in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date July 28, 2002 Issue IN-CW3002 Agricultural Summary Major crops continued to suffer during most of the week from the heat and lack of precipitation. Rain fell in some portions of the state, but many areas received none or very little precipitation during the week, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service. Corn and soybeans are under severe stress in many areas around the state. Many fields of corn entered into the critical stage of pollination last week. There is significant variation of pollination with portions of fields silking and other areas in the field not yet tasseled. Hay crops and pastures are also hurting from the heat and dry weather. The most critical areas for soil moisture deficiency remain in the north central, northeast and east central regions of the state. Field Crops Report There were 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn condition declined and is rated 31 percent good to excellent compared with 36 percent last week and 79 percent last year at this time. Sixty-six percent of the corn acreage has silked compared with 97 percent last year and 81 percent for the 5-year average. Soybean condition also declined and is rated 35 percent good to excellent compared with 39 percent last week and 72 percent a year earlier. Fifty-eight percent of the soybean acreage is blooming compared with 92 percent last year and 82 percent for the 5-year average. Sixteen percent of the soybean acreage is setting pods compared with 47 percent last year and 35 percent for the average. Winter wheat harvest is virtually complete compared with 100 percent last year and 98 percent for the 5-year average. Other activities during the week included scouting fields, cutting and baling hay, baling straw, spraying for weed control, repairing equipment, mowing roadsides, cleaning grain bins, attending county fairs and taking care of livestock. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 2 percent excellent, 19 percent good, 39 percent fair, 27 percent poor and 13 percent very poor. Pastures are drying up in many areas of the state. Second cutting of alfalfa hay is 88 percent complete compared with 97 percent last year and 87 percent for the average. Feeding of hay is necessary on some farms. Livestock are under stress from the hot weather. Crop Progress Table -------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Silked 66 28 97 81 Corn in Dough 7 2 24 19 Soybeans Blooming 58 37 92 82 Soybeans Podding 16 9 47 35 Alfalfa Second Cutting 88 74 97 87 Crop Condition Table -------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 10 22 37 28 3 Soybean 8 19 38 31 4 Pasture 13 27 39 19 2 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : Week : Week : Year ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 31 28 3 Short 42 44 16 Adequate 26 27 67 Surplus 1 1 14 Subsoil Very Short 25 20 4 Short 40 39 22 Adequate 34 40 66 Surplus 1 1 8 Days Suitable 6.4 6.5 4.4 Contact information --Ralph W. Gann, State Statistician --Bud Bever, Agricultural Statistician E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov http://www.nass.usda.gov/in/index.htm Other Agricultural Comments And News A FOLLOW-UP ON NEMATODES DAMAGING CORN AND SOYBEAN As we predicted back in May, this was a bad year for Needle Nematode in corn. The good news is that the damage is done and we no longer find this nematode. When the soil temperature rises, this nematode simply disappears and we are no longer able to extract it from the soil. Damaged corn, for most part, will start to recover, even though some yield loss should be expected. The story for soybean is completely opposite. The Soybean Cyst Nematodes (SCN) are thriving and the first generation of this nematode has matured and the second generation is underway. This time of the year is the best time to observe the white and yellow SCN females on the roots. The best way to observe this nematode is to dig the whole plant root system with the soil ball around it. Dip the soil ball into a bucket of water and gently shake the soil away from the roots. The white or yellow SCN females should be visible on the roots and can be observed with the naked eye. They are the size of a grain of sugar. Recognition of this nematode in a timely fashion is extremely important. The yellow stunted patches of soybean, a typical SCN symptom, might not always be present in the soybean field although the damaging nematodes are present. Thus, we recommend close observation of soybean roots by every soybean grower despite lack of the presence of typical symptoms. The Indiana Soybean Board is continuing to cover the cost of soil analysis for SCN (up to 10 samples/grower/year). If you have questions about these, or any other kinds of nematodes, you can call us at 765/494-4611. If you are uncertain about whether plant parasitic nematodes are the cause of some type of unsatisfactory crop growth, you might consider sending a soil sample to us at: Nematology Laboratory, 1158 Smith Hall, Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1158. Department of Entomology, Purdue University. Jamal Faghihi and Virginia Ferris, Department of Entomology, Purdue University. BROWN SPOT OF CORN * A leaf disease rarely seen on corn in Indiana has shown up near Princeton Gail Ruhl and I diagnosed brown spot on a corn sample from southern Indiana submitted to the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab (PPDL) last week. Leaves of these plants had small, golden-brown spots. Over most of the affected leaf tissue, the spots had coalesced to form large patches of dead