Released: Monday, 3PM April 24, 2000 Vol. 50, #3 West Lafayette, IN CROP REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING APRIL 23 Farmers welcomed the rain last week. Both topsoil and subsoil moisture ratings improved significantly from a week ago, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service. Most areas in the state received more than an inch of precipitation. Fieldwork and planting operations continued where soil conditions permitted use of equipment. Winter Wheat Eighty percent of the winter wheat acreage is jointed, compared with 71 percent last year and 51 percent for the 5-year average. Wheat condition was virtually unchanged from a week earlier. Winter wheat condition is rated 75 percent good to excellent, compared with 81 percent at this time a year ago. Seed Bed Preparation Eleven percent of the corn acreage is planted compared with 5 percent last year and 6 percent for the 5-year average. A few fields of corn have emerged in the southwestern areas of the state. Two percent of the soybean acreage is planted, on par with a year ago at this time. Field activities were slowed last week in many areas. Farmers continued to apply fertilizer and nitrogen, prepare soils, spread chemicals and prepare equipment for planting. Other Crops and Livestock Availability of hay and roughage supplies was rated 6 percent surplus, 69 percent adequate 20 percent short and 5 percent very short. Pasture condition was rated 6 percent excellent, 46 percent good, 32 percent fair, 12 percent poor and 4 percent very poor. Livestock are in mostly good condition. Calving and lambing remain active. Days Suitable and Soil Moisture For the week ending Friday, 2.7 days were rated suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture was rated 3 percent very short, 13 percent short, 66 percent adequate and 18 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 15 percent very short, 39 percent short, 43 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus. Crop Progress --------------------------------------------------- : This : Last: Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week: Year : Avg --------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Planted 11 5 5 6 Soybeans Planted 2 0 2 NA Winter Wheat Jointed 80 65 71 51 Winter Wheat Headed 0 0 1 1 Crop Condition ----------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Winter Wheat 4/23 1 4 20 54 21 Winter Wheat 4/16 1 3 21 57 18 Winter Wheat 1999 0 3 16 59 22 Pasture 4 12 32 46 6 Soil Moisture ----------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : Week : Week : Year ------------------------------------ Percent Topsoil Very Short 3 16 0 Short 13 33 2 Adequate 66 45 45 Surplus 18 6 53 Subsoil Very Short 15 32 0 Short 39 42 5 Adequate 43 24 62 Surplus 3 2 33 --Ralph W. Gann, State Statistician --Bud Bever, Agricultural Statistician E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov http://info.aes.purdue.edu/agstat/nass.html Wheat Disease Prospects * So far, no major disease problems in wheat. As of now, the wheat crop in Indiana does not appear to have major disease problems. There have been isolated reports of yellowing, which is most likely the result of infection by one or both of two common soilborne viruses - wheat spindle streak mosaic virus and soilborne wheat mosaic virus. Symptoms of these viruses appear during periods of wide temperature fluctuation. Considering the widely fluctuating temperatures that characterized weather this spring, we might have expected to see much more infection by these viruses. Both viruses survive in a soilborne fungus (Polymyxa graminis) and are transmitted to wheat when this fungus infects roots. Infection of roots requires wet soils. The dry conditions during the fall, winter, and early spring probably were unfavorable for infection by the fungus, and therefore unfavorable for infection by the viruses. Two of the most destructive diseases of wheat in Indiana - Septoria blotch and Stagonospora blotch - are unlikely to be a serious problem unless there is an abrupt change in weather pattern very soon. These pathogens blight foliage and one of them also blights heads (glume blotch). Both require several prolonged wet periods during the growing season to cause severe infection. Even though we have had some rains recently throughout the state, these have not been of the type that is so favorable for leaf blotch -- a "steady drizzle" that persists for 2 or 3 days. Leaf and stem rust are always a threat, but most varieties have good to moderate resistance, so a widespread epidemic is unlikely. Unlike Septoria and Stagonospora, the leaf and stem rust fungi do not require prolonged wet periods to infect. A few hours of dew during the night are sufficient for infection. Stem rust requires warmer temperatures than leaf rust for optimum development, so we usually only see this disease when wheat maturity is delayed. The rapid development of wheat we are seeing this year, because of the