in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date July 13, 2003 Issue IN-CW2803 Agricultural Summary Showers and thunderstorms continued to pop up in many areas of the state during the week, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service. The severe flooding and ponding have caused serious damage to major crops in many fields around the state. Several inches of rain fell again last week in some areas. The total impact of the water damage to corn, soybeans and wheat is undetermined at this point in time. Early assessment by reporters indicate the heaviest damage is in the northwest and central regions of the state. Impact of the weather damage will be reflected in the August crop report. Severe damage and total loss of crops is expected in many river bottom fields. By the weekend, water was subsiding in some fields, but major flooding still exists along river bottom fields. Field Crops Report There were 2.2 days suitable for fieldwork. Thirteen percent of the corn acreage has silked compared with 8 percent last year and 33 percent for the 5-year average. Growth and development of corn plants have advanced rapidly with many fields recently starting to enter the pollination stage. Corn condition is rated 52 percent good to excellent compared with 48 percent last year at this time. Virtually all of the soybean acreage has emerged except for double crop soybean fields. Twenty-three percent of the soybean acreage is blooming compared with 20 percent last year and 42 percent for the average. One percent of the soybean acreage is setting pods compared with 3 percent last year and 8 percent for the average. Soybean condition is rated 51 percent good to excellent compared with 51 percent last year at this time. Winter wheat harvest is 61 percent complete compared with 87 percent last year and 91 percent for the average. By area, 10 percent of the wheat acreage is harvested in the north, 54 percent in the central region and 97 percent in the south. Major activities during the week were spraying for weeds and insects, cleaning up from the water damage, repairing equipment, certifying crop acreage, moving grain to market, mowing and baling hay and taking care of livestock. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 11 percent excellent, 55 percent good, 26 percent fair, 6 percent poor and 2 percent very poor. Second cutting of alfalfa hay is 32 percent complete compared with 48 percent last year and 63 percent for average. Livestock continued to be under some stress from the standing water and flooding problems. Crop Progress Table -------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Silked 13 4 8 33 Soybeans Blooming 23 7 20 42 Soybeans Setting Pods 1 NA 3 8 Winter Wheat Harvested 61 55 87 91 Alfalfa Second Cutting 32 23 48 63 Crop Condition Table -------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 5 12 31 43 9 Soybean 5 12 32 43 8 Pasture 2 6 26 55 11 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : Week : Week : Year ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 0 4 18 Short 5 20 41 Adequate 42 47 40 Surplus 53 29 1 Subsoil Very Short 2 4 11 Short 6 16 36 Adequate 56 61 51 Surplus 36 19 2 Days Suitable 2.2 5.6 6.1 Contact information --Greg Preston, State Statistician --Bud Bever, Agricultural Statistician E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov http://www.nass.usda.gov/in/index.htm Other Agricultural Comments And News RAIN, HAIL, WIND: WHAT NEXT? Frequent and heavy rainfall in recent days has caused record and near-record flooding of rivers, creeks, and streams throughout much of Indiana. Large ponded areas exist in fields distant from floodwaters. The rains have often been accompanied by damaging winds and hail that have caused additional damage to the state's corn, soybean, and wheat crops. The consequences to grain yield and quality from the damage caused by the flooding/ponding and wind are difficult to pinpoint with much accuracy because little research exists that addresses these chance-occurring yield-limiting factors. Risks and expectations, however, can be outlined. * Rules of thumb suggest that corn and soybean crops inundated by standing water may only survive a few days with the 90-degree temperatures that have been prevalent during this epic rainfall episode. Oxygen deprivation quickly results in significant deterioration and death of above-and below-ground plant tissue. * Further physical crop damage (soil erosion, washing away of plants, lodging of plants, and plant tissue damage) occurs from the force of the flowing water on land adjacent to flooded creeks and rivers as well as from any debris caught up in the floodwaters. * Severe lodging of wheat yet unharvested will result in yield loss due to mechanical harvesting difficulties and/or reduction in grain quality