A stretch of sunny, dry weather in Ontario has soybeans on the comeback trail. That also means that soybean fungicide timing is sneaking up on many growers as the crop picks up steam in mid July. In this edition of RealAgriculture Soybean School, BASF agronomist Ken Currah takes a closer look at the soybean fungicide… Read more »
Category: Pests
Corn School: Managing western bean cutworm
It’s lining up to be a big corn pest year and the insect to watch for in the weeks ahead is western bean cutworm (WBC). In this edition of RealAgriculture Corn School, OMAFRA entomologist Tracey Baute explains that late planting across Ontario has left the young corn crop more susceptible to an increased number of… Read more »
Corn School: Fungicide strategies for 2017
When it comes to plant development and yield potential, Ontario’s corn crop is all over the map. With pollination quickly approaching, many growers are now wrestling with fungicide strategies for a highly variable crop. In this episode of RealAgriculture Corn School, BASF agronomist Ken Currah reviews the struggles of the 2017 crop and discusses where,… Read more »
Watch for these weedy invaders in Ontario
You’ve probably seen and heard reports of the impact invasive weeds like waterhemp and palmer amaranth could have on Ontario crops. While these two heavyweights tend to capture the headlines, there’s a host of other invaders also looking to find a home in your fields. At the recent Southwest Crop Diagnostic Day, Ridgetown College, University… Read more »
Wheat School: A new tool for assessing fusarium head blight risk
Fusarium, fusarium, fusarium. It’s certainly on many minds right now, with fungicide season underway and all too fresh memories of fusarium-infected grain from 2016 Since you can’t really scout for the disease, we have to use models, such as the brand new risk tool launched by the Alberta Wheat Commission and the Alberta Climate Information… Read more »
Canola School: Making the call on when to spray for sclerotinia
When you see the stem rot in the field, it’s too late. And that’s just one of the reasons why managing sclerotinia is a challenge, as exerienced in 2016, a severe year for the disease in canola fields in Western Canada. In this Canola School episode, we talk to Michael Harding, plant pathologist with Alberta… Read more »
Pulse School: It’s time to scout for ascochyta
When it comes to economic impact, ascochyta — also referred to as mycosphaerella blight — is a serious concern in peas, lentils and chickpeas. In this Pulse School episode, we talk to Nevin Rosaasen, about how to scout for ascochyta, and the importance of timing when it comes to fungicide application. “When you are going out… Read more »
Wheat School: New FHB1 varieties offer better fusarium control, agronomics and yield
The FHB1 gene for fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance has been around for some time, but now it’s available in stronger agronomic varieties that deliver yield punch. That’s good news for North American wheat growers, says Bryan Gerard of Indiana-based Gerard Seed Solutions. In this episode of RealAgriculture Wheat School, Gerard explains that the FHB1… Read more »
Canola School: The trouble with flea beetles…
Less than ideal conditions have slowed down canola development and left the crop vulnerable to tiny 2.5 millimetre beetles in some areas this spring. Flea beetles are the number one pest in canola on the Western Canadian Prairies. In this Canola School episode, we talk with Tyler Wist, entomologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon, about how… Read more »
Pulse School: Assessing the culprit(s) causing a root rot problem
For parts of Western Canada, the rain keeps on pouring. Early wet conditions could be conducive to root rot problems in pulses. Fortunately, for three of the four main culprits —rhyzoctonia, fusarium and pythium, the plants will generally grow through the vulnerable early seedling stage if a seed treatment has been applied, notes Robyne Bowness-Davidson, pulse… Read more »
Wet weather prompts warning about northern corn leaf blight
If above average moisture continues through June, growers should start scouting early for northern corn leaf blight (NCLB). Rob Miller, BASF’s technical development manager for eastern Canada, says NCLB can appear as early as the 8-10 leaf stage in a wet season. Lesions appear on the lower leaves and move upwards, as the infection often… Read more »
Wheat School: Can you do more to control fusarium?
Are you looking to step up your fusarium control measures this spring? In this episode of RealAgriculture Wheat School, resident agronomist Peter Johnson reviews the basics of managing fusarium in Ontario’s wheat crop and also offers some tips on how growers can elevate their control efforts. For Johnson, effective fusarium control starts with the basics:… Read more »
Pulse School: Preventing damage by the pea leaf weevil
As peas and fababeans emerge, at least one potentially devastating pest already has made an appearance — the pea leaf weevil. In this Pulse School episode, we talk about how to deal with the weevils if you are seeing them now, economic thresholds for control, and how to avoid them in the future. Pulse research… Read more »
Soybean School: Should you plant now and spray later?
With fields drying out and warming up soybean planting is moving full steam ahead in Ontario. In many cases the spring conditions are dictating that farmers take a ‘plant now, spray later’ approach. It’s an obvious choice, but the challenge for many is how to manage fast-growing, large weeds that can quickly take a bite out… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, May 10: Quality forage timing, cold temp fallout, and two-pass fungicide strategy
This week’s (almost!) cross-Canada Wheat Pete’s Word is packed full of great questions, worries about cold temperatures, solid timely answers on field management, and at least one alert, alert, alert! Your host Peter Johnson tackles questions on harvesting cereal rye (soon! this week!) while keeping compaction in mind, if corn seed is going to be… Read more »