unusually warm spring, makes it unlikely that stem rust will have a chance to develop before the crop matures. Leaf rust is more common in Indiana than is stem rust. If a variety happens to be susceptible to leaf rust, it could suffer damage. Powdery mildew is favored by lush, dense crop canopies, high rates of nitrogen fertilizer, and cloudy and humid weather. I have not seen any significant powdery mildew this year, nor have I received any calls about it or seen it on specimens submitted to the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory. Many varieties grown in Indiana have a degree of resistance to powdery mildew, but a few are susceptible. Powdery mildew can be a rather insidious disease. Under our conditions, it usually does not progress up to the flag leaf. So, inspection of a field while driving down the road, or even while standing at the edge, may fail to detect what may be a severe infection. It is necessary to go out into the field and look beneath the topmost leaves. Even though the upper canopy may be a deep green and the stand appears thick, there can be a lot of powdery mildew down in the canopy. Main culms seem to withstand infection fairly well, but powdery mildew can essentially shut many tillers off at about the time they are heading. Heads fail to emerge, or cease development shortly after emergence and produce no grain. Severe powdery mildew can greatly reduce the number of productive heads per acre. As I mentioned at the outset, the wheat crop appears to be generally healthy this year. However, it is still a good idea to walk fields and scout for any problems. Resistant varieties are the main strategy for managing these wheat diseases. If a problem is noted, think about changing varieties next year. Early scouting will also allow timely application of a fungicide if a problem is starting to develop. --Gregory Shaner, Purdue University Weather Data Week ending Sunday April 23, 2000 -------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|-----------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days|Temp -------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Valparaiso_Ag 63 37 50 -2 2.17 6 Wanatah 70 34 49 -1 2.60 5 55 Wheatfield 72 35 50 -1 1.90 6 Winamac 70 35 50 -2 1.75 5 53 North Central (2) Logansport 75 36 52 +1 1.19 6 Plymouth 69 33 50 -4 3.00 5 South_Bend 67 32 49 -3 2.58 6 Young_America 72 35 52 +2 0.72 6 Northeast (3) Bluffton 68 36 51 -2 1.77 5 50 Fort_Wayne 66 34 51 -1 1.44 5 West Central (4) Crawfordsville 73 33 52 -3 1.11 5 54 Perrysville 72 34 53 -1 1.56 3 56 Terre_Haute_Ag 77 36 53 -2 0.93 4 57 W_Lafayette_6NW 71 35 53 +2 0.67 5 54 Central (5) Castleton 75 37 53 -1 1.27 4 Greenfield 73 37 53 +0 1.15 5 Greensburg 76 38 53 -1 1.64 4 Indianapolis_AP 75 35 54 -1 1.41 5 Indianapolis_SE 74 36 53 -2 1.34 4 Tipton_Ag 75 34 52 +1 0.48 5 54 East Central (6) Farmland 75 3 49 -2 1.50 5 49 New_Castle 72 34 50 -2 1.10 4 Southwest (7) Dubois_Ag 78 38 54 -3 0.91 5 57 Evansville 78 34 56 -2 0.28 2 Freelandville 76 38 53 -3 1.44 4 Shoals 78 36 53 -3 1.13 4 Vincennes_5NE 80 36 54 -2 1.10 4 52 South Central (8) Bloomington 76 35 53 -3 1.63 5 Tell_City 79 38 55 -3 0.20 2 Southeast (9) Scottsburg 77 37 55 -1 2.16 3 -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation | April 1, 2000 thru Station | April 23, 2000 |--------------------------------- |Precipitation| GDD Base 50oF |-------------|------------------- | Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN -------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Valparaiso_Ag 4.05 +0.99 11 34 -17 Wanatah 3.77 +0.84 9 36 -1 Wheatfield 2.96 +0.03 10 43 +3 Winamac 2.60 -0.25 6 45 -9 North Central (2) Logansport 1.71 -0.93 12 49 -3 Plymouth 4.24 +1.27 10 43 -18 South_Bend 3.62 +0.63 14 44 +0 Young_America 1.20 -1.44 9 74 +22 Northeast (3) Bluffton 2.35 -0.51 8 52 -5 Fort_Wayne 2.07 -0.54 8 57 +9 West Central (4) Crawfordsville 1.83 -1.32 10 47 -34 Perrysville 1.99 -0.98 5 60 -10 Terre_Haute_Ag 2.88 -0.04 8 77 -12 W_Lafayette_6NW 1.06 -1.76 8 72 +17 Central (5) Castleton 3.36 +0.54 12 65 -7 Greenfield 4.08 +1.02 13 69 +6 Greensburg 4.78 +1.72 11 74 +0 Indianapolis_AP 3.73 +0.94 12 88 +7 Indianapolis_SE 4.05 +1.23 9 67 -5 Tipton_Ag 1.12 -1.87 10 52 +10 East Central (6) Farmland 4.45 +1.71 13 52 +14 New_Castle 3.77 +0.66 14 42 +0 Southwest (7) Dubois_Ag 3.33 +0.13 11 107 -2 Evansville 1.78 -1.25 6 137 -8 Freelandville 3.98 +1.10 7 79 -22 Shoals 2.79 -0.28 9 80 -20 Vincennes_5NE 2.40 -0.48 9 82 -19 South Central (8) Bloomington 3.87 +0.94 9 70 -29 Tell_City 2.43 -1.25 7 116 -12 Southeast (9) Scottsburg 4.26 +1.07 9 93 -8 ----------------------------------------------------------- DFN = Departure From Normal (Using 1961-90 Normals Period). GDD = Growing Degree Days. Precipitation (rain or melted snow/ice) in inches. Precipitation Days = Days with precipitation of 0.01 inch or more. Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit. Copyright 2000: 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.