Is all protein in wheat the same? Are there several kinds of protein? What happens to protein when wheat is in storage? Is gluten strength the same as protein quality? What is gluten, anyway? If you’ve asked yourself these questions (and more!) you’re most certainly not alone. Understanding the role protein plays in crop quality… Read More
Category: Crop Management WSW
Leaf rusts come in many shapes and strains and can be particularly hard to avoid, as the pathogen blows in from parts unknown (well, we know where, but that turn of phrase sounds better). What’s perhaps more troubling is there is evidence that stripe rust may have over-wintered in parts of Alberta this year. Over-wintering… Read More
A drawn out start to the growing season doesn’t necessarily mean a drawn out growing season. Warm days with plenty of sun and mean growing degree days accumulate quickly, sending crops through their growth stages quickly, if the moisture is there. Wheat, and in this case winter wheat, can at times throw a curve ball… Read More
If you’ve already completed your seed test, it’s likely you have an idea of the level of disease present in your wheat seed. With that, and knowledge of pests from previous years, it’s time to make a decision about seed treatment. “Treating wheat seed is an importance insurance step,” says Mitchell Japp of the Saskatchewan… Read More
Did you know that wheat seed that has been negatively impacted by glyphosate application will show no visible signs of damage? So though you may be able to see mechanical damage, there are many factors that hide beneath the surface, including disease presence and susceptibility. That’s why it’s important to send seed for a test that goes… Read More
As the snow retreats (quickly now, get on with you), it’s time to get out there and take a good look at the winter wheat stand. There is such thing as doing a winterkill evaluation too early, but, depending on the method you use, you could need up to two weeks to get a good… Read More
The numbers for the 2013 Ontario winter wheat crop are in. This year growers averaged 80.6 bu/ac of winter wheat. Not too shabby, however, according to Peter Johnson, Cereal Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, what may be coming down the pipe for the 2014 crop is even better. How much better? The trend… Read More
Side band? Top dress? Add micros or not? When it comes to wheat production many farmers are looking to closely match crop needs with fertilizer applications, but exactly how to meet those needs brings up a host of questions. Never fear, as Peter Johnson, cereal specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, is… Read More
Herbicide spray drift gets all the attention, and for good reason — the impacts are visual and nearly immediate. Does that mean drift doesn’t occur with other products? Absolutely not. It also doesn’t mean it’s OK to skip steps to minimize drift of fungicides or insecticides. The reasons for doing so are financial, agronomic, environmental… Read More
If you’ve been talking to your neighbours about spraying, chances are you’ve heard that double nozzles are one way of increasing the number of droplets sprayed. Not necessarily, says spray application specialist Tom Wolf. “The unstated assumption behind that is that droplets are getting smaller when you have two nozzles instead of one,” Wolf says…. Read More