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2nd cutting is well underway. Potato leafhoppers are very active. If you haven’t cut yet, continue to monitor, where damage is increasing, cut as soon as weather permits.
Click here for alfalfa insect scouting calendar
Click here for more information on Potato Leafhopper
Our corn growth varies greatly throughout the county. Some fields are beginning to tassel and some field are at V8.
V12 to V13 – Six weeks after the plant emerges, V12 begins. Moisture or nutrient deficiencies may reduce the potential number of seeds, as well as the ear size, seriously. These two components of yield have key development during the period from V10 to V17. The length of time for the plant to develop through these stages affects harvestable yield.
Early maturity hybrids normally progress through these stages in less time and have smaller ears than later hybrids. Higher plant populations are needed for earlier hybrids to produce grain yield similar to normal-maturity hybrids in the adapted region. Cultivation of plants at this time will destroy some of the plant roots. Brace roots are developing from the fifth node and the first above-ground node.
V14 to V15 – Seven weeks after the plant emerges, V14 begins. The corn plant at V15 is only 12 to 15 days (around one to five V stages) away from R1 (silking). This vegetative stage is the most critical period of seed yield determination. The number of ovules that develop silks, and thus the number of kernels, is being determined. Any nutrient or moisture deficiency or injury (such as hail or insects) may seriously reduce the number of kernels that develop.
The tassel is near full size but not visible from the top of the leaf sheaths. Silks are just beginning to grow from the upper ears. Upper-ear shoot development has surpassed that of lower ear shoots. A new leaf stage can occur every one to two days.
Brace roots from the sixth leaf node are developing, and the permanent roots have continued to elongate and proliferate, eventually reaching a depth of about 5 to 8 feet and spreading several feet in all directions. In some hybrids, brace roots also will develop from the eighth and ninth leaf nodes or even higher. Some corn plants in North Dakota may only develop 16 leaves.
Table 5. Postemergence Herbicides in Corn – Grasses
Table 6. Postemergence Herbicides in Corn – Broadleaves
Soybeans are starting to look a little bit better, however, there are still a lot of “yellow” beans throughout the county. Two possible reasons are Yellow Flash and Soybean Cyst Nematode. Other possibilities are seedling diseases and water-logged roots, more information on these topics next week.
After planting, the second biggest challenge we face is timely weed control. If you haven’t already made a postemergence application, it might be time to check your fields. Most beans (and weeds) are at stage that might warrant an application. The links below will contain OSU Herbicide rating for postemergence applications.
Soybean Postemergence Weed Control – Grasses
Soybean Postemergence Weed Control – Broadleaves
Soybean Growth & Development – R1: Beginning Bloom
Wheat harvest has come to an end and most of the straw is in the barn. From what I hear, wheat yields were pretty good with little to no disease issues.
If you removed the straw, remember to account for the additional fertilizer removal when planning for fertilizer needs next year. Read more here.
Double crop beans have been, or are being planted now. Click here for the Double Crop Soybean Production Guidelines from Dr. Laura Lindsey.
I can honestly say that I have never seen one of these before! Click on the picture to see the video. If you know what it is, put your answer in the comment section. Be sure to check back next week for the answer!
… AND THE ANSWER IS – Horsehair Worm
https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef613
Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) is the number one contributor to yield loss in soybean crops nationwide, causing an estimated $1.2 billion dollars in damage annually. This pest has been detected in 71 counties in Ohio, with the highest concentrations located in the northwestern part of the state where soils tend to be sandy in content.
Symptoms: Significant yield reduction may take place with absolutely no above-ground symptoms. This is one of the main reasons you should sample fields for the presence and abundance of SCN.
Symptoms of SCN injury can easily be confused with other problems such as nutrient deficiencies, herbicide injury, disease, poor drainage, etc. The presence of oblong areas of stunted, yellowed plants is suggestive of SCN damage. Symptoms are generally more pronounced when soybean plants are under stress from such conditions as drought, low fertility, or compaction. Infected plants have poorly developed roots and very few Rhizobium nodules.
Early in the growing season (6 weeks after planting), close examination of the roots may also reveal small, white to yellow spheres (bodies of female nematodes) attached to the root surface. These females are not much bigger than grains of coarse sugar, and should not be confused with the much larger Rhizobium nodules.
Lifecycle: In the early life stages, SCN is a microscopic (1/64 inch long) roundworm that feeds on soybean roots. There are three major life stages of cyst nematodes: egg, juvenile, and adult. In Ohio, the life cycle can be completed in 24 to 30 days under favorable conditions. It is possible to have three to five generations (complete life cycles) each growing season.
Management Options:
Step 1: Collect soil samples to identify the fields that have cysts and monitor egg populations.
Step 2: Rotate crops
Step 3: Use resistant soybean varieties/seed treatments wisely.