due to weathering and sprouting of grain (Lipps et al. 2003). The quality of wheat straw harvested from these ponded areas will also be lower. * Deposits of sediment and crop residues often remain on crop plants once the water recedes that either outright smother any surviving plants or greatly reduce their ability to capture sunlight and photosynthesize carbohydrates. * Mud and crud that cakes the leaves and stalks encourage subsequent development of fungal and bacterial diseases in damaged plant tissue. When Deer Creek (Carroll County) flooded severely in August of 1998, adjacent fields of corn that were in the initial stages of pollination subsequently developed severe bacterial ear rots following inundation by flood waters at or above the ear level of the plants (Nielsen & Ruhl, 1998). * Crops that survive less severe bouts of ponding and saturated soils will nonetheless suffer significant damage to their root systems. The immediate effects will be stunting of plant development. In the longer term, root systems compromised by ponding and saturated soils now will be less able to sustain the crops IF drought conditions would develop later in the growing season. * For corn, damage to its root system now will predispose the crop to the development of root and stalk rots later by virtue of the photosynthetic stress imposed by the limited root system during the important grain filling period following pollination. Monitor affected fields later in August for the possible development of stalk rots and modify harvest-timing strategies accordingly. * Loss of soil nitrate nitrogen in saturated soils due to denitrification or leaching processes is undoubtedly occurring at significant rates. Estimates of nitrate-N loss due to waterlogged soil conditions are at least five percent per day given the current warm soil temperatures (Hoeft, 2002). Many cornfields in the affected area are still in their rapid growth phase prior to pollination when nitrogen uptake rates are at their peak. Consequently, some of these fields currently enduring soggy soil conditions may ultimately develop nitrogen deficiency symptoms without additional fertilizer applications. Where estimated nitrogen loss is significant (60 lbs or greater) in fields not yet tasseling and yield potential is still reasonable, corn may respond to an additional 50 - 80 lbs of applied fertilizer N up to or shortly after tasseling (Hoeft, 2001). * Assessing the effects of hail damage to corn can be challenging. Important factors include the amount of defoliation and stalk bruising caused by the hail stones relative to the growth stage of the crop. While hail damage can result in severe yield losses in corn, most of the time the human eye perceives greater damage than truly exists. Browse the two references listed below (Nielsen, 2001; Vorst, 1993) on hail damage assessment for more information. * Wind damage to corn has occurred either as stalk breakage (aka "green snap") or root lodging (plants uprooted and laying nearly flat to the ground). The yield effect of "green snap" damage depends on the percentage of field affected and whether the stalk breakage occurs above or below the ear, but is usually serious regardless. Obviously, stalk breakage below the ear results in zero yield for that plant. Stalk breakage above the ear results in significant yield loss due to the loss of upper canopy photosynthesis capacity for that plant. Root lodged corn will recover or straighten up to varying degrees depending on the growth stage of the crop. Generally, younger corn has a greater ability to straighten up with minimal "goose-necking" than older corn. Yield effects of root lodging depend on whether soil moisture remains adequate for root regeneration, the severity of root damage due to the uprooting nature of root lodging, and the degree of "goose-necking" that develops and its effect on the harvestability of the crop. R.L. (Bob) Nielsen Agronomy Department Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN Email: rnielsen@purdue.edu RELATED REFERENCES Hoeft, Robert. 2001. Nitrogen Loss Update. Univ. of Illinois Pest & Crop Bulletin (6/22/01). Online at http://www.ag.uiuc. edu/cespubs/ pest/articles/200113g.html [URL verified 7/9/03]. Hoeft, Robert. 2002. Predicting/Measuring Nitrogen Loss. Univ. of Illinois Pest & Crop Bulletin (5/17/02). Online at http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/cespubs/pest/articles/200208n.html [URL verified 7/9/03]. Lipps, Pat, Jim Beuerlein, and Dennis Mills. 