in-crop-weather INDIANA WEEKLY WEATHER & CROPS Released: Monday, 3PM Sep 20, 1999 Vol. 49, #25 West Lafayette, IN CROP REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 19 Corn and soybean harvest made good progress last week, aided by favorable weather conditions. Corn harvest is more than two weeks ahead of average. Field conditions remain very dry as precipitation has been virtually non-existent during the last few weeks, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service. Major activities during the week included harvesting tobacco, tilling soils, seeding winter wheat, preparing grain bins and care of livestock. Corn Corn condition is rated 27 percent good to excellent compared with 62 percent at this time last year. Virtually all of the corn has reached the dent stage compared with 96 percent last year and 89 percent for the 5-year average. Eighty-three percent of the corn acreage is mature compared with 69 percent last year and 47 percent for average. By region, 76 percent of the corn acreage is mature in the north, 86 percent in the central and 88 percent in the south. Fourteen percent of the corn acreage has been harvested compared with 7 percent last year and 5 percent for the average. Moisture content of harvested corn is averaging around 19 percent. Soybeans Soybean condition declined from last week and is rated 21 percent good to excellent compared with 62 percent last year. Eighty-five percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves compared with 84 percent last year and 56 percent for average. One-half of the soybean crop is mature compared with 55 percent a year ago and 26 percent for the average. By region, 51 percent of the soybean acreage is mature in the north, 54 percent in the central and 43 percent in the south. Twelve percent of the soybean acreage has been harvested compared with 8 percent last year and 4 percent for average. Moisture content of harvested soybeans is averaging 11.5 percent. Other Crops Pasture condition was rated 1 percent good, 21 percent fair, 34 percent poor and 44 percent very poor. Seeding of winter wheat is 2 percent complete, behind the 5-year average of 4 percent complete at this time. Tobacco harvest is 86 percent complete compared with 66 percent for the 5-year average. Days Suitable and Soil Moisture For the week ending Friday, 7.0 days were rated suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture was rated 66 percent very short, 31 percent short and 3 percent adequate. Subsoil moisture was rated 62 percent very short, 34 percent short and 4 percent adequate. Crop Progress --------------------------------------------------- : This : Last: Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week: Year : Avg --------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Mature 83 52 69 47 Corn Harvested 14 7 7 5 Soybeans Shedding Lv 85 57 84 56 Soybeans Mature 50 19 55 26 Soybeans Harvested 12 3 8 4 Tobacco Harvested 86 78 73 66 Winter Wheat Seeded 2 NA 4 4 Crop Condition ----------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 9 21 43 25 2 Soybeans 10 24 45 19 2 Pasture 44 34 21 1 0 Soil Moisture ----------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : Week : Week : Year ------------------------------------ Percent Topsoil Very Short 66 62 35 Short 31 32 50 Adequate 3 6 15 Surplus 0 0 0 Subsoil Very Short 62 54 24 Short 34 39 47 Adequate 4 7 29 Surplus 0 0 0 --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 New Wheat Variety INW9811 is Resistant to Hessian Fly Biotype 'L' that is Common in Indiana Fly Populations * Seed of new variety will be available for planting in fall 1999 * Planting after the fly-free date is a key management strategy for reducing Hessian fly problems * Highest levels of infestation occur in southwest Indiana Although many wheat varieties grown in Indiana have the H5 or H6 genes for Hessian fly resistance, this resistance is ineffective in controlling Hessian fly biotype L which is predominant in fly populations throughout the state. However, the wheat variety INW9811 released by Purdue University, in cooperation with USDA, ARS in 1998 is resistant to Biotype L. This variety is well adapted to the mid-south area, including southern Indiana and Illinois and will provide wheat growers in these areas with excellent protection against the Hessian fly. In field tests conducted in northern Alabama and northeastern Arkansas, INW9811 also demonstrated excellent resistance to Hessian fly populations that contained little or no biotype L. Seed will be available to Indiana growers for planting in fall, 1999. Interested seed personnel can contact Purdue Ag Alumni Seed for more information and availability of seed stocks. Although Hessian fly populations remain low throughout