in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date July 4, 2004 Issue IN-CW2704 Agricultural Summary Winter wheat harvest was in full swing in the central and northern regions of the state last week, according to Indiana Agricultural Statistics. Favorable weather and drier soil conditions allowed farmers to replant some drowned out areas. Planting of double crop soybeans along with baling of hay and straw were taking place during the week on many farms. Several of the early planted corn fields are entering into the critical pollination stage. Nitrogen loss is apparent in many corn fields. Farmers had a good week for spraying chemicals. Irrigation systems were active as soils were becoming dry in some fields. Field Crops Report There were 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn condition is rated 74 percent good to excellent compared with 57 percent last year at this time. Thirty-two percent of the corn acreage has silked compared to 3 percent last year and 6 percent for the average. Virtually all of the soybean acreage has emerged except for the double crop soybeans. Twenty-six percent of the soybean acreage is blooming compared with 5 percent last year and 16 percent for the 5-year average. Soybean condition is rated 67 percent good to excellent compared with 57 percent last year at this time. Seventy-eight percent of the winter wheat acreage is harvested compared with 50 percent last year and 54 percent for the average. By area, 52 percent of the wheat is harvested in the north, 86 percent in the central region and 95 percent in the south. Setting of tobacco plants is virtually complete. Blue mold is showing up in some tobacco fields. Second cutting of alfalfa hay is 21 percent complete compared with 19 percent last year and 29 percent for the average. Other activities during the week were cleaning up and repairing equipment, scouting fields, mowing roads and pastures, moving grain to market, hauling manure and taking care of livestock. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 16 percent excellent, 59 percent good, 20 percent fair, 4 percent poor and 1 percent very poor. Livestock are in mostly good condition. Crop Progress Table ----------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Silked 32 11 3 6 Soybeans Blooming 26 10 5 16 Alfalfa Second Cutting 21 NA 19 29 Winter Wheat Harvested 78 51 50 54 Crop Condition Table ------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ------------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 3 5 18 51 23 Soybean 3 7 23 50 17 Pasture 1 4 20 59 16 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 1 0 4 Short 20 4 20 Adequate 73 77 47 Surplus 6 19 29 Subsoil Very Short 0 0 4 Short 12 5 16 Adequate 80 77 61 Surplus 8 18 19 Days Suitable 6.2 5.4 5.6 Contact information --Greg Preston, Director --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 WEED CONTROL TIMING ISSUES IN ROUNDUP READY SOYBEANS Postemergence weed control operations in soybean should be well underway in most of Indiana. With over 85 % of our soybean acres planted to Roundup Ready soybean, we have seen the use of postemergence weed control products shift from photosynthetic inhibitors (Basagran), diphenylethers (Cobra, Blazer/Status, Reflex/Flexstar) and ALS inhibitors (Scepter, Pursuit, Classic, Synchrony, etc.) to glyphosate-based products. Although we are shifting use patterns, we must still use sound judgment in selection of controllable spray application variables. As with most herbicides, the labels of glyphosate-based products contain information designed to maximize the efficacy of this product on target weeds. With contact herbicides such as diphenylethers and photosynthetic inhibitors, we typically recommended spraying weeds when they were small (3 inches or less) and using higher pressure (psi) and spray volume (gpa) to ensure thorough coverage. This is done since foliage that is not contacted by these herbicides will not be effectively controlled. Since the glyphosate (Roundup) products are translocated to active sites in the plant, complete foliage coverage is less important, and success with lower spray volumes has been achieved on a regular basis in the scientific literature and in the real world. Obviously, weed management strategies have shifted with the use of the Roundup Ready technology. Before Roundup Ready soybean, weed control programs consisted of utilizing either 1) soil-applied herbicides plus early - post (weeds less than 3 inches tall) treatments for broadleaves and/or mid-post (weeds 3 to 6 inches tall) treatments for grasses or 2) utilizing total-post programs targeted at a mid-post application timing. Broad adaptation of the Roundup Ready soybean system has resulted in a shift in weed management philosophy. Most glyphosate labels state that the "best" results will be obtained with a 1-quart application (or 22 oz./A of Roundup Weathermax) on 4 to 8 inch-tall weeds, with sequential applications as needed. While we feel that as a general rule, this strategy will be successful, it will be tempting to push the technology envelope and allow weeds to get larger than 8 inches before the first application is made. For that reason, we would suggest targeting the first application to 4 to 6 inch-tall weeds, regardless if one is in a total-post system or a soil-applied followed by post system, and make sequential applications as