in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date September 22, 2002 Issue IN-CW3802 Agricultural Summary Corn harvest continued in some fields before rain halted field activities in many areas of the state, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service. Some areas received heavy rain and strong winds. The precipitation helped relieve very dry soil conditions in some regions. Harvest of soybeans is underway in scattered fields around the state. Yields from early harvested corn and soybean fields are highly variable. Chopping corn for silage and harvest of seed corn continued. Field Crops Report There were 5.2 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn condition is rated 28 percent good to excellent compared with 26 percent last week and 74 percent last year at this time. Ninety-two percent of the corn acreage has reached the dent stage compared with 100 percent last year and 97 percent for the average. Fifty-three percent of the corn crop is mature compared with 77 percent last year and 70 percent for the 5-year average. By region, 39 percent of the corn acreage is mature (safe from frost) in the north, 57 percent in the central regions and 72 percent in the south. Eight percent of the corn acreage is harvested compared with 12 percent last year and 11 percent for the 5-year average. Moisture content of harvested corn is averaging 24 percent. Soybean condition is rated 31 percent good to excellent compared with 30 percent last week and 73 percent a year earlier. Sixty-three percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves compared with 77 percent last year and 80 percent for the average. By area, 60 percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves in the north, 64 percent in the central regions and 68 percent in the south. Three percent of the soybean acreage is harvested compared with 6 percent last year and 10 percent for the average. Other activities during the week included cleaning out grain bins, preparing equipment, FSA paperwork and taking care of livestock. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 4 percent good, 20 percent fair, 32 percent poor and 44 percent very poor. Three percent of the winter wheat acreage is seeded compared with 5 percent last year and 4 percent for the average. Tobacco harvest is 77 percent complete compared with 88 percent last year and 78 percent for the average. Livestock are in mostly good condition. Crop Progress Table -------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn in Dent 92 83 100 97 Corn Mature 53 33 77 70 Corn Harvested 8 4 12 11 Soybeans Shedding Lvs 63 39 77 80 Soybeans Mature 26 NA 40 47 Soybeans Harvested 3 NA 6 10 Winter Wheat Planted 3 2 5 4 Tobacco Harvested 77 59 88 78 Crop Condition Table -------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 18 24 30 26 2 Soybean 14 23 32 28 3 Pasture 44 32 20 4 0 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : Week : Week : Year ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 27 54 1 Short 37 35 10 Adequate 35 11 76 Surplus 1 0 13 Subsoil Very Short 38 49 6 Short 42 37 21 Adequate 20 14 68 Surplus 0 0 5 Days Suitable 5.2 6.8 4.5 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 SOYBEAN SUDDEN DEATH SYNDROME * Sometimes, never is better than late Over the past couple of weeks, more and more soybean fields in Indiana have shown symptoms of sudden death syndrome (SDS). Affected areas may be extensive in a field, or confined to a few patches. The disease is most likely to show up earlier and be more severe in compacted areas. With the planting problems this spring, compaction is a greater problem than normal, and this has probably contributed to the widespread outbreak of SDS. Often the areas of SDS run parallel to the edge of a field and in about 30 ft. These are likely areas that are compacted because of extra traffic in the field. The late appearance of symptoms would not normally be cause for concern about yield and quality of the crop, but because of the later than normal development of soybeans this year, there may be significant yield damage in affected areas of a field. Plants affected after pods are well developed may produce small seed. I have not been able to conduct a survey of sudden death syndrome throughout the state, but it appears that the disease is more severe in northern and central Indiana, in areas that received heavy rains sometime during early grain filling. Growers should make note of which