tissue. Symptoms were most severe on the apical half of the leaf. The patches of dead tissue tended to occur in bands across the leaf with more or less healthy tissue in between. We also observed strings of black circular lesions near the midrib. It was in this tissue that Gail was able to find sporangia of the brown spot fungus, Physoderma maydis. Although the disease is reported to occur in the Midwest, we have rarely seen it in the PPDL. Brown spot is more common in tropical areas, where there are long periods of moisture and high temperatures. Reduced tillage also favors the disease, because the sporangia produced by the fungus in infected plants survive in crop residue. Zoospores released by the sporangia are most likely to infect meristematic leaf tissue down in the whorl. Infection occurs in a diurnal pattern because light, free water, and appropriate temperatures are all required. This may be why the lesions tend to occur in bands. Corn is reported to be most vulnerable for 50-60 days after seed germination. The combination of late planting and the abrupt switch to high temperatures when a lot of corn was still in the seedling stage may have created the right conditions for infection. The brown spot fungus, Physoderma maydis, is in the same broad group of fungi that includes the downy mildews, Phytophthora, and Pythium. Gregory Shaner, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University. This article also contains color pictures, which can be viewed at: http;//www.entm.purdue.edu/entomology/ext/targets/ p&c/P&C2002/P&C19_2002.pdf, pgs. 5 & 6. Weather Information Table Week Ending Sunday July 28, 2002 --------------------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|-----------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days|Temp ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |96 57 76 +2 0.72 3 Valparaiso_AP_I |95 57 77 +5 0.48 4 Wanatah |96 56 76 +4 0.98 4 82 Wheatfield |96 58 76 +4 2.44 3 Winamac |94 59 77 +5 0.59 2 81 North Central(2)| Plymouth |96 57 77 +3 0.38 4 South_Bend |96 57 78 +6 0.51 4 Young_America |95 58 77 +4 2.44 3 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |94 56 77 +5 0.26 4 81 Fort_Wayne |94 57 77 +4 0.43 2 West Central (4)| Greencastle |93 58 76 +1 0.93 3 Perrysville |96 61 78 +4 1.82 2 81 Spencer_Ag |94 60 77 +3 1.77 3 Terre_Haute_AFB |94 61 79 +4 1.25 2 W_Lafayette_6NW |96 58 77 +5 1.48 3 81 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |94 60 78 +4 0.45 3 Greenfield |92 60 77 +3 0.11 2 Indianapolis_AP |94 63 79 +4 0.20 3 Indianapolis_SE |93 57 77 +2 0.24 2 Tipton_Ag |94 57 75 +3 0.70 3 81 East Central (6)| Farmland |95 57 77 +5 0.74 3 77 New_Castle |90 56 74 +1 0.05 1 Southwest (7) | Evansville |94 66 81 +3 0.63 1 Freelandville |96 65 80 +4 0.44 2 Shoals |97 61 79 +5 0.08 1 Stendal |96 65 80 +4 0.15 3 Vincennes_5NE |96 64 80 +5 0.78 3 80 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |93 64 79 +4 1.01 3 Oolitic |96 60 79 +5 0.13 3 79 Tell_City |96 66 82 +5 0.30 1 Southeast (9) | Brookville |96 59 78 +4 0.07 2 Milan_5NE |91 58 76 +2 0.00 0 Scottsburg |93 60 78 +2 0.48 3 ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation | April 1, 2002 thru Station | July 28, 2002 | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |13.30 -1.51 47 1855 +46 Valparaiso_AP_I |13.90 -1.78 44 1840 +216 Wanatah |15.03 -0.19 49 1750 +199 Wheatfield |14.85 -0.02 38 1792 +194 Winamac |13.21 -1.68 45 1787 +127 North Central(2)| Plymouth |14.06 -1.54 49 1706 -25 South_Bend |12.13 -2.48 45 1792 +185 Young_America |15.76 +1.42 42 1874 +178 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |11.81 -2.86 45 1671 +138 Fort_Wayne |14.13 +0.60 41 1847 +160 West Central (4)| Greencastle |22.00 +5.08 45 1797 -124 Perrysville |19.52 +3.35 45 1937 +139 Spencer_Ag |24.75 +7.44 50 1905 +103 Terre_Haute_AFB |28.32 +11.92 47 2103 +185 W_Lafayette_6NW |19.51 +4.64 52 1909 +213 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |18.64 +3.40 50 2045 +146 Greenfield |25.89 +9.20 51 1928 +116 Indianapolis_AP |17.53 +2.29 44 2111 +212 Indianapolis_SE |21.20 +5.36 44 1925 +46 Tipton_Ag |15.47 +0.45 43 1775 +133 East Central (6)| Farmland |14.45 -0.45 48 1848 +250 New_Castle |17.81 +1.46 38 1614 -18 Southwest (7) | Evansville |18.28 +2.34 39 2440 +208 Freelandville |20.36 +3.87 38 2198 +213 Shoals |19.71 +1.88 37 2091 +183 Stendal |20.52 +2.88 40 2280 +193 Vincennes_5NE |20.83 +4.34 42 2254 +269 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |19.43 +1.42 38 2175 +272 Oolitic |22.85 +5.96 47 2019 +201 Tell_City |18.60 +0.70 29 2528 +412 Southeast (9) | Brookville |18.25 +2.01 40 2039 +328 Milan_5NE |23.99 +7.75 47 1755 +44 Scottsburg |20.76 +4.06 45 2047 +79 ------------------------------------------------------------- DFN = Departure From Normal (Using 1961-90 Normals Period). 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. Copyright 2002: AWIS, Inc. All rights reserved. The above weather information is provided by AWIS, Inc. For detailed ag weather forecasts and data visit the AWIS home page at www.awis.com or call toll free at 1-888-798-9955. The INDIANA CROP WEATHER REPORT (USPS 675-770), (ISSN 0442-817X) is issued weekly April through November by the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite B105, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. Second Class postage paid at Lafayette IN. For information on subscribing, send request to above address. POSTMASTER: Send address change to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite B105, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. Source: Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service