in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date August 1, 2004 Issue IN-CW3104 Agricultural Summary Cool, dry weather prevailed during most of the week, according to Indiana Agricultural Statistics. Some areas received rain and strong thunderstorms moved through isolated areas late in the week. The recent cooler temperatures have slowed crop development in some fields, but progress remains ahead of normal for major crops. Third cutting of hay crops was underway. SDS is showing up in some soybean fields. Irrigation systems were active. Field Crops Report There were 5.2 days suitable for fieldwork. Ninety-eight percent of the corn acreage has silked compared with 76 percent last year and 90 percent for the average. Thirty-eight percent of the corn acreage has reached the dough stage compared with 14 percent last year and 28 percent for the average. Five percent of the corn acreage has reached the dent stage compared with 1 percent last year and 3 percent for the average. Corn condition is rated 77 percent good to excellent compared with 59 percent last year at this time. Ninety percent of the soybean acreage is blooming compared with 67 percent last year and 84 percent for the 5-year average. Fifty-six percent of the soybean acreage is setting pods compared with 23 percent last year and 43 percent for the average. Soybean condition is rated 73 percent good to excellent compared with 58 percent last year at this time. Second cutting of alfalfa hay is 93 percent complete compared with 84 percent last year and 95 percent for the average. Other activities during the week were attending county fairs, repairing equipment, spraying, scouting fields, mowing roads and waterways, moving grain to market, hauling manure and taking care of livestock. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 14 percent excellent, 59 percent good, 20 percent fair, 6 percent poor and 1 percent very poor. Livestock are in mostly good condition. Cooler temperatures have helped. ------------------------------------------------------- Crop Progress Table Crop Progress Table ----------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Silked 98 94 76 90 Corn in Dough 38 24 14 28 Corn in Dent 5 NA 1 3 Soybeans Blooming 90 77 67 84 Soybeans Podding 56 36 23 43 Alfalfa Second Cutting 93 85 84 95 Crop Condition Table ----------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 2 5 16 53 24 Soybean 3 5 19 54 19 Pasture 1 6 20 59 14 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table -------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : -------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 2 2 1 Short 14 12 4 Adequate 79 79 75 Surplus 5 7 20 Subsoil Very Short 1 1 1 Short 14 12 7 Adequate 82 82 78 Surplus 3 5 14 Days Suitable 5.2 5.0 5.0 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 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome • Now is the time to scout fields for SDS Sudden death syndrome is starting to show up in Indiana soybean fields. It has been observed in some fields in northern Indiana. Foliar symptoms of SDS are also evident across most of southwest Indiana. Symptoms are seen in early-planted full season beans, but so far not in double cropped fields. Soybeans in fields with SDS are in growth stages R4 to R5 (pods are beginning to fill on the lower part of the plant but are still small on the upper nodes). Sudden death syndrome is caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium virguliforme (previously known as Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines). Foliar symptoms are initially expressed as yellowing between the major veins. This tissue rapidly turns brown, then the leaflets die and shrivel. In severe cases they drop off, leaving the petioles (leaf stalks) attached. Brown stem rot has similar foliar symptoms, but the leaflets tend to remain attached to the petioles. Brown stem rot is distinguished from SDS by symptoms in the plant stem. Brown stem rot darkens the pith but not the cortex. In contrast, the lower stem and taproot of a plant with SDS will exhibit a dark- brown cortex, but white, maybe tan, pith. If a plant with symptoms of SDS is dug from moist soil, there may be small, light-blue patches on the surface of the taproot. These are spore masses of the SDS fungus. As the plant dries, this color will fade, but when it is seen, in conjunction with the other symptoms, a diagnosis of SDS is strongly indicated. Early planting into cool soils favors SDS. In 2004, some fields were planted in mid to late April; others were planted much later, depending on rain patterns this spring. The early-planted fields are at highest risk for SDS. Fusarium virguliforme colonizes the root systems of susceptible plants and can be detected in soybean seedlings as early as one week after planting. The fungus may cause some root necrosis, but foliar symptoms occur only after mid- season. Heavy rains during reproductive stages seem to be a critical predisposing factor for SDS. Under these conditions the fungus starts producing toxins in the root system that are transported upwards in the plant. The toxins disrupt the leaf physiology and lead to the foliar symptoms while the fungus remains restricted to the root system. It is likely