in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date July 8, 2001 Issue IN-CW2701 Agricultural Summary Winter wheat harvest is nearing completion in most southern regions of the state and was in full swing in central areas during the week. Farmers continued to spray, bale hay and straw and plant double crop soybeans as conditions permitted. Most areas received much needed rain, but dry soil conditions remain in the southwestern areas. Thunderstorms and strong winds moved through some areas of the state. Field Crops Report There were 4.5 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn condition is rated 78 percent good to excellent compared with 78 percent last week and 85 percent last year at this time. Twenty-three percent of the corn acreage has silked compared with 25 percent last year and 11 percent for the 5-year average. Twenty-seven percent of the soybean acreage is blooming compared with 35 percent last year and 21 percent for the average. Soybean condition is rated 66 percent good to excellent compared with 68 percent last week and 64 percent last year. Other activities during the week included, cleaning out grain bins, repairing equipment, moving grain to market and preparing for county fairs. Winter wheat condition is rated 69 percent good to excellent compared with 73 percent a year ago at this time. Wheat harvest is 66 percent complete compared with 78 percent last year and 60 percent for the 5-year average. By area, wheat harvest is 14 percent complete in the north, 75 percent complete in the central regions and 97 percent complete in the south. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 9 percent excellent, 45 percent good, 30 percent fair, 11 percent poor and 5 percent very poor. Second cutting of alfalfa hay is 39 percent complete. Livestock are in mostly good condition. Crop Progress Table -------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Silked 23 3 25 11 Soybeans Blooming 27 15 35 21 Wheat Harvested 66 48 78 60 Alfalfa Second Cutting 39 25 47 35 Crop Condition Table -------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 0 3 19 59 19 Soybeans 1 5 28 56 10 Pasture 5 11 30 45 9 Winter Wheat 2001 1 4 26 54 15 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : Week : Week : Year ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 4 1 0 Short 12 13 4 Adequate 72 78 71 Surplus 12 8 25 Subsoil Very Short 6 3 2 Short 15 17 15 Adequate 71 75 71 Surplus 8 5 12 Days Suitable 4.5 6.1 3.5 Contact information --Ralph W. Gann, 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 Yellow Beans, Rain, and Spider Mites -Spider mites may or may not be the cause of discolored soybean leaves -Rain indirectly slows or aids in the control of spider mites -Consider several factors before treating spider mites Reports of and questions about spider mites in soybean fields have begun to come in from several areas of the state. Most pest managers are well aware of the close association of moisture stressed soybean plants and spider mites. Now that some much needed rains have moved through most of the state (July 3 and 4) will yellow soybean fields and spider mites go away? A number of factors can cause leaf yellowing. These include soybean cyst nematode, nutrient deficiencies, poor nodulation, herbicide injury, sucking insects, diseases, compaction, etc. Spider mites may be present along with any of these other plant stressers. Spider mites may or may not be causing the problem. In other words, it's the old chicken and egg dilemma. 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, and this is sometimes easier said than done. Rain indirectly controls spider mites. Pounding rains can physically knock spider mites off plants where they meet their doom by drowning or becoming food for 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. 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 whether the spider mites are present or not by using the "shake" method. 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). However, a heavy infestation at seed set (mid-season dry period) can still cause economic damage. 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 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. 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. 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. John Obermeyer, Rich Edwards, and Larry Bledsoe, Purdue University, Dept. of Entomology. Weather Information Table Week Ending Sunday July 8, 2001 --------------------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|-----------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days|Temp --------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Valparaiso_Ag |87 46 70 -3 0.57 4 Wanatah |86 43 66 -7 1.50 5 74 Wheatfield |87 42 66 -7 1.29 5 Winamac |85 44 66 -7 1.98 3 73 North Central(2)| Logansport |86 46 67 -7 1.34 6 Plymouth |84 42 65 -9 1.80 5 South_Bend |83 42 67 -7 2.14 5 Young_America |87 44 67 -7 1.92 5 Northeast (3) | Bluffton |82 47 67 -8 1.53 6 69 Fort_Wayne |83 45 68 -7 2.74 6 West Central (4)| Crawfordsville |91 41 66 -9 1.85 4 73 Perrysville |92 45 69 -6 2.33 3 73 Terre_Haute_Ag |96 47 70 -6 2.95 3 76 W_Lafayette_6NW |91 45 69 -5 2.47 5 74 Central (5) | Castleton |88 48 69 -7 3.04 4 Greenfield |86 48 69 -6 2.85 6 Greensburg |86 51 70 -5 1.84 5 Indianapolis_AP |86 48 70 -6 3.09 4 Indianapolis_SE |87 46 67 -9 2.48 4 Tipton_Ag |87 42 65 -8 1.12 4 71 East Central (6)| Farmland |85 43 66 -7 0.63 3 69 New_Castle |84 46 65 -9 1.62 4 Southwest (7) | Dubois_Ag |91 51 72 -3 0.93 2 79 Evansville |93 55 77 -2 0.14 3 Freelandville |91 50 72 -5 0.42 1 Shoals |90 50 70 -5 0.31 3 Vincennes_5NE |92 49 72 -5 1.14 2 74 South Central(8)| Bloomington |89 49 69 -7 3.69 3 Tell_City |91 56 75 -3 0.15 1 Southeast (9) | Scottsburg |86 52 71 -5 1.69 4 ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation | April 1, 2001 thru Station | July 8, 2001 |--------------------------------- |Precipitation| GDD Base 50oF |-------------|------------------- | Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Valparaiso_Ag | 10.73 -2.41 49 1295 +131 Wanatah | 12.22 -0.30 50 1234 +128 Wheatfield | 11.94 -0.44 48 1304 +165 Winamac | 15.17 +2.73 49 1306 +106 North Central(2)| Logansport | 15.91 +3.97 51 1307 +90 Plymouth | 13.01 +0.03 48 1197 -54 South_Bend | 14.51 +2.32 48 1274 +127 Young_America | 12.01 +0.07 43 1398 +181 Northeast (3) | Bluffton | 13.31 +0.77 51 1335 +84 Fort_Wayne | 13.16 +1.83 50 1315 +108 West Central (4)| Crawfordsville | 11.53 -1.69 43 1323 -22 Perrysville | 9.73 -3.56 40 1454 +147 Terre_Haute_Ag | 15.83 +2.68 39 1613 +212 W_Lafayette_6NW | 10.68 -1.59 41 1447 +223 Central (5) | Castleton | 15.36 +2.80 41 1461 +98 Greenfield | 14.22 +1.09 44 1451 +139 Greensburg | 14.44 +0.94 40 1559 +262 Indianapolis_AP | 13.52 +1.23 36 1566 +178 Indianapolis_SE | 12.37 -0.19 35 1390 +27 Tipton_Ag | 11.47 -0.78 36 1276 +97 East Central (6)| Farmland | 12.96 +0.46 42 1316 +178 New_Castle | 18.81 +5.26 47 1171 +3 Southwest (7) | Dubois_Ag | 11.98 -2.49 35 1685 +269 Evansville | 9.47 -3.81 36 1867 +204 Freelandville | 9.68 -4.01 33 1675 +215 Shoals | 11.27 -3.37 38 1569 +172 Vincennes_5NE | 9.10 -4.59 28 1736 +276 South Central(8)| Bloomington | 13.82 +0.45 41 1579 +161 Tell_City | 11.42 -3.48 26 1776 +214 Southeast (9) | Scottsburg | 13.06 -0.52 44 1631 +183 ------------------------------------------------------------- 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 2001: 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.