in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date July 18, 2004 Issue IN-CW2904 Agricultural Summary Major crops continued to progress towards good growth and development, according to Indiana Agricultural Statistics. Straight line winds along with strong thunderstorms moved through portions of the state during the week causing minor damage to crops and loss of electricity. Corn fields continue to enter into the pollination stage of development. Planting of double crop soybeans is virtually complete. Many farmers were attending local county fairs and taking vacations. Field Crops Report There were 5.0 days suitable for fieldwork. Eighty-two percent of the corn acreage has silked compared to 29 percent last year and 52 percent for the average. Ten percent of the corn acreage has reached the dough stage compared with 1 percent last year and 4 percent for the average. Corn condition is rated 75 percent good to excellent compared with 51 percent last year at this time. Sixty-seven percent of the soybean acreage is blooming compared with 32 percent last year and 55 percent for the average. Twenty-two percent of the soybean acreage is setting pods compared with 4 percent last year and 15 percent for the average. Soybean condition is rated 69 percent good to excellent compared with 49 percent last year at this time. Ninety-nine percent of the winter wheat acreage is harvested compared with 80 percent last year and 95 percent for the average. Second cutting of alfalfa hay is 68 percent complete compared with 53 percent last year and 75 percent for the average. Other activities during the week were repairing equipment, scouting fields, mowing roads and pastures, moving grain to market, hauling manure and taking care of livestock. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 16 percent excellent, 60 percent good, 19 percent fair, 4 percent poor and 1 percent very poor. Livestock are in mostly good condition. The cooler temperatures have helped the livestock. Crop Progress Table ----------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Silked 82 61 29 52 Corn in Dough 10 3 1 4 Soybeans Blooming 67 43 32 55 Soybeans Podding 22 8 4 15 Alfalfa Second Cutting 68 45 53 75 Winter Wheat Harvested 99 96 80 95 Crop Condition Table ------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ------------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 3 5 17 53 22 Soybean 3 6 22 52 17 Pasture 1 4 19 60 16 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 1 1 1 Short 14 16 6 Adequate 76 75 56 Surplus 9 8 37 Subsoil Very Short 1 0 1 Short 15 13 8 Adequate 78 80 62 Surplus 6 7 29 Days Suitable 5.0 5.4 4.2 Contact information --Greg Preston, Director --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 FIRST SPIDER MITE REPORT RECEIVED * Spider mites may or may not be the cause of discolored soybean plants * Rain indirectly helps slow or control spider mites * Consider many factors before treating spider mites While some fields in the state are still draining off the excess from gully-washers a couple weeks ago, some areas could use some moisture. This became evident when I received a call from Mark Evans, Owen County Extension Educator, about spider mites in soybean. He was alerted to the mites presence by the discoloration of the plants along the field edges. His question was, can treating of borders prevent damage throughout the field? Unfortunately, there's not an easy answer. Before considering control, it is very important that spider mites are identified as the source of the problem. Shake some discolored soybean leaves over a white piece of paper. Watch for small dark specks moving about on the paper. Also look for minute webbing on the undersides of the discolored leaves. Once spider mites have been positively identified in the damaged areas of the field, it is essential that the whole field be scouted to determine the range of infestation. Sample in at least five different areas of the field and determine how far the spider mites have moved into the field from the grassy borders by using the "shake" method. Stressed plants actually provide a better nutritional feast for spider mites thus they thrive and quickly colonize areas or whole fields. The best spider mite control is to eliminate plant stress, this is easier said than done. Sandy or high clay soils will express moisture stress first in the plants, with or without the presence of spider mites. Other stresses on soybean include pests such as soybean cyst nematode or nutritional imbalances, such as manganese deficiency. Obviously the best plant stress reliever under dry conditions is rain. Rain indirectly controls spider mites. Pounding rains can physically beat spider mites off the plants where they meet their doom by drowning or to ground dwelling predators. More importantly, rains increase humidity that slows the spider mite reproduction and favors pathogenic fungi. Several days of relative humidity above 70 % may induce an epizootic wiping out the spider mite population. On the other hand, warm temperatures and low humidity returning after rain may only delay the spider mite infestation. Above all else, significant rain helps the soybean crop to grow and provides less of a "protein broth" for the spider mites. Reduction of crop yield is directly related to duration and intensity of the mite attack. The most severe damage occurs when the infestation starts in the early stages of plant growth and builds