fields show SDS and map the locations of affected areas. This can be useful information for future planting decisions in those fields. Where SDS is a problem, growers should avoid early planting of soybeans and use a variety with some resistance to the disease. It's also a good idea to make note of varieties that show severe symptoms of SDS, even if this is only in a few isolated patches in a field. Susceptible varieties should be avoided when planting a field that has any history of the disease. It is more difficult to identify resistant varieties. If one field, planted with a particular variety, has SDS, but a nearby field, planted with another variety, has little or no SDS, one cannot necessarily conclude that the second variety is resistant. Planting date and field history have a strong influence on disease severity. The best way to determine if a variety has resistance is to test it in replicated yield trials in several locations and years under severe and uniform SDS pressure. Scott Abney, with the USDA-ARS at Purdue, has been conducting such tests for several years and has identified several varieties that have a useful degree of resistance. More information about sudden death syndrome of soybean can be found at or in Purdue extension publication BP-58 Sudden Death Syndrome in Soybeans . Gregory Shaner, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University. Weather Information Table Week Ending Sunday September 22, 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 |89 47 69 +5 0.95 4 Valparaiso_AP_I |82 48 68 +6 0.71 4 Wanatah |84 40 67 +5 0.73 5 74 Wheatfield |82 47 67 +5 1.12 4 Winamac |85 49 68 +6 1.35 4 70 North Central(2)| Plymouth |85 48 68 +5 1.34 4 South_Bend |85 50 69 +7 0.87 3 Young_America |89 48 69 +5 1.47 2 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |84 45 67 +5 1.97 4 70 Fort_Wayne |89 49 69 +6 1.45 3 West Central (4)| Greencastle |84 48 68 +3 4.07 4 Perrysville |85 49 68 +4 0.95 3 73 Spencer_Ag |88 53 71 +7 3.88 3 Terre_Haute_AFB |86 53 71 +6 2.13 4 W_Lafayette_6NW |87 47 68 +5 1.73 5 72 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |87 52 71 +6 2.45 4 Greenfield |88 50 70 +6 2.83 5 Indianapolis_AP |88 55 71 +6 2.66 4 Indianapolis_SE |88 49 70 +5 3.67 4 Tipton_Ag |89 47 68 +5 2.42 4 74 East Central (6)| Farmland |91 43 69 +6 1.70 3 70 New_Castle |86 46 68 +5 1.65 3 Southwest (7) | Evansville |89 58 74 +7 2.95 4 Freelandville |89 59 72 +6 4.27 3 Shoals |86 56 72 +7 2.61 4 Stendal |88 59 73 +7 2.90 3 Vincennes_5NE |90 56 73 +7 4.19 4 72 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |86 56 72 +7 1.44 3 Oolitic |84 53 70 +5 2.32 5 74 Tell_City |86 59 74 +7 1.27 4 Southeast (9) | Brookville |88 53 73 +8 0.76 4 Milan_5NE |88 55 72 +8 1.73 5 Scottsburg |90 55 72 +6 1.03 2 ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation | April 1, 2002 thru Station | September 22, 2002 | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |18.35 -3.05 67 3105 +174 Valparaiso_AP_I |17.94 -5.06 65 3106 +429 Wanatah |18.47 -3.81 70 2943 +385 Wheatfield |21.92 +0.28 55 2993 +378 Winamac |20.51 -1.09 63 3035 +342 North Central(2)| Plymouth |19.24 -2.73 68 2910 +79 South_Bend |16.06 -5.28 63 3080 +423 Young_America |21.82 +0.96 57 3133 +350 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |18.99 -1.96 63 2876 +341 Fort_Wayne |20.17 +0.91 56 3120 +338 West Central (4)| Greencastle |29.41 +5.16 59 3056 -79 Perrysville |28.20 +5.35 60 3208 +290 Spencer_Ag |30.97 +6.50 62 3281 +335 Terre_Haute_AFB |33.10 +10.18 61 3489 +377 W_Lafayette_6NW |25.90 +4.51 70 3162 +394 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |23.51 +2.06 64 3488 +402 Greenfield |30.98 +7.52 66 3295 +327 Indianapolis_AP |22.09 +0.64 57 3616 +530 Indianapolis_SE |26.69 +4.77 55 3290 +212 Tipton_Ag |21.81 +0.10 60 3030 +345 East Central (6)| Farmland |19.47 -1.68 61 3125 +502 New_Castle |22.62 +0.16 54 2843 +155 Southwest (7) | Evansville |22.53 +0.92 48 4052 +477 Freelandville |26.88 +4.37 51 3691 +476 Shoals |24.64 +0.29 49 3567 +449 Stendal |26.36 +2.12 50 3850 +478 Vincennes_5NE |29.92 +7.41 61 3779 +564 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |23.35 -1.32 52 3661 +564 Oolitic |27.05 +3.73 61 3485 +506 Tell_City |23.21 -1.61 43 4151 +701 Southeast (9) | Brookville |21.40 -1.24 55 3561 +731 Milan_5NE |28.70 +6.06 65 3190 +360 Scottsburg |24.68 +1.49 57 3490 +287 ------------------------------------------------------------- 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