Once applied, herbicide active ingredients that land on the soil surface are broken down by soil microbes. Those microbes require moisture and warmth to chew through and neutralize the herbicide. When in-season water is limited, those active ingredients can stay in the soil, sometimes for years. Cory Jacob, acting provincial weed specialist for the Saskatchewan… Read More

Field Bindweed is a heavily-vined, troublesome weed that can cause growers headaches when it gains a foothold in soybean fields. On this edition of the RealAgriculture Soybean School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist Mike Cowbrough looks at control options for the perennial pest in both identity-preserved (IP) and conventional soybeans…. Read More

When a field of winter gets knocked down, don’t count it out. RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson says the 2022/23 crop is a perfect example of how winter wheat can absorb multiple agronomic and environmental blows and still get off the mat to deliver a big yield punch. On this episode of RealAgriculture Wheat School, Johnson… Read More

As combines push through the Ontario corn crop, growers are being advised to focus their first harvest efforts on fields where gibberella fungus could produce higher levels of deoxynivalenol (DON) in the grain. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, agronomist Peter Johnson shares tips for identifying fields at higher risk for gibberella and… Read More

Good kernel set — from the tip to the butt of the ear — plays a key role in achieving high corn yield. But every year growers run into environmental and agronomic challenges the can lead to poor pollination, aborted kernels and a significant impact on yield. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School,… Read More

Verticillium has been impacting canola crops in Manitoba for over a decade, but it is now spreading across the Canadian Prairies. According to Jeanette Gaultier of BASF, while verticillium was first detected in Manitoba around ten years ago, it has since been found in every canola growing region of Canada, except the Atlantic provinces. Verticillium… Read More

Weed control is not an exact science, especially when Mother Nature throws curveballs at growers throughout the growing season. BASF agronomist Ken Currah says the extremes of the 2023 growing season are a good example of why it’s best to think season-long when planning a weed control program. During spring, as dry conditions continued through… Read More

As canola harvest wraps up for another season, it’s an important time for growers and agronomists to get out into fields and scout for disease. Walking fields in the weeks after harvest helps paint a picture of what diseases may be lingering in the soil or crop residue, which can be important when considering a… Read More

Weeds can cause up to 58 per cent yield loss in edible beans compared to 50 per cent in corn and 35 in soybeans. That’s just one brick in a wall of weed control insights University of Guelph weed science researcher Dr. Peter Sikkema has accumulated over a 30-year career that includes induction into the… Read More

Tar spot leaf disease has been a little tardy in 2023, but the later-arriving yield robber is still having an impact on the Ontario corn crop. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plant pathologist Albert Tenuta says a dry start to the growing year meant tar spot arrived a little late in 2023… Read More

Pulse crops are notoriously poor competitors against weeds due to their slow growth in the spring. This makes fall weed control essential for establishing a healthy pulse stand in the following year. According to Lyle Jensen of Agro Plus Inc., there are several key reasons why fall is the preferred time for weed control. First, it… Read More

 

Register for a RealAgriculture account to manage your Shortcut menu instead of the default.

Register