needed. This strategy will help reduce early season weed competition and result in fewer nonperformance issues. Unfortunately, my observations are that we are pushing the limits of the technology by making the first glyphosate application on weeds 8 to 16 inches tall (or taller). In discussing this with growers and consultants, it appears that the mindset is to make the application as close to crop canopy as possible to take advantage of the crop canopy in suppressing additional weed regrowth. When the herbicide is effective at controlling the large weeds, these programs have resulted in very clean fields. However, a clean field in August doesn't mean that it will yield as high as it could have if the weeds had been controlled in a more timely manner early in the season. Our research has repeatedly shown that in a total postemergence Roundup Ready soybean system with moderate to heavy weed infestations, an initial weed control operation must be done according to one of the three criteria to minimize yield losses due to weed competition. These criteria consist of either 1) controlling weeds by 4 to 5 weeks after planting, 2) controlling weeds before they reach 6 to 9 inches in height, or 3) controlling weeds before soybean reaches the V3 stage of growth. Environmental conditions and weed densities and variety can slightly shift optimal management times in either direction for any of the criteria, but using one of these as a general rule of thumb will be the best way to minimize risk of yield loss. Bill Johnson, Glenn Nice, and Tom Bauman, Department of Botany & Plant Pathology, Purdue University. Weather Information Table Week Ending Sunday July 4, 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|------------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days |Temp ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |90 52 70 -5 0.88 2 70 Valparaiso_AP_I |87 53 70 -3 1.04 2 Wanatah |87 49 70 -3 0.87 2 78 Wheatfield |87 51 69 -3 0.81 2 Winamac |88 50 70 -3 0.98 3 76 North Central(2)| Plymouth |87 51 69 -4 0.41 3 South_Bend |87 52 71 -2 1.32 3 Young_America |88 49 70 -4 0.38 2 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |87 47 69 -4 0.70 2 73 Fort_Wayne |88 49 70 -4 0.46 3 West Central (4)| Greencastle |85 48 69 -6 1.23 2 Perrysville |87 50 72 -3 1.01 2 76 Spencer_Ag |86 53 72 -3 0.70 3 Terre_Haute_AFB |86 51 72 -3 0.86 3 W_Lafayette_6NW |87 48 70 -4 0.81 2 80 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |86 54 72 -3 0.47 2 Greenfield |85 52 72 -3 0.81 2 Indianapolis_AP |87 54 74 -2 0.64 1 Indianapolis_SE |87 50 71 -4 1.10 1 Tipton_Ag |86 48 69 -5 0.84 3 77 East Central (6)| Farmland |89 47 69 -4 0.69 2 69 New_Castle |83 47 67 -6 0.76 1 Southwest (7) | Evansville |87 62 76 -3 0.42 2 Freelandville |85 60 73 -3 0.54 1 Shoals |86 52 73 -3 1.15 2 Stendal |86 60 74 -3 0.08 2 Vincennes_5NE |86 57 73 -3 0.98 3 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |86 58 74 +0 0.54 2 Oolitic |86 55 72 -3 1.32 2 79 Tell_City |87 64 76 -1 0.59 2 Southeast (9) | Brookville |90 52 72 -2 0.00 0 Milan_5NE |87 55 72 -2 0.65 4 Scottsburg |87 57 73 -3 1.11 3 --------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table Week ending Sunday July 4, 2004 ----------------|-------------------------------- | Accumulation |-------------------------------- | April 1, 2004 thru Station | July 4, 2004 |-------------------------------- | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF |-------------------------------- | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |17.31 +5.55 33 1262 +12 Valparaiso_AP_I |10.80 -1.82 34 1177 +82 Wanatah |10.60 -1.38 39 1106 +67 Wheatfield |20.45 +8.58 44 1158 +86 Winamac |11.69 -0.25 41 1216 +85 North Central(2)| Plymouth |12.34 -0.10 39 1152 -29 South_Bend |12.81 +1.13 39 1235 +158 Young_America |12.31 +0.84 34 1310 +163 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |13.25 +1.48 43 1163 +141 Fort_Wayne |13.60 +2.71 41 1269 +135 West Central (4)| Greencastle |14.28 +1.40 40 1308 -22 Perrysville |13.58 +0.86 33 1463 +229 Spencer_Ag |14.68 +1.24 41 1416 +186 Terre_Haute_AFB |10.54 -2.00 33 1559 +235 W_Lafayette_6NW |17.11 +5.31 28 1325 +171 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |11.58 -0.16 37 1455 +144 Greenfield |13.62 +1.12 37 1384 +146 Indianapolis_AP |14.34 +2.60 37 1539 +228 Indianapolis_SE |12.03 +0.03 33 1397 +111 Tipton_Ag |13.01 +1.27 37 1270 +161 East Central (6)| Farmland |13.27 +1.25 42 1292 +223 New_Castle |15.54 +2.53 31 1141 +43 Southwest (7) | Evansville |13.79 +1.04 32 1773 +198 Freelandville |11.07 -2.07 34 1556 +177 Shoals |15.92 +1.91 37 1561 +242 Stendal |14.81 +0.51 34 1671 +209 Vincennes_5NE |13.64 +0.50 39 1633 +254 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |19.93 +5.76 40 1576 +256 Oolitic |15.80 +2.46 41 1460 +212 Tell_City |18.77 +4.49 38 1790 +313 Southeast (9) | Brookville |11.37 -1.26 33 1435 +279 Milan_5NE |16.14 +3.51 53 1435 +279 Scottsburg |22.23 +9.25 40 1544 +177 ------------------------------------------------------------- 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 2004: 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 Indiana Agricultural Statistics, 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 Indiana Agricultural Statistics, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite B105, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. Source: Indiana Agricultural Statistics