Step 4: Use best management practices.
Step 5: Manage other diseases.
Step 6: Prevent introduction.
Our corn is rapidly changing. Corn growth stages varies greatly throughout the county. The table below show the critical stages of development for a corn plant.
Wheat harvest is wrapping up and a lot of straw has been bailed this week. If you are bailing straw, remember to account for the additional fertilizer removal when planning for fertilizer needs next year. Each bushel of wheat removes .5 lbs of P2O5 and .25 lbs K2O. So 100 bushel/acre of wheat removes 50 lbs of P2O5 and 25 lbs K2O. The following article summarizes the value of the additional nutrients removed in the straw.
Before removing straw from the field, it is important to understand the nutrient value. Though we have seen some softening of the 2022 fertilizer prices, P and K fertilizer prices remain higher than normal. The nutrient value of wheat straw is influenced by several factors including weather, variety, and cultural practices. Thus, the most accurate values require sending a sample of the straw to an analytical laboratory. However, “book values” can be used to estimate the nutrient value of wheat straw. In previous newsletters, we reported that typically a ton of wheat straw contains approximately 11 pounds of N, 3.7 pounds of P2O5, and 29 pounds of K2O. According to June 2023 fertilizer prices (Source: DTN Fertilizer Price Index: Ohio) and nutrient removal “book values”, one ton of wheat straw would remove N, P, K valuing approximately $25.13 ($16.55 of P2O5 & K2O).
Although N adds value, we do not give it an economic value in the form of fertilizer (as seen in Table 1). Within straw, N is in an organic form and will not immediately be available for plant uptake. The organic-N will need to be converted by microorganisms to ammonium-N (an inorganic form) before it is available for plant uptake – a process called mineralization. The rate of which mineralization occurs depends on the amount of carbon (C) and N in the straw (C:N ratio). The USDA reports a C:N ratio of 80:1 for wheat straw which means there are 80 units of C for every unit of N. Mineralization rapidly occurs when the C:N ratio is ≤ 20:1. At a C:N ratio of 80:1, mineralization will be much slower. (For comparison, corn stover is reported to have a C:N ratio of 57:1.) Rate of mineralization is also influenced by soil moisture and temperature. Since mineralization is a microbial-driven process, mineralization will be slowed (halted) in the winter when temperatures are cold. Thus, no N credit (i.e., value) is given for wheat straw since it is not known when the N will mineralize and become available to the following crop.
In addition to N, removal of straw does lower soil K levels. If straw is removed after heavy rainfall, some of the K may have leached out of the straw, lowering the nutrient value. However, a soil test should be done to accurately estimate nutrient availability for future crops. Besides providing nutrients, straw has value as organic matter, but it is difficult to determine the dollar value for it.
Family: Asteraceae (Composite family)
Life cycle: Annual
Description: Erect summer annual that may reach 16 feet in height. Leaves are large and distinctively 3-lobed. Primarily a weed of agronomic crops that thrives in fertile soils. Found throughout the U.S. except the Pacific Coast, areas of the Southwest, and portions of Florida and Maine.
Seedlings: Cotyledons round to oblong, thick, and 3-4 times larger than those of common ragweed. The stem below the cotyledon (hypocotyl) is often purple. The first pair of true leaves is unlobed and lanceolate in shape, with toothed margins.
Roots: Taproot
Stem: Erect, freely branched, hairy
Leaves: All leaves subsequent to the first pair of true leaves are 3-lobed. Lobes arise from the same point (palmately lobed), and each lobe is lanceolate in shape with toothed margins. Leaves are opposite, hairy, occur on long petioles and are large (4-8 inches wide by 6 inches long).
Flower: Occur in long slender racemes at the ends of branches (male) or in the leaf axils of the upper leaves (female). Individual flowers are small and greenish.
Special identifying characteristics: Large, 3-lobed leaves and crown-shaped achene. The first true unlobed leaves of giant ragweed may lead to the confusion of this weed with Common Cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium). However, the leaves of cocklebur are alternate.
By: Peggy Kirk Hall, Attorney and Director, Agricultural & Resource Law Program
While Ohio’s “budget bill” is important for funding our agencies and programs, it always contain many provisions that aren’t at all related to the state’s budget. The budget bill provides an opportunity for legislators to throw in interests of all sorts, which tends to add challenges to reaching consensus. Though many worried about having the current budget approved in time, Ohio lawmakers did pass the two-year budget bill, H.B. 33, just ahead of its deadline on June 30.
We’ve been digging through the bill’s 6,000+ pages of budget and non-budget provisions and the Governor’s 44-item veto. Some of the provisions are proposals we’ve seen in other legislation that made their way into the budget bill. Not included in the final package were Senate-approved changes to the Current Agricultural Use Valuation law that would have adjusted reappraisals in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Here’s a summary of items we found of relevance to Ohio agriculture, not including the agency funding allocations. We also summarize three vetoes by the Governor that pulled items from the budget bill.
