C.O.R.N. Newsletter: 2022-06
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Weather Update: March is a Time for Transition
Meteorological winter (Dec-Feb) has ended. Looking back, it was the 26th warmest and 16th wettest winter on record for Ohio since 1895. After a very warm December, January and February were a bit on the cool side. A very active late winter pattern brought frequent, moisture-rich storm systems across Ohio, with upwards of 6-8 inches of liquid-equivalent precipitation (snow and rain) falling during February along the Cincinnati to Columbus corridor (Figure 1). This secured February 2022 as the 6th wettest February on record, with differences compared to the long-term average (1991-2020) running at least 2-4 inches above normal for much of the state.
Figure 1). Accumulated precipitation for February 2022. Figure courtesy of the Midwestern Regional Climate Center (https://mrcc.purdue.edu/).
March 2022 has maintained an active weather pattern with large swings in temperatures and plenty of moisture. After highs reached well into the 70s during the weekend of March 5th, this past weekend featured a snowstorm that dropped up to 9 inches of snow across Vinton County, with a large swath of 3-6 inches of snow along and southeast of about I-71. Precipitation is running well above average across the northern Miami Valley, Akron-Canton region, and the far southeast, while drier areas are present across the northwest. Overall, daily average 2- and 4-inch soil temperatures are running in the low to mid 30s with saturated conditions across the state, and rivers and streams are running above normal for this time of year.
Figure 2). Precipitation forecast from the Weather Prediction Center for 8pm Monday Mar 14 – 8pm Monday Mar 21.
Forecast
Except for a light shower possible in the western counties on Tuesday, much of this week will be dominated by high pressure and a return flow out of the south. This will bring a strong push of warmer air, as temperatures slowly climb above normal. Highs in the 50s and 60s are expected statewide on Tuesday and Wednesday, with 60s and 70s on Thursday ahead of our next cold front. This front will push through with rain showers on Friday and early Saturday, before improving conditions take over for the rest of the weekend. The Weather Prediction Center is currently predicting 0.25-0.75” inches of liquid-equivalent precipitation over the next 7 days (Figure 2).
The Climate Prediction Center’s 6–10-day outlook for the period of March 20 - 24, 2022 and the 16-Day Rainfall Outlook from NOAA/NWS/Ohio River Forecast Center indicate that temperatures are likely to be above average for the period with wetter than average conditions (Figure 3). Climate averages for this period include a high temperature range of 47-53°F, a low temperature range of 29-34°F, and average liquid-equivalent precipitation of 0.50-1.0 inch.
Figure 3) Climate Prediction Center 6-10 Day Outlook valid for March 20 -24, 2022, for left) temperatures and right) precipitation. Colors represent the probability of below, normal, or above normal conditions.
For an extended look at the upcoming spring season, check out the latest Agronomy and Farm Management Podcast on Wednesday March 16, 2022 by going to go.osu.edu/AFM or podcast.osu.edu/agronomy.
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Preemergence mesotrione use in “mesotrione-tolerant” soybeans
Put this one in the “we’re usually the last to know” category. Following an article in the last C.O.R.N. about the Alite 27 label for use on GT27 soybeans, we became aware that some mesotrione products are labeled for preemergence use on “mesotrione-tolerant” (GT27) soybeans. Products that we know about with this label include Bellum, Motif, and Meso Star. As far we know, all GT27 soybeans are tolerant of mesotrione used preemergence. The catch is that the seed tag and agreement need to specify that the variety is “mesotrione-tolerant” for this to be a legal application. At least this is how it was explained to us by one reputable company rep. Not every company selling GT27 seed has made this change, so check with seed supplier if in doubt. Basics of this label are as follows:
- use prior to soybean emergence only and only on soybeans labeled “mesotrione-tolerant”
- use rate of up to 6 oz product/A; only one application (higher rates improve length of residual and improve control of giant ragweed and other tough weeds)
- can be mixed with other preemergence soybean herbicides unless prohibited on another label
- for control of emerged weeds, add AMS plus either NIS or COC (would also depend upon what else is in the mix for burndown)
- do not apply to emerged soybeans
- do not graze or feed soybean forage or hay to livestock
Mesotrione and Alite 27 (isoxaflutole) are both group 27 herbicides (HPPD inhibitors) with similar residual activity on broadleaf weeds. Alite 27 has considerable residual activity on grass weeds also, while mesotrione doesn’t. But mesotrione controls emerged weeds, while Alite 27 largely doesn’t. Given that it’s used on the soybeans with the right seed tag, mesotrione has a state-wide label, while Alite 27 is labeled in certain counties only. Our thinking on where mesotrione fits amid a plethora of residual soybean premix products:
- can be a lot of broadleaf control for the money, depending upon price.
