in-crop-weather INDIANA WEEKLY WEATHER & CROPS Released: Monday, 3PM July 3, 2000 Vol. 50, #13 West Lafayette, IN CROP REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING JULY 2 Fields were too wet in most areas of the State early in the period to support heavy equipment. Subsoil moisture continued to improve, aided by the recent rainfall. Farmers in some areas resumed harvesting of winter wheat, spraying and hay baling activities. Harvesting of winter wheat has been difficult in some areas of the State. Ponding in soybean fields may necessitate replanting. Corn and Soybeans Corn condition declined last week and is rated 84 percent good to excellent compared with 87 percent last year at this time. Corn continues to make good growth. Planting of double crop soybean acreage continued in southern areas. Soybean condition also declined and is rated 63 percent good to excellent compared with 81 percent last year. Eighteen percent of the soybean acreage is blooming compared with 19 percent last year and 6 percent for the average. Winter Wheat Winter wheat harvest continued to make good progress in southern and central areas. Forty-seven percent is harvested, on par with last year at this time, but ahead of the 32 percent for the 5-year average. Winter wheat condition is rated 73 percent good to excellent compared with 80 percent at this time last year. Other Crops Pasture condition is rated 19 percent excellent, 53 percent good, 23 percent fair and 5 percent poor. Transplanting of tobacco is virtually complete compared with 99 percent last year and 82 percent for the average. Second cutting of alfalfa hay is 20 percent complete compared with 39 percent a year ago at this time. Days Suitable and Soil Moisture For the week ending Friday, 3.7 days were rated suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture was rated 3 percent short, 73 percent adequate and 24 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 3 percent very short, 14 percent short, 71 percent adequate and 12 percent surplus. Crop Progress --------------------------------------------------- : This : Last: Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week: Year : Avg --------------------------------------------------- Percent Wheat Harvested 47 19 47 32 Corn Silking 5 NA 4 1 Soybeans Blooming 18 10 19 6 Alfalfa, Second Cutting 20 NA 39 NA Tobacco Plants Set 100 97 99 82 Crop Condition ----------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 1 3 12 54 30 Soybeans 2 8 27 49 14 Winter Wheat 2000 5 6 16 50 23 Pasture 0 5 23 53 19 Soil Moisture ----------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : Week : Week : Year ------------------------------------ Percent Topsoil Very Short 0 0 2 Short 3 3 11 Adequate 73 63 65 Surplus 24 34 22 Subsoil Very Short 3 4 3 Short 14 19 14 Adequate 71 64 70 Surplus 12 13 13 --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 Japanese Beetle, Feeding in Field Crops and Grub Potential * Annual grub feeding is over, now it's the beetle's turn * Watch for activity on soybean, and later on corn silks * Management information provided * Discussion of controlling adults to prevent grub damage next year Japanese beetle adults are emerging throughout most of Indiana. These adults developed from grubs feeding in lawns, other grassy areas, and agricultural crops. This year's infestation of adults is the result of eggs that were laid by female beetles last summer. After these eggs hatched in 1999, the grubs immediately began to feed on roots and decaying organic matter in the soil. They continued their feeding from late summer into the fall. Damage to field crops was not noted late last summer since root systems were quite extensive and well established by that time. The grubs overwintered deep in the soil and returned to near the soil surface to feed early this spring. Spring root feeding by the grubs can result in serious damage to early planted crops, especially corn. This spring this was the case in some fields, especially in northern half of Indiana. Since this marks the beginning of a new cycle for this pest, pest managers should be monitoring for Japanese beetles on a regular basis. Over the next two months watch for two things: 1) adult feeding on this year's crop(s) and 2) grub potential for next year's crop. Japanese beetles will feed on more than 300 different species of plants, but are especially fond of roses, grapes, smartweed, soybeans, corn silks, flowers of all kinds, and overripe fruit. Beetle damage to cultivated crops is often minimal and defoliation (leaf removal) on soybeans usually looks much worse than it is. The beetles often congregate in several areas of a soybean field, feeding on and mating in the upper canopy. This is often observed by producers from the cabs of their trucks. The beetles' iridescent, metallic color catches the attention of those doing "windshield" field inspections. Closer inspections will often reveal that weeds such as smartweed have made fields even more attractive to the beetles. Although soybeans can sustain economic damage from the feeding of the beetles, soybeans