that yield will be reduced in affected fields because once foliar symptoms are expressed it is an indication that the plant's root system has been significantly compromised and is not functioning well. Uptake of water and nutrients is diminished. At that time, the toxin from the invading fungus is transported to the leaves causing them to decline and fall off. The amount of yield reduction depends on the growth stage of the soybean during disease outbreak. The earlier the plants succumb to SDS the greater the yield loss. If diseased early, entire pods may fall off; if later, seeds within retained pods may abort, and seeds that do develop may be small, all of which will result in reduced yield. The amount of yield reduction will also depend on how much of the field is affected. Grain yield reductions from SDS can range from 20 or 30% to as high as 80%. The disease was first identified in the southwest corner of Indiana in the mid 1980s. It is now widespread in Indiana. The distribution of past outbreaks suggests that the disease may show up in virtually any area of Indiana, when conditions are favorable. If fields show SDS, there is no remedy for the current crop. However, it is important to make careful note of where the disease occurs (which fields, the pattern of the disease within a field, and symptom severity). This information will be valuable in making future management decisions. In future plantings, the avoidance of extremely early planting, choosing varieties less susceptible to SDS, and any cultural methods that reduce excessive soil moisture, e.g.,breaking of compaction layers or improved drainage, will help to manage SDS. Soybean leaf showing symptoms of SDS. –- Andreas Westphal, Charles Mansfield, and Gregory Shaner, Purdue University ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table Week ending Sunday August 1, 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 88 52 68 -6 0.12 2 69 Valparaiso_AP_I 81 51 68 -6 0.39 3 Wanatah 84 47 66 -7 0.34 3 75 Wheatfield 82 54 67 -6 0.70 2 Winamac 81 52 67 -6 0.12 2 73 North Central (2) Plymouth 82 53 68 -7 0.39 5 South_Bend 82 54 68 -6 0.21 3 Young_America 81 53 67 -7 0.79 5 Northeast (3) Columbia_City 80 51 66 -7 0.65 4 70 Fort_Wayne 80 53 67 -7 0.91 4 West Central (4) Greencastle 80 49 65 -11 0.82 3 Perrysville 84 50 68 -7 0.37 2 75 Spencer_Ag 82 52 66 -9 0.81 4 Terre_Haute_AFB 83 52 68 -8 0.90 4 W_Lafayette_6NW 83 49 66 -7 0.22 2 77 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 80 54 68 -7 0.67 3 Greenfield 81 53 67 -8 0.61 3 Indianapolis_AP 81 54 68 -7 0.71 2 Indianapolis_SE 81 53 67 -9 0.33 5 Tipton_Ag 80 49 66 -8 0.81 4 73 East Central (6) Farmland 81 52 66 -7 1.39 5 63 New_Castle 80 49 63 -10 2.08 3 Southwest (7) Evansville 82 56 69 -9 0.48 3 Freelandville 82 55 68 -9 1.50 3 Shoals 82 54 67 -9 0.56 3 Stendal 82 55 68 -9 0.48 3 Vincennes_5NE 82 54 68 -9 1.05 4 67 South Central (8) Leavenworth 82 55 69 -6 0.71 3 Oolitic 82 53 66 -9 0.83 3 72 Tell_City 85 58 72 -6 0.44 2 Southeast (9) Brookville 86 57 69 -5 1.19 3 Milan_5NE 83 56 68 -7 2.07 4 Scottsburg 83 53 69 -8 0.92 2 -------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table Week ending Sunday August 1, 2004 ----------------|-------------------------------- | Accumulation |-------------------------------- | April 1, 2004 thru Station | August 1, 2004 |-------------------------------- | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF |-------------------------------- | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Chalmers_5W 20.66 +5.31 42 1872 -55 Valparaiso_AP_I 13.63 -2.53 48 1758 +20 Wanatah 13.47 -2.25 50 1656 -4 Wheatfield 26.32 +10.97 55 1736 +29 Winamac 17.20 +1.82 53 1793 +23 North Central (2) Plymouth 16.57 +0.50 54 1733 -114 South_Bend 15.77 +0.70 53 1829 +108 Young_America 18.83 +4.00 49 1897 +87 Northeast (3) Columbia_City 17.13 +2.03 58 1725 +82 Fort_Wayne 18.72 +4.75 53 1869 +64 West Central (4) Greencastle 18.55 +0.96 51 1887 -157 Perrysville 16.20 -0.55 42 2074 +157 Spencer_Ag 22.25 +4.28 57 2027 +106 Terre_Haute_AFB 14.81 -2.18 48 2200 +159 W_Lafayette_6NW 19.42 +4.01 38 1908 +98 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 16.18 +0.38 51 2094 +72 Greenfield 17.32 -0.07 53 1989 +57 Indianapolis_AP 21.64 +5.84 48 2183 +161 Indianapolis_SE 17.54 +1.07 47 2005 +3 Tipton_Ag 16.11 +0.51 50 1829 +74 East Central (6) Farmland 17.10 +1.72 52 1867 +160 New_Castle 19.70 +2.79 42 1654 -92 Southwest (7) Evansville 19.53 +3.13 45 2487 +119 Freelandville 19.17 +2.16 47 2214 +102 Shoals 22.68 +4.27 51 2211 +181 Stendal 19.71 +1.57 48 2363 +144 Vincennes_5NE 19.42 +2.41 56 2307 +195 South Central (8) Leavenworth 26.56 +7.94 54 2242 +217 Oolitic 21.88 +4.42 55 2085 +148 Tell_City 24.28 +5.84 47 2524 +277 Southeast (9) Brookville 15.17 -1.69 44 2097 +267 Milan_5NE 22.24 +5.38 71 2071 +241 Scottsburg 29.74 +12.47 51 2183 +88 ---------------------------------------------------- DFN = Departure From Normal (Using 1961-90 Normals Period). GDD = Growing Degree Days. Precipitation (Rainfall or melted snow/ice) and Pan Evap in inches. Precipitation Days = Days with precip of .01 inch or more. Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit. Copyright 2004: Agricultural Weather Information Service, Inc. All rights reserved.