- can add 3 to 6 ounces to other residual herbicides to improve control of waterhemp, giant ragweed, common ragweed, cocklebur, morningglory, burcucumber. Or add reduced rates of other residual herbicides to mesotrione.
- Alite 27 and mesotrione are the only two herbicides that provide residual control of giant ragweed populations with resistance to group 2 herbicides (ALS inhibitors). They also control common ragweed with group 2 resistance, for which flumioxazin is the only other option (and it’s only fair to good).
- can improve control of emerged weeds in no-till situations, when mixed with other burndown herbicides. Could be especially useful for this where glyphosate is scarce.
- the ratings for mesotrione effectiveness in the corn section of the weed control guide should be accurate for use in soybeans also.
Here’s the potential pitfall with using mesotrione or Alite 27 in soybeans. We use a lot of mesotrione and isoxaflutole, and other group 27 herbicides, in corn. Using them in soybeans also is likely to increase the rate of development of weed populations with resistance to this site of action. Resistance to group 27 herbicides has already occurred in waterhemp in states west of us, and results of our screening of Ohio waterhemp populations indicates it’s probably occurring here also. While rotating herbicide site of action from year to year does not on its own prevent resistance, it’s one of the recommended practices to slow down resistance. Along with mixing multiple sites of action together. Choosing to use the same herbicides in corn and soybeans, which we already do to some extent, just reinforces the importance of scouting fields in late season to prevent escapes from going to seed.
Note: this article represents the true story as far as we knew on March 14, 2022.
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Applying MAP and DAP at Corn Sidedress
One fertilization strategy is to apply a two-year rotation phosphorus need ahead of the corn crop. The primary source of phosphorous fertilizer is the nitrogen-phosphorous (N-P) containing products of 11-52-0, Monoammonium Phosphate (MAP) and 18-46-0, Diammonium Phosphate (DAP). For example, the maintenance P need for corn yielding 180-bushel per acre and soybean at 60 bushels is 111 pounds of P2O5 per acre.
When applied in fall, the phosphorus from these products is solubilized and retained in the soil labile phosphorus pool. To supply this P need with MAP or DAP, we also apply 23 or 43 pounds of N with the application. This nitrogen is subject to environmental loss when fall-applied by leaching or denitrification. The net nitrogen result from fall MAP or DAP application is that little of the applied N is available to meet crop needs. By changing MAP and DAP application timing from fall to at sidedress, can we reduce the sidedress need from other N sources? Does this improve the economics of meeting nutrient needs in the rotation?
For this project, the total N rate was set at 180 pounds per acre, the Economically Optimal Nitrogen Rate (EONR) using a nitrogen to corn price ratio of 0.10. At planting, 40 pounds of N was applied in a 2 by 2 placement. The additional 140 pounds of nitrogen was applied to V4-V6 corn. The combination of nitrogen sources to meet the desired N rate was from MAP or DAP plus Urea, or 28% UAN depending on plot treatment to reach the total N need. The Urea product used was Environmentally Smart Nitrogen (ESN), a polymer-coated product to prevent against losses with surface applications. UAN 28% treatment was applied using a coulter injector. The dry fertilizer products were applied with a drop spreader.
Corn grain yields for 2020 and 2021 are shown in Table 1. No statistical differences were shown between the UAN 28% and DAP+Urea or MAP+Urea treatments in either year. The partial budget for the two-year fertilizer program may be advantageous for sidedress P even though nutrient sources have a higher per-unit N price. The calculation presented used fall 2021 fertilizer prices. The UAN 28% has an extra application trip with the fall P, plus the N from that fall application is lost.