throughout the season (extended drought). Before applying controls carefully consider that, depending when damage is noted, multiple insecticide applications may be necessary. This is because surviving spider mites are able to repopulate a field faster than can the natural predators that are often prevalent in infested fields. If leaf discoloration is apparent, spider mites are positively identified as the culprit, and hot, dry conditions are expected to persist, it is recommended that a control be considered. Spot treatment may be effective if infestations are caught early enough and the mites have not yet moved across the field. Success of spot treatments depends on spraying beyond the infested area, not just the discolored plants. Spray a buffer zone of at least 200 feet beyond colonized plants. If a control is warranted, two pesticides are recommended for use. These include dimethoate (Dimethoate 400 and 4 EC) and chlorpyrifos (Lorsban 4E). Proper placement of these pesticides is the key to successful control results. Nozzle pressures of 40 psi and 30-40 gallons of water per acre for ground application helps distribute the pesticide throughout the foliage. If using aerial application, the control material should be applied in 3-5 gallons of finished spray per acre. Normally, aerial applications are not as efficacious as ground applications due to limited surface-area coverage. So where possible, use ground application. Also, research has shown that mite controls work best in the early morning or evening hours. This is primarily due to more stable weather conditions, less convection currents and evaporation, resulting in better targeting of the pesticide. Weather Information Table Week Ending Sunday July 18, 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|------------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days |Temp ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |89 57 73 -2 1.34 2 72 Valparaiso_AP_I |86 59 72 -2 0.49 4 Wanatah |87 54 71 -3 0.41 4 78 Wheatfield |87 55 72 -2 1.61 3 Winamac |86 56 71 -2 1.53 3 75 North Central(2)| Plymouth |87 58 72 -3 0.64 5 South_Bend |86 58 72 -1 0.99 4 Young_America |89 57 72 -3 1.56 3 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |86 55 71 -2 0.46 2 76 Fort_Wayne |87 58 72 -3 0.54 2 West Central (4)| Greencastle |89 57 72 -4 2.72 2 Perrysville |89 58 73 -2 0.79 2 80 Spencer_Ag |88 59 74 -2 1.44 3 Terre_Haute_AFB |89 59 74 -3 1.41 4 W_Lafayette_6NW |88 56 72 -2 0.50 4 81 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |90 60 74 -2 0.66 4 Greenfield |87 58 73 -3 0.45 4 Indianapolis_AP |87 61 74 -2 0.65 3 Indianapolis_SE |87 59 73 -4 0.60 3 Tipton_Ag |87 57 72 -3 0.66 3 79 East Central (6)| Farmland |87 57 72 -2 0.55 1 71 New_Castle |85 53 70 -5 0.28 2 Southwest (7) | Evansville |93 64 77 -2 2.08 3 Freelandville |90 62 75 -2 3.64 3 Shoals |89 60 75 -2 2.26 4 Stendal |92 64 77 -1 2.77 4 Vincennes_5NE |91 62 76 -1 2.16 5 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |91 62 75 +0 3.14 4 Oolitic |88 60 75 +0 1.70 4 78 Tell_City |93 65 78 +0 1.85 3 Southeast (9) | Brookville |90 57 75 +1 1.36 3 Milan_5NE |89 58 74 -1 1.27 5 Scottsburg |89 58 74 -3 4.39 2 --------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table Week ending Sunday July 18, 2004 ----------------|-------------------------------- | Accumulation |-------------------------------- | April 1, 2004 thru Station | July 18, 2004 |-------------------------------- | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF |-------------------------------- | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |20.38 +6.85 39 1584 -7 Valparaiso_AP_I |12.12 -2.33 43 1483 +67 Wanatah |11.21 -2.72 46 1397 +46 Wheatfield |23.68 +10.01 50 1461 +70 Winamac |15.55 +1.85 48 1520 +68 North Central(2)| Plymouth |14.35 +0.00 47 1461 -53 South_Bend |14.12 +0.71 48 1545 +146 Young_America |17.63 +4.48 41 1623 +143 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |14.27 +0.77 50 1465 +132 Fort_Wayne |15.29 +2.86 46 1589 +119 West Central (4)| Greencastle |17.48 +2.21 45 1626 -60 Perrysville |15.28 +0.49 37 1794 +215 Spencer_Ag |19.55 +3.85 50 1756 +181 Terre_Haute_AFB |13.46 -1.39 41 1904 +220 W_Lafayette_6NW |18.79 +5.20 34 1638 +154 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |13.29 -0.50 46 1799 +132 Greenfield |15.36 +0.39 48 1709 +123 Indianapolis_AP |17.35 +3.56 44 1885 +218 Indianapolis_SE |14.50 +0.24 40 1726 +82 Tipton_Ag |14.15 +0.51 44 1569 +135 East Central (6)| Farmland |14.46 +0.75 45 1614 +224 New_Castle |16.30 +1.33 37 1429 +6 Southwest (7) | Evansville |17.52 +2.89 39 2162 +189 Freelandville |16.77 +1.67 41 1919 +172 Shoals |20.08 +3.83 45 1918 +245 Stendal |18.54 +2.28 42 2054 +214 Vincennes_5NE |18.00 +2.90 50 1998 +251 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |24.82 +8.41 49 1936 +265 Oolitic |19.50 +4.10 50 1804 +213 Tell_City |23.40 +7.02 44 2179 +319 Southeast (9) | Brookville |13.02 -1.70 39 1796 +304 Milan_5NE |18.66 +3.94 63 1783 +291 Scottsburg |28.47 +13.30 47 1889 +158 ------------------------------------------------------------- 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 2004: 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 Indiana Agricultural Statistics, 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 Indiana Agricultural Statistics, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite B105, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. Source: Indiana Agricultural Statistics