2003. Potential Wheat Harvest Problems Caused by Persistent Rain. Ohio State Univ. C.O.R.N. (7/7-13/03). Online at http://corn.osu. edu/archive/2003/jul/03-21.html [URL verified 7/9/03]. Nielsen, Bob. 2001. Hail Damage in Corn: Moving Beyond Grief to Damage Assessment. Purdue Univ. Online at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/articles.01/Hail_Da mage-0606.html [URL verified 7/9/03]. Nielsen, Bob and Gail Ruhl. 1998. Bacterial Ear Rot in Flooded Corn. Purdue Univ. Online at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/ corn/news/articles.98/p&c9828.html [URL verified 7/9/03]. Thomison, Peter. 2001. Weather Conditions Favorable for "Green Snap". Ohio State Univ. C.O.R.N. (6/18024/01). Online at http://corn.osu.edu/archive/2001/jun/01-18.html#linkc [URL verified 7/9/03]. Vorst, Jim. 1993. Assessing Hail Damage to Corn. Purdue Univ. Extension Publication NCH-1. Online at http://www.agcom.purdue. edu/AgCom/Pubs/NCH/NCH-1.html [URL verified 7/9/03]. Weather Information Table Week Ending Sunday July 13, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|-----------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days|Temp ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |92 55 73 -1 3.96 5 73 Valparaiso_AP_I |88 55 72 -2 1.71 5 Wanatah |88 51 71 -2 2.11 6 76 Wheatfield |89 52 72 -1 3.58 5 Winamac |88 54 72 -2 4.07 6 74 North Central(2)| Plymouth |87 52 71 -3 4.22 6 South_Bend |87 53 71 -3 1.91 4 Young_America |89 55 73 -2 4.27 6 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |87 51 72 -1 2.67 4 78 Fort_Wayne |88 54 72 -3 4.77 5 West Central (4)| Greencastle |91 54 74 -2 4.87 4 Perrysville |92 55 75 +0 2.51 4 74 Spencer_Ag |92 57 76 +2 3.97 4 Terre_Haute_AFB |95 57 77 +2 3.35 3 W_Lafayette_6NW |91 54 73 -1 3.72 5 75 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |90 60 74 -2 1.53 3 Greenfield |91 59 74 -2 3.86 6 Indianapolis_AP |90 58 74 -2 2.20 4 Indianapolis_SE |90 57 74 -3 1.26 5 Tipton_Ag |89 55 72 -2 3.86 6 79 East Central (6)| Farmland |90 58 73 +0 5.19 5 74 New_Castle |88 56 71 -3 3.21 5 Southwest (7) | Evansville |92 62 79 +2 1.48 3 Freelandville |92 61 77 +1 3.02 3 Shoals |93 59 77 +3 3.43 4 Stendal |91 61 77 +1 0.20 1 Vincennes_5NE |95 60 78 +2 2.71 4 81 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |91 61 78 +3 2.49 5 Oolitic |91 58 76 +2 3.99 5 76 Tell_City |93 64 80 +4 1.01 4 Southeast (9) | Brookville |91 59 75 +2 4.40 5 Milan_5NE |91 59 75 +2 3.37 6 Scottsburg |92 57 77 +2 1.16 5 ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation | April 1, 2003 thru Station | July 13, 2003 | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |23.50 +10.64 42 1316 -128 Valparaiso_AP_I |16.13 +2.34 41 1184 -95 Wanatah |16.64 +3.42 43 1108 -108 Wheatfield |20.46 +7.43 41 1223 -31 Winamac |19.69 +6.60 43 1221 -94 North Central(2)| Plymouth |15.92 +2.24 40 1155 -216 South_Bend |13.91 +1.10 41 1207 -55 Young_America |18.60 +6.06 43 1325 -12 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |16.31 +3.41 49 1179 -19 Fort_Wayne |20.43 +8.55 41 1208 -119 West Central (4)| Greencastle |17.95 +3.61 45 1274 -258 Perrysville |14.57 +0.53 39 1454 +24 Spencer_Ag |16.80 +1.95 45 1422 -5 Terre_Haute_AFB |13.10 -0.86 34 1544 +14 W_Lafayette_6NW |18.23 +5.31 48 1371 +30 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |16.21 +3.19 37 1459 -54 Greenfield |20.52 +6.51 47 1371 -66 Indianapolis_AP |17.58 +4.56 40 1482 -31 Indianapolis_SE |15.14 +1.78 40 1382 -108 Tipton_Ag |22.98 +10.06 41 1224 -70 East Central (6)| Farmland |19.33 +6.23 40 1299 +46 New_Castle |15.00 +0.75 39 1118 -165 Southwest (7) | Evansville |16.31 +2.37 43 1721 -82 Freelandville |18.83 +4.44 39 1586 -4 Shoals |19.86 +4.42 42 1546 +24 Stendal |16.48 +0.91 34 1644 -37 Vincennes_5NE |18.65 +4.26 47 1622 +32 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |16.79 +1.18 49 1555 +32 Oolitic |19.04 +4.40 47 1463 +20 Tell_City |17.09 +1.44 35 1837 +140 Southeast (9) | Brookville |18.64 +4.70 45 1467 +118 Milan_5NE |19.94 +6.00 58 1422 +73 Scottsburg |17.60 +3.24 46 1490 -88 ------------------------------------------------------------- DFN = Departure From Normal (Using 1961-90 Normals Period). GDD = Growing Degree Days. Precipitation (Rainfall or melted snow/ice) in inches. Precipitation Days = Days with precip of .01 inch or more. Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit. Copyright 2003: AWIS, Inc. All rights reserved. The above weather information is provided by AWIS, Inc. For detailed ag weather forecasts and data visit the AWIS home page at www.awis.com or call toll free at 1-888-798-9955. The INDIANA CROP WEATHER REPORT (USPS 675-770), (ISSN 0442-817X) is issued weekly April through November by the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite B105, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. Second Class postage paid at Lafayette IN. For information on subscribing, send request to above address. POSTMASTER: Send address change to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite B105, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. Source: Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service