in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date October 4, 2009 IN-CW100409 AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY Some northern and central areas encountered frost on October 1st which potentially ended the growing season in late maturing fields, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Producers made little progress during the week as harvest was kept to a minimum due to unfavorably cool, wet weather. Corn and soybeans both continued the slow progression toward maturity. Harvest of seed corn, silage and vegetable crops continued. FIELD CROPS REPORT There were 3.9 days suitable for field work during the week. Corn condition is rated 61 percent good to excellent compared with 52 percent last year at this time. Ninety-two percent of the corn is in the dent stage compared to 99 percent last year and 100 percent for the 5-year average. Fifty-one percent of the corn crop is mature compared to 75 percent last year and 85 percent for the 5-year average. Five percent of the corn crop has been harvested compared to 14 percent last year and 24 percent for the 5-year average. Soybean condition is rated 60 percent good to excellent compared with 49 percent last year at this time. Seventy-eight percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves compared with 88 percent last year and 91 percent for the 5-year average. Nine percent of the soybean acreage has been harvested compared with 35 percent for both last year and the 5-year average. Six percent of the Winter Wheat acreage has been planted compared to 21 percent last year and 20 percent for the 5-year average. Tobacco harvest is 81 percent complete compared with 85 percent for last year and 86 percent for the 5-year average. LIVESTOCK, PASTURE AND RANGE REPORT Pasture condition is now rated 56 percent good to excellent compared with 23 percent last year at this time. Livestock remain in mostly good condition. Crop Progress Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn in Dent 92 84 99 100 Corn Mature 51 31 75 85 Corn Harvested 5 2 14 24 Soybeans Shedding Lvs 78 63 88 91 Soybeans Harvested 9 3 35 35 Tobacco Harvested 81 70 85 86 Winter Wheat Planted 6 2 21 20 Crop Condition Table ---------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ---------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 3 8 28 50 11 Soybean 3 9 28 49 11 Pasture 3 9 32 46 10 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table ---------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : ---------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 1 3 18 Short 11 19 40 Adequate 70 58 41 Surplus 18 20 1 Subsoil Very Short 2 4 14 Short 20 22 37 Adequate 68 64 47 Surplus 10 10 2 Days Suitable 3.9 3.0 6.5 Contact Information --Greg Preston, Director --Andy Higgins, Agricultural Statistician E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Indiana/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other Agricultural Comments And News Stress During Grain Fill: A Harbinger of Stalk Health Problems Updated Sep 2009 URL: http://www.kingcorn.org/news/timeless/StalkHealth.html Harbinger. [hahr-bin-jer] Anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign: Frost is a harbinger of winter. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/harbinger (accessed: September 01, 2008). During the grain filling period of corn, developing kernels become a significant photosynthetic "sink" for the products of photosynthesis and respiration. Corn plants prioritize the movement of these photosynthates to the kernels, even at the expense of not maintaining the cellular health of the stalk, leaves, and roots. The primary effect of severe stress on a corn plant (drought, heat, nutrient deficiency, leaf diseases, insect damage, hail damage, consecutive days of cloudy weather) is a reduction in photosynthetic rates. If photosynthetic capacity decreases significantly during grain fill, plants often respond by remobilizing stored carbohydrates from stalk and leaf tissues to supply the intense physiological demand by the developing grain on the ears. In addition to physically weakening the stalk of plants, remobilization of stored carbohydrates and/or the consequent lower cellular maintenance of root and stalk tissues increases the susceptibility of the plant to root and stalk rots. NOTE: Even if significant stalk rot does not develop in such stressed plants, loss of structural stalk integrity