Wheat Pete's Word, Oct 7 — Soybean Yields, Dwarf Bunt and the Bad Boys Club

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How’s wheat planting coming along? Are you all done? Call 1-888-746-3311 or tweet @WheatPete to leave your feedback and questions for Wheat Pete!

In this instalment of Wheat Pete’s Word, resident agronomist and host Peter Johnson covers a long list of topics, including what wheat plant populations should look like in fields that have already emerged and how seed treatments have had some unintended consequences during seeding. It is with some shame he admits he hasn’t planted any wheat yet thanks to some late soybeans.

Speaking of soybean harvest, yields have been “slightly disappointing” — in the 35 to 45 bushel per acre range. There also appear to be some noticeable yield differences between RR2 and IP beans.

Producers have been asking about testing strip tillage this year, to which Wheat Pete suggests “doing it right” using replicated trials to ensure valid comparisons. That also applies for any other treatments growers are thinking of experimenting with.

With wheat going in the ground, he reminds growers about two nasty diseases that will infect the crop in fall: dwarf bunt and take-all. Both can take a major toll on yields next summer.

From there, Tony has a question for Pete about how and when to kill red clover. The longer you can leave it, the more roots you’ll get and the better it is for the soil, suggests Johnson, noting that’s in a no-till situation.

With temperatures dropping, does it make more sense to add adjuvant or bump up the glyphosate rate to maintain efficacy when spraying? At today’s prices, Pete suggests spending the extra few dollars on more glyphosate.

He also responds to questions about planting radish together with winter wheat, diagnosing green stems in soybeans, reducing corn rootworm pressure, when to apply potash for soybeans, soil testing after manure and factors determining the critical harvest date for alfalfa.

And that’s it, that’s all. Check back next Wednesday for another Wheat Pete’s Word, as well as an additional update from Pete on neonics in Ontario.

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Wheat Pete's Word (view all)Season 1 (2015) Episode 13
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