Township zoning referenda – ORC 519.12 and 519.25
There is now a higher requirement for the number of signatures needed on a petition to subject a township zoning amendment to referendum by placing it on the ballot for a public vote. The bill increased the number of signatures from 8% to 15% of the total vote cast in the township for all candidates for governor in the most recent general election for governor.
Legume inoculators – ORC 907.27 and 907.32
The bill eliminated Ohio’s annual Legume Inoculator’s License requirement for businesses and individuals that apply inoculants to seed. All other requirements for legume inoculants remain unchanged.
Agricultural commodity handlers–Grain Indemnity Fund – ORC 926.18
Ohio’s agricultural commodity handlers law provides reimbursement to a grain depositor if there is a bankruptcy or failure of the grain elevator. The bill revises several parts of the law that provide a depositor with 100% coverage of a grain deposit when there’s a failure:
If a commodity handler’s license is suspended and the handler failed to pay for the commodities by the date suspension occurred, the new law increases the number of days by which the commodities had to be priced prior to the suspension– from 30 to 45 days.
If a commodity handler’s license is suspended and there is a deferred payment agreement between the depositor and the handler, the new law:
Requires that the deferred payment agreement must be signed by both parties.
Increases the number of days by which the commodities had to be priced prior to the suspension — from 90 to 365 days; and
Increases the number of days by which payment for the commodity must be made pursuant to the deferred payment agreement — from 90 days to 365 days following the date of delivery.
Requiring 100% coverage when commodities were delivered and marketed under a delayed price agreement up to two years prior to a handler’s license suspension. The delivery date marked on the receipt tickets determine the two-year period. The bill also states that the Grain Indemnity Fund has no liability if the delayed price agreement was entered into more than two years prior to the commodity handler’s license suspension.
Two circumstances for 100% of loss coverage from the Grain Indemnity Fund remain unchanged by the bill: when the commodities were stored under a bailment agreement and when payment was tendered but subsequently denied. For all other losses, the new law will reduce the fund payment to 75% of the loss. Current law covers 100% of the first $10,000 of the loss and 80% of the remaining dollar value of that loss. Continue reading Ohio Budget bill includes many non-budget changes for ag
Soybeans throughout the county just don’t look good right now. Development has been slowed and many fields have areas (sometimes large areas) with a light green or yellowish tint to the beans. What is causing this yellowing? One possibility is:
The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) remains the most devastating and yield-limiting soybean pathogen in Ohio and North America. SCN can cause over 30% yield reduction with no visible symptoms, therefore, early detection of this pathogen relies on testing your fields to know your SCN numbers!
Symptoms of SCN injury include presence of patches of yellow and stunted soybeans, with more pronounced symptoms in plants under stress and in sandy soils. Infected plants have poorly developed fibrous roots and with fewer Rhizobium nodules. Early in the growing season (6 weeks after planting), close examination of the roots may also reveal small, white to yellow spheres (bodies of female nematodes) attached to the root surface. These females are not much bigger than grains of coarse sugar, and should not be confused with the much larger Rhizobium nodules.
Spring is a good time to sample for SCN. A soil test in spring will reveal if SCN is present and if so, at what levels. If you are planning to participate in an on-farm trial that requires soil sampling, a subsample can be used for SCN testing. Additionally, if you planted corn, a soil sample from that field will reveal if you have SCN but most importantly, how much SCN. Knowing your SCN numbers will help you determine the best management strategy.
With funding from the Ohio Soybean Council and promoting the mission of The SCN Coalition, we will process up to TWO soil samples, per grower, to be tested for SCN, free of charge.
Download and complete this Soil Sample Submission Form and mail your samples to:
OSU Soybean Pathology and Nematology Lab
Attn: Horacio Lopez-Nicora, Ph.D.
110 Kottman Hall
2021 Coffey Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43210
After planting, the second biggest challenge we face is timely weed control. If you haven’t already made a postemergence application, it might be time to check your fields. Most beans (and weeds) are at stage that might warrant an application.
Table 16 below from the 2023 OSU Weed Control Guide compares the relative effectiveness of herbicides on individual weeds. Ratings indicate the level of control of weeds present at the time of application, and are based on labeled rate and weed size or growth stage.
Soybeans throughout the county just don’t look good right now. Development has been slowed and many fields have areas (sometimes large areas) with a light green or yellowish tint to the beans. What is causing this yellowing? One possibility is:
Temporary yellowing of newly emerged soybean leaves due to glyphosate application to glyphosate-resistant beans. More common in:
Injury often appears one to two weeks after application and often disappears by 21 days after the area was treated. There is no evidence of yield loss from this phenomenon.