itself greatly increases the risk of stalk breakage. Fields at higher risk for weakened stalks and stalk rot development will be those where plants have managed to set fairly decent ears but have experienced severe stress during grain fill. Common photosynthetic stresses that occur during grain filling in Indiana include drought stress, nitrogen deficiency, and foliar leaf diseases. The effects of dry weather during August on corn stalk health are accentuated where compacted soils restricted root growth earlier in the season or on sandy soils with minimal water-holding capacity. Growers should monitor stressed fields in late August and early September for compromised stalk strength or the development of severe stalk rots and adjust their harvest schedules accordingly to harvest these fields early in the season to avoid the consequences of severe stalk lodging. In years where crop development is delayed, like in 2009, stalk quality problems often are not apparent until mid-to late September. Stalk breakage itself is obviously easy to spot when scouting a field. However, compromised stalks may stand unnoticed until that October storm front passes through and brings them to their proverbial knees. The simplest techniques for identifying suspect stalk quality involve either pushing on stalks to see whether they will collapse or bending down and pinching the lower stalk internodes to see whether they collapse easily between your fingers. Sometimes the mere act of pushing stalks out of your way as you walk from one row of corn to another is enough force to collapse weakened stalks. TIP: Bending down repeatedly to pinch lower stalk internodes qualifies as an aerobic exercise. Fields and/or hybrids at high risk of stalk breakage should be harvested as early as possible to minimize risk of significant mechanical harvest losses. Recognize that hybrids can vary greatly for late-season stalk quality even if grown in the same field due to inherent differences for late-season plant health or resistance against carbohydrate remobilization when stressed during grain fill. Another side-effect of late-season stress during grain fill is the greater risk of premature kernel black layer formation. In 2009, foliar diseases like gray leaf spot (Cercospora zeae-maydis) and northern corn leaf blight (Exserohilum turcicum) developed late in the season (some say, exploded) and destroyed much if not all of the green leaf tissue before the grain had matured. Such destruction of green leaf tissue, in addition to encouraging the remobilization of stored carbohydrates from the lower stalks, also predisposes the grain to premature kernel black layer formation. The consequences of premature kernel black layer include not only lower grain yield, but also the likelihood of lower test weight grain. Related References Jackson, Tamra. 2009. Stalk Rots Already a Problem in Some Nebraska Fields. CropWatch Newsletter. Univ. of Nebraska. [online] http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/crop watch/archive?articleId=1499298. [URL accessed Sep 2009]. Lee, Chad . 2007. Weak Corn Stalks from Drought. Corn & Soybean News, Univ. of  Kentucky. [online] http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CornSoy/cornsoy7_7.htm [URL accessed Sep 2009]. Mills, Dennis, Pierce Paul, and Peter Thomison. 2006. Corn Stalk Rot: A Disease Caused by Several Different Fungi. C.O.R.N. Newsletter, Ohio State Univ. [online] http://corn.osu.edu/story.php?setissueID=155&storyID=932 [URL accessed Sep 2009]. Nielsen, R.L. (Bob). 2008. Grain Fill Stages in Corn. Corny News Network, Purdue Univ. [online] http://www.kingcorn.org/news/timeless/GrainFill.html [URL accessed Sep 2009]. Nielsen, R.L. (Bob) 2009. Effects of Stress During Grain Filling in Corn. Corny News Network, Purdue Univ. [online] http://www.kingcorn.org/news/timeless/GrainFill Stress.html [URL accessed Sep 2009]. Shaner, G. and D. Scott. 1998. Stalk Rots of Corn. Purdue Univ. Extension Publication BP-59. Available online at http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-59.pm65.pdf [URL accessed Sep 2009]. Thomison, Peter, Pierce Paul, and Dennis Mills. 