for 111–115 day hybrids, it took from 35–43 days following silking or 800–850 GDDs. Bill found that GDDs are not perfect but are better than days.

Upcoming Events

5—Acre Corn Club

Now is the time to consider entering fields in the Pennsylvania Five Acre Corn Club. As part of this program we have been monitoring corn yields throughout the state in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Corn Growers Association and corn growers around the state. Early registration deadline is July 1. This year a late registration deadline of August 1 was added. Enrollment forms and rules can be found at: http://cornandsoybeans.psu.edu/corncl.cfm

Central PA Biomass Energy Production Workshop, July 21, 2009

This day long program will focus on opportunities and issues with biomass production for energy. It will be held in the ASI Building on campus and will conclude with a field tour featuring a new mobile pelletizer. Registration is $20. For more information contact Headwaters RC&D 814–375–1372 x4 or visit http://fcn.agronomy.psu.edu/pdf/central_pa_bioenergy_workshop.pdf

Register Now: Penn State Agronomic Diagnostic Clinic, July 28–29 — Dwight Lingenfelter, PSU Weed Science

We are less than a month away from the annual field Clinic. Below, please find information about the upcoming Penn State Agronomic Field Diagnostic Clinic held on July 28 and 29, 2009, 9am – 4:30pm at the Penn State Agronomy Research Farm near Rock Springs, PA.

This year’s Clinic will include sessions on:

Controlling ammonia volatilization
Detecting planter errors
Insect pest monitoring and management
Forage grass identification and fit
Alternative cover crops

(CCA, NM, and pesticide credits will be available.)
Visit http://cropsoil.psu.edu/extension/clinic.cfm for more information about each topic.

The cost is $60/person. ($80 after July 21)

To register, please visit: http://cropsoil.psu.edu/extension/clinic.cfm and use the “on—line” registration system or complete the hard—copy form and fax or mail it. Credit card payments will be accepted. Phone—in and email registrations are discouraged. (Note: when using the registration system, please make sure to complete all the necessary steps.)

If you have questions about the Clinic please contact Dwight Lingenfelter (dwight@psu.edu). We look forward to seeing you at this year’s Clinic!

Contributors: Extension Educators: John Berry (Lehigh), John Rowehl (York), Paul Craig (Dauphin), Kevin Fry (Armstrong), Mark Madden (Sullivan), Joel Hunter (Crawford), Mena Hautau (Berks), and Craig Williams (Tioga). State Specialists: Ron Hoover, John Tooker, Sjoerd Duiker, Charlie White, Greg Roth, Doug Beegle, and Del Voight.

Editor: Joel Hunter, Crawford County (substituting for Kevin Fry, Armstrong County)

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Northeast PA No-Till Conference

Location: Harford Volunteer Fire Company, Harford, PA

Time: February 10, 2010

Details: Contact: Ryan Koch at ryan.koch@pa.usda.gov

Thursday, February 11, 2010

5th Annual North-Central PA No-Till Conference

Location: Bloomsburg, PA

Time: February 11, 2010

Details: Contact: Ryan Koch at ryan.koch@pa.usda.gov

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Professional Crop Producers' Conference

Location: Holiday Inn, Grantville, PA

Time: February 16 and 17, 2010 (2 day event)

Details: The conference features Dwayne Beck from South Dakota on crop diversity in continuous no-tillage, Ray Archuleta with presentations on soil quality and nutrient management, and Charlie Sniffen on forages and animal nutrition. CCA CEUs will be available. Contact Sjoerd Duiker sduiker@psu.edu for more information.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Professional Crop Producers' Conference

Location: Holiday Inn, Grantville, PA

Time: February 16 and 17, 2010 (2 day event)

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Grazing School

Location: Berks County Agricultural Center, Leesport, PA

Time: February 25, March 4, March 11, 2010 — 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm (3 part series)

Details: Contact: Mena Hautau, +1-610-378-1327. This is a three-part series. You must attend all classes to receive credit. (4 Grazing)

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Grazing School

Location: Berks County Agricultural Center, Leesport, PA

Time: February 25, March 4, March 11, 2010 — 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm (3 part series)

Details: Contact: Mena Hautau, +1-610-378-1327. This is a three-part series. You must attend all classes to receive credit. (4 Grazing)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Grazing School

Location: Berks County Agricultural Center, Leesport, PA

Time: February 25, March 4, March 11, 2010 — 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm (3 part series)

Details: Contact: Mena Hautau, +1-610-378-1327. This is a three-part series. You must attend all classes to receive credit. (4 Grazing)

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Northwest Grazing Conference

Location: Dubois, PA

Time: March 16, 2010

Details: Contact Adam Dellinger at adam.dellinger@pa.usda.gov