Indiana, the potential for flies to infest fall-planted winter wheat still exists, especially in the southwestern counties. None of the commercial wheat fields observed in fall 1998 showed signs of Hessian fly damage, but flaxseeds were present in a small percentage of dead or damaged tillers. Much of the fall fly population can be avoided by planting after the fly-free date. This is key to avoiding subsequent infestation by the spring brood. Additionally, it has been shown that following the fly-free date will help reduce wheat disease problems and reduce winter kill from excessive growth. To determine the fly-free date for your area of the state, refer to the enclosed map. Crop rotation, where wheat following wheat is avoided, also is one of the key management strategies for reducing Hessian fly problems. The Hessian fly passes the summer in the stubble of the current wheat crop. Plowing the stubble results in the destruction of the pest. Volunteer wheat, the wheat seedlings sprouting in the fall from grain left in the field during threshing, germinates and begins growing just in time for the fall emergence of the Hessian fly. These plants are readily infested resulting in a rapid build-up of the population. The use of resistant varieties, in combination with the above pest management strategies, increases the chance for a fly-free crop. Specific characteristics and yield potential of varieties presently grown in Indiana can be determined by consulting Purdue Station Bulletin No. B 784 "Performance of Public and Private Small Grains in Indiana -1999", web access: http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/smgrain/variety/99s mgbul.htm or talk to your seed dealer. --Rich Edwards and Roger Ratcliffe, Purdue University Weather Data For Week ending September 19, 1999 -------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|-----------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days|Temp -------------------------------------------------- Northwest(1) Valparaiso_Ag 81 42 60 -6 0.14 1 Wanatah 87 35 58 -6 0.15 1 71 Wheatfield 88 42 61 -4 0.17 1 Winamac 85 41 59 -6 0.09 1 72 North Central(2) Logansport 87 44 62 -4 0.09 1 Plymouth 86 41 60 -5 0.10 1 South_Bend 88 42 61 -4 0.12 1 Young_America 85 43 62 -3 0.00 0 Northeast(3) Bluffton 89 43 61 -5 0.10 1 67 Fort_Wayne 90 41 61 -5 0.10 1 West Central(4) Crawfordsville 91 34 59 -8 0.15 1 67 Perrysville 89 40 61 -5 0.13 1 75 Terre_Haute_Ag 93 43 65 -3 0.13 1 75 W_Lafayette_6NW 89 38 61 -5 0.11 1 72 Central(5) Castleton 90 43 63 -5 0.05 2 Greenfield 88 45 62 -5 0.10 1 Indianapolis_AP 91 43 64 -4 0.02 1 Indianapolis_SE 88 41 62 -6 0.10 1 Tipton_Ag 91 38 61 -4 0.08 1 66 East Central(6) Farmland 92 35 60 -5 0.08 1 63 New_Castle 88 38 60 -5 0.10 2 Southwest(7) Dubois_Ag 92 40 63 -5 0.03 1 73 Evansville 91 43 65 -5 0.09 1 Freelandville 89 46 64 -5 0.00 0 Shoals 91 42 62 -6 0.05 1 Vincennes_5NE 89 44 64 -4 0.03 1 71 South Central(8) Bloomington 91 45 64 -4 0.06 1 Tell_City 92 48 66 -4 0.01 1 Southeast(9) Butlerville 92 37 62 -6 0.04 1 72 Scottsburg 92 40 63 -6 0.00 0 -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation | April 1, 1999 thru Station | September 19, 1999 |--------------------------------- |Precipitation| GDD Base 50oF |-------------|------------------- | Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN -------------------------------------------------- Northwest(1) Valparaiso_Ag 18.47 -4.11 60 2935 +297 Wanatah 18.18 -3.71 61 2469 -53 Wheatfield 23.30 +2.02 53 2953 +374 Winamac 18.59 -2.70 49 2955 +300 North Central(2) Logansport 18.18 -2.35 63 3021 +279 Plymouth 21.16 -0.45 65 2912 +122 South_Bend 17.82 -3.16 53 3077 +457 Young_America 14.52 -6.01 58 3048 +306 Northeast(3) Bluffton 17.27 -3.14 55 3054 +243 Fort_Wayne 15.40 -3.60 58 3006 +264 West Central(4) Crawfordsville 15.08 -7.17 60 2815 -117 Perrysville 15.43 -7.12 54 3064 +189 Terre_Haute_Ag 16.71 -5.88 57 3527 +461 W_Lafayette_6NW 19.26 -1.83 56 3050 +323 Central(5) Castleton 16.79 -4.86 69 3208 +176 Greenfield 14.00 -9.16 62 3185 +262 Indianapolis_AP 15.18 -6.00 59 3383 +342 Indianapolis_SE 14.60 -7.05 65 3106 +74 Tipton_Ag 14.62 -6.79 54 2828 +182 East Central(6) Farmland 16.01 -4.84 60 2943 +358 New_Castle 15.97 -6.22 61 2739 +90 Southwest(7) Dubois_Ag 19.27 -5.13 54 3363 +265 Evansville 18.76 -2.55 55 3644 +122 Freelandville 21.47 -0.74 53 3344 +177 Shoals 18.41 -5.64 49 3195 +124 Vincennes_5NE 20.85 -1.36 70 3470 +303 South Central(8) Bloomington 15.84 -7.03 50 3379 +267 Tell_City 16.38 -8.11 47 3792 +395 Southeast(9) Butlerville 17.76 -4.27 66 3246 +90 Scottsburg 15.19 -7.70 46 3441 +286 -------------------------------------------------- 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 1999: 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.