2008. Dry Weather May Lead to Stalk Lodging Problems in Corn. C.O.R.N. Newsletter, Ohio State Univ. [online] http://corn.osu.edu/story.php?setissueID=248&storyID=1559 [URL accessed Sep 2009]. Vincelli, Paul. 2004. Factors That Could Enhance Stalk Rots in Corn. Kentucky Pest News (Aug 2). Univ. of Kentucky. Available online at http://www.uky.edu /Agriculture/kpn/kpn_04/pn040802.htm#corrot [URL accessed Sep 2009]. Written by R.L. (Bob) Nielsen, Agronomy Dept., Purdue Univ. West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054. Email address: rnielsen at purdue.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The INDIANA CROP & WEATHER REPORT (USPS 675-770), (ISSN 0442-817X) is issued weekly April through November by the USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite 110, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. For information on subscribing, send request to above address. POSTMASTER: Send address change to the USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite 110, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Weather Information Table Week ending Sunday October 4, 2009 ----------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|------------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN| Total| Days|Temp ---------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Chalmers_5W 73 35 53 -8 1.34 5 Francesville 73 35 53 -7 0.68 4 Valparaiso_AP_I 74 33 54 -7 0.95 5 Wanatah 75 32 52 -7 1.24 6 58 Winamac 73 37 54 -5 1.21 5 North Central (2) Plymouth 73 34 52 -8 1.52 6 South_Bend 73 33 53 -6 1.18 6 Young_America 72 35 52 -7 1.83 2 Northeast (3) Fort_Wayne 74 35 55 -4 1.16 4 Kendallville 72 40 55 -5 0.92 6 West Central (4) Greencastle 70 38 54 -8 0.49 3 Perrysville 71 37 54 -8 0.92 3 56 Spencer_Ag 75 41 55 -5 0.42 2 Terre_Haute_AFB 74 37 55 -7 0.22 2 W_Lafayette_6NW 73 35 54 -6 0.63 2 62 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 70 42 56 -5 0.42 3 Greenfield 70 40 54 -7 1.26 2 Indianapolis_AP 71 43 57 -5 0.61 4 Indianapolis_SE 69 40 54 -7 0.91 2 Tipton_Ag 73 35 54 -5 0.90 4 65 East Central (6) Farmland 72 32 53 -6 2.29 2 59 New_Castle 69 38 55 -5 2.21 2 Southwest (7) Evansville 76 42 59 -5 0.60 1 Freelandville 74 44 57 -5 0.25 1 Shoals_8S 73 38 54 -8 0.58 1 Stendal 76 44 58 -5 0.63 1 Vincennes_5NE 76 42 56 -6 0.19 1 64 South Central (8) Leavenworth 71 43 57 -5 0.96 2 Oolitic 71 42 55 -6 0.62 1 56 Tell_City 75 46 59 -5 1.06 1 Southeast (9) Brookville 70 38 57 -3 0.60 2 Greensburg 71 42 56 -4 1.29 1 Seymour 70 40 55 -6 0.95 1 ----------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday, October 4, 2009 ------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation |-------------------------------- | April 1, 2009 thru Station | October 4, 2009 |-------------------------------- | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF |-------------------------------- | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Chalmers_5W 22.14 -0.32 75 2609 -462 Francesville 22.32 -0.44 67 2554 -261 Valparaiso_AP_I 18.74 -5.77 70 2707 -97 Wanatah 22.91 -0.74 76 2431 -243 Winamac 19.01 -3.75 66 2642 -173 North Central (2) Plymouth 21.96 -1.39 90 2561 -401 South_Bend 25.08 +2.40 69 2701 -74 Young_America 21.98 -0.09 54 2658 -255 Northeast (3) Fort_Wayne 22.67 +2.45 71 2835 -77 Kendallville 20.07 -1.23 85 2879 +142 West Central (4) Greencastle 31.41 +5.86 79 2659 -630 Perrysville 31.14 +7.21 72 2959 -99 Spencer_Ag 34.28 +8.69 76 2964 -118 Terre_Haute_AFB 23.14 -0.99 63 3217 -47 W_Lafayette_6NW 25.78 +3.31 69 2806 -93 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 29.19 +6.67 72 3240 +6 Greenfield 35.57 +10.98 75 2879 -233 Indianapolis_AP 32.57 +10.05 70 3353 +119 Indianapolis_SE 35.64 +12.68 73 2878 -351 Tipton_Ag 26.88 +3.98 76 2705 -104 East Central (6) Farmland 20.83 -1.40 70 2748 +6 New_Castle 27.41 +3.88 72 2642 -169 Southwest (7) Evansville 29.37 +6.63 69 3808 +58 Freelandville 37.10 +13.41 71 3313 -59 Shoals_8S 35.58 +10.03 67 3016 -255 Stendal 39.00 +13.59 67 3702 +169 Vincennes_5NE 35.12 +11.43 72 3445 +73 South Central (8) Leavenworth 39.58 +13.83 96 3339 +92 Oolitic 32.23 +7.78 79 3062 -59 Tell_City 30.34 +4.33 64 3613 -15 Southeast (9) Brookville 28.75 +5.07 70 3110 +147 Greensburg 35.55 +11.63 76 3240 +208 Seymour 36.81 +13.47 65 2993 -119 -------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2009: Agricultural Weather Information Service, Inc. All rights reserved. DFN = Departure From Normal GDD = Growing Degree Days. Precipitation (Rainfall or melted snow/ice) in inches. Precipitation Days = Days with precip of .01 inch or more. Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit. For more weather inrformation, visit www.awis.com or call 1-888-798-9955.