in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date June 9, 2002 Issue IN-CW2302 Agricultural Summary Showers and heavy rain in some areas slowed field operations during the period, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service. Isolated areas received strong winds and hail. Farmers returned to planting and other field activities late in the week and good progress was made during the weekend. Most farmers finished up corn planting last week and were concentrating on soybean planting and spraying for weed control. Weeds are a major problem around the state this season. Soils remain wet in some fields, especially southern regions of the state. Corn planting is 17 days behind average. Soybean planting is 18 days behind the average pace. Winter wheat is rapidly turning color in southern regions of the state. Field Crops Report There were 4.2 days suitable for fieldwork. Ninety-two percent of the corn acreage is planted compared with 100 percent last year and 99 percent for the 5-year average. By area, 96 percent of the corn acreage is planted in the north, 93 percent in the central regions and 81 percent in the south. Seventy-two percent of the corn acreage has emerged compared with 100 percent a year earlier. Emerged corn continues to improve, aided by sunshine and warmer weather. Seventy-two percent of the intended soybean acreage is planted compared with 98 percent a year ago and 93 percent for the average. By area, 81 percent of the soybean acreage is planted in the north, 73 percent in the central regions and 52 percent in the south. Forty-five percent of the soybean acreage has emerged compared with 97 percent a year earlier. Other activities during the week included side-dressing corn, spraying, moving grain to market, hauling manure, mowing roadsides, cutting hay and taking care of livestock. Ninety-six percent of the winter wheat acreage is headed compared with 100 percent last year and 96 percent for the average. Winter wheat condition is rated 54 percent good to excellent, below the 57 percent last week and below the 62 percent a year ago. First cutting of alfalfa hay is 53 percent complete compared with 56 percent last year and 64 percent for the average. Transplanting of tobacco is 48 percent complete compared with 51 percent last year and 52 percent for the average. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 23 percent excellent, 59 percent good, 16 percent fair and 2 percent poor. Livestock remain in mostly good condition. Crop Progress Table -------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Planted 92 75 100 99 Corn Emerged 72 40 100 NA Soybeans Planted 72 45 98 93 Soybeans Emerged 45 18 97 NA Winter Wheat Headed 96 88 100 96 Tobacco Plants Set 48 24 51 52 Alfalfa First Cutting 53 33 56 64 Crop Condition Table -------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 2 8 34 51 5 Soybean 1 6 35 54 4 Pasture 0 2 16 59 23 Winter Wheat 2002 1 13 32 44 10 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : Week : Week : Year ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 0 0 0 Short 3 2 1 Adequate 58 61 56 Surplus 39 37 43 Subsoil Very Short 0 0 2 Short 1 0 12 Adequate 61 62 65 Surplus 38 38 21 Days Suitable 4.2 4.8 1.3 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 Switching From Corn to Soybeans - The Disease Angle * Second--year soybeans could create problems both this year and for several years to come There has been a lot of discussion recently about the wisdom of switching from corn to soybeans as the delay in corn planting continues. Various specialists at Purdue have presented the pros and cons of doing this. Both the pro and con articles have referred to soybean diseases as an important consideration in changing planting plans. If many acres are switched, this will mean planting soybeans in fields that were planted to soybeans last year. I want to elaborate on what can happen with diseases if soybeans follow soybeans. The major diseases of soybeans in Indiana and surrounding states are caused by soilborne pathogens. These pathogenic microorganisms survive in soil, often through production of special survival structures. These microorganisms, in no particular order, include Heterodera glycines (soybean cyst nematode), Phytophthora sojae (Phytophthora root rot), Fusarium solani f.sp. glycines (sudden death syndrome), Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (white mold), and Phialophora gregata (brown stem rot). The soybean cyst nematode produces cysts that can survive several years in soil. Phytophthora sojae produces oospores and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum produces sclerotia. These can also survive for many years in the absence of soybeans. Fusarium solani f.sp. glycines and Phialophora gregata survive as mycelium in soybean residue or produce a spore that can survive in soil. When these organisms are in a field and a susceptible cultivar of soybean is grown, they multiply (from a pathogen's point of view, the disease it causes is secondary; it is simply using the host plant as a food source to support its growth and multiplication). When a nonhost such as corn is grown in the