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| Field Crop Advisory Team Alert newsletter | ||||
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| Vol. 21, No. 18, September 21, 2006 |
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In this issue Final issue for 2006 Evaluate corn N management with stalk nitrate test Glyphosate injury on potatoes New Ag weather station installed: Commerce Township (Oakland County) Regional reports Weather news: Will harvest be delayed? |
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| Final issue for 2006 This issue concludes our publishing season for the 2006 Field Crop CAT Alert newsletter. We welcome your suggestions for topics you’d like us to cover in 2007. We also are interested in your ideas to improve our publication and web site (http://www.ipm.msu.edu/field-cat.htm). Let us know about any annoying glitches or helpful improvements. Please send your comments to catalert@msu.edu or mail them to: Joy Landis, MSU IPM Program, B18 National Food Safety & Toxicology Bldg., East Lansing, MI 48824. Indicate whether you are referring to our fruit, vegetable, field crop or landscape edition. Thank you – Joy N. Landis, editor. |
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| Evaluate corn N management with stalk nitrate test Darryl Warncke Crop & Soil Sciences As corn grain has or soon will reach black layer, corn growers should consider using the stalk nitrate test to evaluate their nitrogen management program. Even though the stalk nitrate test is post-mortem (end-of-season) it can be useful for long-term adjustment of N management practices. The nitrate N concentration in the lower portion of the corn stalk at the time grain black layer is formed is a good indicator of the nitrogen status the crop experienced throughout the growing season. When used over a number of years, the stalk nitrate test can help identify N efficient fields and/or management systems, thus enabling fine tuning of N inputs. How to do the test The optimum time is one to three weeks after black layer has formed in 80% of the corn kernels. Cut an 8-inch segment of the stalk between 6 and 14 inches above the ground, from 15 stalks within the area of interest. Remove any portions of leaves that may remain attached. Splitting the stalk segments will facilitate drying. Refrigerate the stalk segments if the sample cannot be sent or delivered to a test lab within 1 day. Do not use plastic bags as this will prevent drying and may cause spoilage. The testing lab will oven dry and grind the stalks prior to analysis. This service is provided by the MSU Soil and Plant Nutrient Lab and various private labs. The fee at the MSU Lab is $12 per sample. As corn approaches maturity, plants stressed for N will move nitrate from the lower cornstalk to the ear resulting in a low stalk nitrate concentration. When corn plants have sufficient N or more than sufficient N for maximum yield, nitrate accumulates in the corn stalk. Extensive studies done by Purdue and Iowa State universities have shown the usefulness of this test in distinguishing between sufficient and excess N situations. With the high cost of fertilizer N, elimination of excess N use improves the net return and provides a positive environmental situation. Interpretation guidelines are presented in Table 1. Stalk nitrate values from nitrogen rate studies (3 years) at Michigan State University support these guidelines. Table 1. Interpretation of the corn stalk nitrate N test
Both sets of studies show that a stalk nitrate N concentration above 2000 ppm is indicative of excessive nitrogen having been available to the corn crop. Quite often this is associated with the application of animal manure, but may also be related to over application of fertilizer N. In the Purdue studies maximum yields were associated with stalk nitrate N concentrations above 450 ppm. Iowa State uses 700 ppm as the transition value. Above this value is considered the zone of “luxury” N consumption, ie., no response to applied N. Values below 450 ppm have been associated with inadequate N being applied for maximum yield. |
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| Glyphosate injury on potatoes Steven Gower MSU Diagnostic Services Potato plants submitted to MSU Diagnostic Services contained chlorosis followed by necrosis of the newest leaves with the older leaves being normal. In addition to first turning yellow, the newest leaves contained a proliferation of buds and small leaflets. (view image) The symptoms observed were characteristic of glyphosate injury, and tank contamination was suspected. Therefore, the potato tissue was analyzed for the presence of glyphosate and its metabolite. Glyphosate was detected in the tissue at 0.47 ppm. |
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| New Ag weather station installed: Commerce Township (Oakland County)
Late last week a new agricultural weather station was added to the statewide network maintained by our Agricultural Weather Office at MSU. This station is in Commerce Township and is located at the Long Family Farm and Orchard. |
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Regional reports It has been cool and wet for most days over the past two weeks. Commodity reports Alfalfa is hard to put up with shorter and cooler days. Some farmers are struggling to get the third cutting finished. Potato leafhoppers have not been a problem in this cool weather. The fall harvest season is coming early without a killing frost. The ethanol plant near Blissfield (Riga) is expected to be up and running by mid January 2007, with construction of an identical 57 million gallon plant to be constructed adjacent to the first one. Although Tiger playoff tickets went on sale this past Tuesday, the Tigers may miss the playoffs if they don’t win games. |
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3 -- West Central Scattered light rains have slowed fieldwork this past week. One and a half to 2 inches of rain fell in the early portion of last week. Other rain events have been more in the nature of a few hundreths of an inch to a few tenths. High temperatures over the past two weeks have been in the range of mid-50s to mid-70s. Low temperatures have been in the 50s and 40s. Commodity reports Corn is drying down. Moisture samples hand-harvested in central Montcalm County on Wednesday (September 20) ranged from 21 to 30% moisture with many measurements taken in the 22 to 25% range. Corn silage harvest is by and large complete as stalks are getting too dry. Dry bean harvest is 30 to 35% complete. Rains have slowed harvest considerably. Yields have been very good so far with reports of dryland light red kidney bean yields of 18-19 cwt. per acre. Soybeans are turning. Many fields have lost their leaves and harvest will begin soon. Wheat planting has begun as has planting of winter rye. |
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| Weather news: Will harvest be delayed? Jeff Andresen Agricultural Meteorology Geography An area of low pressure organizing over the Rocky Mountain region will move through the Great Lakes region Saturday (September 23), leading to a wet upcoming weekend in Michigan. Rain will overspread the state from southwest to northeast during the day Friday and continue overnight into Saturday. The threat of rain will continue Saturday into early Sunday with some thunderstorms possible across southern sections of the Lower Peninsula Saturday afternoon and evening. Widespread rainfall totals in the 0.25- to 0.5-inch category are expected through Sunday with some 0.50- to 1.0 inch or greater totals possible where thunderstorms occur. High pressure is forecast to bring a return of dry weather next Monday and Tuesday. Temperatures during the next couple of days will average a couple of degrees above the normals with highs increasing back into the 60s north to low 70s south and low-ranging from the 40s north to the 50s south. Somewhat cooler temperatures are likely by Monday. Another weather system is expected to move into the region by the middle of next week, with the chance for rainfall again in Michigan by Wednesday. Medium range forecast guidance is consistent in calling for an upper air troughing feature forecast across the central United States in the one to two week time frame. This pattern would suggest an active weather pattern for the Great Lakes region with frequent chances for precipitation. The official NOAA Climate Prediction Center 6-10 day and 8-14 day outlooks (covering September 26-30 and September 28 through October 4) both call for below normal mean temperatures and above normal precipitation state- and region-wide. Unfortunately, this forecast strongly suggests more upcoming delays in harvest and fall fieldwork activities with relatively low grain dry down rates. The first frost or freezing temperatures of the season, which have already occurred in northern sections of the state, would also be a possibility in central and southern sections of the state. Climatological normal maximum temperatures during the last week of September range from the upper 60s north to the low 70s south with low temperatures ranging from the low to mid-50s. Normal weekly precipitation totals range from about 0.75 inches in eastern sections of the state to just less than 1.0 inch in extreme western sections of both Peninsulas. |
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