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Crop SciencesCollege of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences |
AGRI-NEWS - Issue 23 - 06, June, 2002
Weather: I am confident that most of you are ready for June to arrive and to put a very rainy May behind us for good! We recorded 18 days with rain, and we ended the month over 65 GDD's below Normal. Only rainfall was above Normal for the month while all other parameters were below Normal. We saw frost on at least two mornings and the morning of May 18, I saw frost from the ORR Center to Murrayville, IL. Some of the corn was stunted and upper leaves were browned from the cold. Very slow emergence and growth occurred during the entire month. We recorded night-time lows of 34, two 35's and a 38 degrees that set many records in the area. Crop Report: At this writing (6/6), all of the research plots are finally planted, however, we still have some demonstration plots to drill to soybeans. It has been an unusual spring, and one unlike any that most people can remember. Needless to say, the soil profile is at field capacity, most of the area ponds are full and nearly all the streams are running good! The wheat here at the Center is commencing to show some color in the heads, which means harvest is getting closer. The oats have begun to set heads, and their overall growth is shorter than I would have expected. We have corn that ranges from just planted to almost knee high in growth. This crop needs to develop a root system under it before the moisture situation turns dry. With all the rain this past month, all the roots are very near the surface of the soil. With this situation in mind, we started a cultivation study to see if aerating the soil during a high rainfall period contributed to enhanced growth. The "older schools of thought" always cultivated corn, some for weed control, some for "hilling the corn", and some to just open the crusted soil so it could "breathe better" which they claimed promoted root growth. Some of our rowed soybeans were pushing through the soil surface in 3.5 days after planting. Most of our stands look good at this time. Weed control is commencing to be a problem in the fields without Roundup Ready seed. Persistent winds have hampered spraying as well as wet fields. Several of our fields are still too wet to even walk upon! Our corn is commencing to show signs of getting into the fertilizer and growth is evident. We have seen a fair amount of wireworm damage in several plot areas. However, to date, we have only lost one study and that was from excess rainfall as water literally gutted several of the plots within the study. I think this is the first time in 30 years of research that I have lost studies to erosion. Insect pressures have been almost nonexistent if one overlooks the wireworm problem. To help keep you abreast of potential pest problems, check out the following website, (http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/cespubs/pest/). Dr. Kevin Steffey and his team of contributors update this newsletter weekly during the growing season. Issues numbered 9 and 10 contain information about replanting corn and soybeans and the yield penalty that one may see with late planting. Another pest this summer will be one of mosquito's, and the following website has a National Pest Alert warning us of the West Nile Encephalitis that may be carried by mosquito's. With the higher than normal amount of rainfall, and the likelihood that many places around the home may be filled with water, we need to be mindful that stagnate water is a home for mosquito's. (http://www.ncpmc.org/NewsAlerts/westnilevirus.html). Thanks to Dr. Sue Ratcliffe for sending this announcement to us. ORR Center Events: We hosted an area Soil and Water Resources meeting here at the Center, and gave a brief tour of the Center for those in attendance. A wagon tour at this time in the growing season shows many subtle differences in treatments. FALL FIELD DAY: (I am running this listing again so that you are made aware of the "late summer" Field Day Event.) We have set August 13 as our Fall Field Day program date, with the tour commencing at 9:00 AM sharp, and concluding at noon. We are offering 8 tour stops of 15 minutes each. The topics include:
SUPERINTENDENTS RETREAT: Added Comments: Even though frost may be some distance in the future, some have already asked about our average date of the first frost in the fall. I went through the records back to 1983 for the Center, and found that the average date recorded here for the first frost was October 6. Now, we have recorded frost as early as September 19, and that occurred in 1990, and we have gone to October 22 , 1998 before having a frost. The average date for Griggsville from 1893 through 1944 was October 21, and for Quincy from 1911 to 1944 it was October 20. Considering that our temperature recorder is located in the country rather in town may be why our numbers are slightly colder than historical values. |