have the amazing ability to withstand considerable damage (defoliation) before economic losses occur. The impact of defoliation is greatest during flowering and pod fill because of the importance of leaf area to photosynthesis, and ultimately to yield. Therefore, nearly 50% soybean defoliation before bloom or 15-25% defoliation from bloom to pod fill can be tolerated before yields are economically affected. This average defoliation must occur for the whole plant, not just the upper canopy. In corn, Japanese beetle feeding on corn silks is usually minimal and spotty. Field inspections will often reveal that this feeding is not prevalent much beyond the field borders. If beetles are feeding on corn silks, an insecticide should be applied only if silks are being cut off to less than half an inch before 50% pollination has taken place. Beetles are often attracted to dead or dying silks to feed, obviously beyond 50% pollination. Controlling beetles to prevent egg laying and therefore grubs in next year's crop, in theory sounds feasible, but has not been researched. The Japanese beetle can fly considerable distances to a field if something within the field attracts them. Thus, reinfestations can occur because the beetles are with us such a long period of time. As well, even though beetles are present in a field, it does not mean that the field will have an economic grub population next year. Soil type, overwintering success, as well as many other factors, will impact egg laying and grub establishment. Certain areas of the state have perennial problems with this insect and fields within these areas should be closely watched. Because Japanese beetle populations are usually clumped in fields, spot treatments may be an option for heavy infestations. This may reduce, but not eliminate, the grub feeding potential for next year. Grub history fields that have high beetle populations this year and will go to corn in 2001, may need a planting time insecticide placed in-furrow for grub control. However, this year, even full rates of labeled soil insecticides did not sufficiently control some grub populations. Delayed corn planting, early May rather than mid-April, should also be considered where economic grub infestations are expected. --John Obermeyer, Larry Bledsoe, and Rich Edwards, Purdue University, Agronomy Department Weather Data Week ending Sunday July 2, 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 84 54 68 -4 0.10 2 Wanatah 85 52 68 -4 0.05 2 75 Wheatfield 85 52 69 -4 0.39 1 Winamac 84 53 68 -4 0.20 2 76 North Central (2) Logansport 86 56 69 -4 0.27 1 Plymouth 84 52 67 -6 0.22 1 South_Bend 81 53 68 -5 0.70 2 Young_America 83 53 68 -5 0.06 2 Northeast (3) Bluffton 84 53 69 -5 0.23 3 69 Fort_Wayne 83 53 68 -6 0.39 3 West Central (4) Crawfordsville 82 51 67 -8 0.16 2 72 Perrysville 84 53 69 -5 0.27 3 74 Terre_Haute_Ag 86 55 73 -2 0.66 2 76 W_Lafayette_6NW 84 56 70 -3 0.05 2 72 Central (5) Castleton 84 55 70 -6 0.14 2 Greenfield 83 55 69 -5 0.18 3 Greensburg 84 55 70 -4 0.22 2 Indianapolis_AP 84 55 70 -5 0.02 1 Indianapolis_SE 84 52 69 -6 0.04 2 Tipton_Ag 83 52 67 -7 0.05 2 73 East Central (6) Farmland 83 51 68 -5 0.06 2 69 New_Castle 82 51 67 -6 0.07 2 Southwest (7) Dubois_Ag 85 56 71 -4 0.41 3 78 Evansville 85 58 73 -6 1.68 4 Freelandville 84 59 72 -4 0.00 0 Shoals 85 54 70 -5 0.25 3 Vincennes_5NE 87 57 71 -5 0.16 2 74 South Central (8) Bloomington 86 54 70 -6 0.17 1 Tell_City 86 59 72 -5 2.03 2 Southeast (9) Scottsburg 85 56 71 -5 0.57 2 -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation | April 1, 2000 thru Station | July 2, 2000 |--------------------------------- |Precipitation| GDD Base 50oF |-------------|------------------- | Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN -------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Valparaiso_Ag 17.89 +5.55 48 1019 -32 Wanatah 15.34 +3.64 39 1017 +22 Wheatfield 15.28 +3.67 35 1081 +53 Winamac 12.58 +0.90 34 1071 -16 North Central (2) Logansport 12.44 +1.22 41 1101 +0 Plymouth 14.62 +2.46 41 983 -152 South_Bend 14.67 +3.25 44 1032 +1 Young_America 13.59 +2.37 38 1174 +73 Northeast (3) Bluffton 13.20 +1.39 41 1127 -3 Fort_Wayne 15.40 +4.74 40 1101 +15 West Central (4) Crawfordsville 12.18 -0.16 36 1084 -139 Perrysville 13.98 +1.56 39 1185 -1 Terre_Haute_Ag 17.03 +4.79 38 1395 +121 W_Lafayette_6NW 12.40 +0.84 38 1175 +67 Central (5) Castleton 15.32 +3.61 47 1222 -14 Greenfield 17.03 +4.85 44 1231 +41 Greensburg 16.16 +3.47 47 1276 +98 Indianapolis_AP 13.80 +2.34 36 1301 +40 Indianapolis_SE 13.94 +2.23 36 1219 -17 Tipton_Ag 11.70 +0.22 37 1048 -15 East Central (6) Farmland 14.99 +3.23 43 1127 +102 New_Castle 14.46 +1.73 41 980 -72 Southwest (7) Dubois_Ag 12.09 -1.48 44 1415 +127 Evansville 10.83 -1.66 40 1532 +13 Freelandville 12.79 -0.07 31 1373 +46 Shoals 15.69 +1.98 43 1296 +27 Vincennes_5NE 14.68 +1.94 39 1349 +22 South Central (8) Bloomington 14.04 +1.54 35 1265 -26 Tell_City 14.87 +0.89 35 1461 +38 Southeast (9) Scottsburg 15.30 +2.62 34 1402 +87 ------------------------------------------------------ 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.