field the following year, these pathogens cannot multiply, and may die out to some extent. The general increase in problems with all of these diseases in recent years is thought to be a result of the shift to a soybean-corn rotation in place of rotations in which soybeans were grown only at longer intervals in a field. So, what does it mean if a grower goes back into a field with soybeans in 2002 that was planted to soybeans in 2001? If any of the pathogens mentioned above was not in this field, a second year of soybeans does not mean it will suddenly appear. However, all of these pathogens are widely distributed in Indiana. A danger from second- year soybeans is that in a field with only a small or moderate pathogen population, and hence a history of only mild or moderate disease problems, a second year of soybeans could lead to a great increase in pathogen populations. A minor problem with disease could become a major problem this year. Once these high pathogen populations have developed, it can take a long time to bring them back down, particularly by going back to a rotation in which soybeans are grown every other year. An even greater danger is to plant second-year soybeans in a field that already has a history of serious disease problems. None of these pathogens is capable of long-distance dispersal under its own power. The diseases they cause typically appear in some areas of a field and not others. Anything that moves soil can disperse these pathogens, however. Farming operations are some of the most efficient agents of dispersal. Tillage equipment, planters, tractor tires anything that moves soil or plant material can increase the area in a field that is affected by a soilborne disease. A second year of soybeans can result in a greater proportion of a field being infested with a pathogen. History of disease in a field, choice of soybean cultivar, crop management practices, and weather all play a role in determining whether disease will be a problem. But, the risk of a disease problem can only be greater with second-year soybeans. Gregory Shaner, Dept of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University. Weather Information Table Week Ending Sunday June 9, 2002 --------------------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|-----------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days|Temp ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Valparaiso_AP_I |82 48 65 -2 0.19 3 Wanatah |84 45 65 -2 0.18 4 69 Wheatfield |85 49 66 -2 0.49 3 Winamac |85 49 66 -2 0.98 3 70 North Central(2)| Chalmers_5W |95 50 68 -2 0.65 5 Plymouth |82 48 65 -4 1.03 3 South_Bend |81 49 65 -2 0.56 3 Young_America |93 51 68 +0 1.71 3 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |85 45 64 -2 0.73 4 66 Fort_Wayne |87 48 65 -3 1.10 2 West Central (4)| Greencastle |89 50 69 -1 0.19 3 Perrysville |92 52 70 +2 0.51 2 72 Terre_Haute_AFB |91 51 72 +3 0.18 1 W_Lafayette_6NW |94 50 68 +1 1.80 4 72 Central (5) | Brookville |92 54 72 +5 1.48 2 Eagle_Creek_AP |90 52 71 +2 0.53 2 Greenfield |91 51 70 +2 1.98 3 Indianapolis_AP |90 54 72 +3 0.56 3 Indianapolis_SE |90 52 70 +1 1.00 3 Tipton_Ag |91 50 68 +1 0.48 3 71 East Central (6)| Farmland |92 49 69 +3 0.62 3 68 New_Castle |87 49 66 -2 0.89 3 Southwest (7) | Evansville |92 56 76 +4 1.04 2 Freelandville |92 54 73 +4 0.51 1 Shoals |92 53 72 +4 1.11 2 Stendal |91 55 74 +4 1.14 3 Vincennes_5NE |92 54 73 +3 0.79 3 67 South Central(8)| Spencer_Ag |91 55 71 +3 0.41 2 Tell_City |94 57 77 +6 1.75 2 Southeast (9) | Milan_5NE |88 49 69 +2 2.33 2 Scottsburg |89 53 72 +3 1.79 3 ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation | April 1, 2002 thru Station | June 9, 2002 | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Valparaiso_AP_I |10.24 +1.17 28 559 -5 Wanatah |10.60 +2.03 31 503 -10 Wheatfield | 9.29 +0.90 28 550 +8 Winamac | 9.87 +1.44 33 537 -57 North Central(2)| Chalmers_5W | 8.76 +0.07 35 579 -92 Plymouth |11.16 +2.28 32 490 -133 South_Bend | 9.53 +1.32 33 526 -16 Young_America |10.74 +2.43 30 625 +32 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |10.07 +1.75 32 497 -11 Fort_Wayne |11.13 +3.24 29 599 +27 West Central (4)| Greencastle |15.38 +5.82 32 636 -90 Perrysville |14.06 +4.89 33 671 +19 Terre_Haute_AFB |23.89 +14.46 35 799 +80 W_Lafayette_6NW |14.56 +5.88 36 639 +39 Central (5) | Brookville |16.96 +7.35 29 736 +134 Eagle_Creek_AP |12.70 +3.97 32 745 +36 Greenfield |15.36 +6.05 36 683 +28 Indianapolis_AP |13.71 +4.98 30 794 +85 Indianapolis_SE |14.49 +5.36 28 693 +8 Tipton_Ag |11.50 +2.76 32 595 +36 East Central (6)| Farmland |11.59 +3.01 37 619 +80 New_Castle |14.04 +4.36 29 524 -31 Southwest (7) | Evansville |15.32 +5.43 28 1018 +122 Freelandville |16.12 +6.03 26 830 +74 Shoals |17.42 +6.78 27 781 +55 Stendal |17.86 +6.90 27 911 +93 Vincennes_5NE |17.20 +7.11 29 862 +106 South Central(8)| Spencer_Ag |17.09 +7.05 36 677 +24 Tell_City |16.38 +5.52 22 1080 +245 Southeast (9) | Milan_5NE |20.53 +10.92 34 632 +30 Scottsburg |17.91 +8.14 31 799 +42 ------------------------------------------------------------- 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 2002: 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