Table 1. Corn yields and two-year fertilizer program cost using surface applied MAP and DAP at sidedress compared to coulter injected UAN 28%.
Sidedress Source
2020
Yield (bu/A)
2021
Yield (bu/A)
Two Year Fertilizer Program Cost
@ Fall ‘21 prices
UAN 28%
148a
206a
$ 285
DAP+Urea(ESN)
151a
202a
$ 248
MAP+Urea(ESN)
146a
200a
$ 268
LSD (0.1)
6
8
CV%
3
3
The point of this project was to start a conversation about different fertilizer application timing to increase fertilizer program efficiency. More equipment options are becoming available, making a dry fertilizer program possible. If you are in a liquid program, using 10-34-0 may be an option to consider.
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Ohio Farm Custom Rate Survey 2022 Responses - Last Call
The Ohio Farm Custom Rates Survey 2022 data collection has launched. The online survey for 2022 is available at: https://go.osu.edu/ohiofarmcustomratesurvey2022
If you perform custom farm work or pay for these services, we kindly ask you to complete the Ohio Farm Custom Rate Survey for 2022.
A large number of Ohio farmers hire machinery operations and other farm related work to be completed by others. This is often due to lack of proper equipment, lack of time or lack of expertise for a particular operation. Many farm business owners do not own equipment for every possible job that they may encounter in the course of operating a farm and may, instead of purchasing the equipment needed, seek out someone with the proper tools necessary to complete the job. This farm work completed by others is often referred to as “custom farm work” or more simply “custom work”. A “custom rate” is the amount agreed upon by both parties to be paid by the custom work customer to the custom work provider.
Custom farming providers and customers often negotiate an agreeable custom farming machinery rate by utilizing Extension surveys results as a starting point. Ohio State University Extension collects surveys and publishes survey results from the Ohio Farm Custom Survey every other year. Past survey summaries can be found at: https://farmoffice.osu.edu/farm-mgt-tools/custom-rates-and-machinery-costs
This year we are updating our published custom farm rates for Ohio.
We kindly request your assistance in securing up-to-date information about farm custom work rates, machinery and building rental rates and hired labor costs in Ohio.
This year we have an online survey set up that anyone can access. We would ask that you respond even if you know only a few rates. We want information on actual rates, either what you paid to hire custom work or what you charged if you perform custom work. Custom Rates should include all ownership costs of implement & tractor (if needed), operator labor, fuel and lube. If fuel is not included in your custom rate charge there is a place on the survey to indicate this.
You may access the survey at: https://go.osu.edu/ohiofarmcustomratesurvey2022
If you prefer a document that you can print out and fill out by hand to return, email Barry Ward at ward.8@osu.edu
You can also access the online survey through this QR code:
The deadline to complete the survey is March 31,2022.
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Is Spring Wheat an Option for Ohio Farmers?
Is spring wheat an option for Ohio farmers? Yes, we can grow spring wheat in Ohio, but spring wheat yield will be significantly lower than winter wheat yield.
Last year, in collaboration with University of Wisconsin-Madison, we participated in a small grain resiliency field trial located at the Northwest Agricultural Research Station in Wood County. The goal was to compare several types of small grains to our local standard of soft red winter wheat. Results are shown in Figure 1. On average, soft red winter wheat yielded 97 bu/acre across eight different varieties. As a comparison, durum (planted in the spring) yielded an average of 44 bu/acre and hard red spring wheat yielded an average of 52 bu/acre. The data below represents one year of data; however, similar observations have been made in previous trials conducted in Ohio.
Figure 1. Box-and-whiskers plot showing minimum, 25th percentile, 50th percentile, 75th percentile, and maximum wheat grain yield. (Outliers are shown as a dot.)
In small grains, the grain fill period begins at Feekes 10.5.4 (kernels watery ripe) and ends at Feekes 11.3 (kernels hard, but dividable with thumbnail). Longer grain fill periods are associated with higher yields. For all four winter wheats (soft red, soft white, hard red, and hard white), the grain fill period was between June 3 and June 30, for a total of 27 days long (Figure 2). However, the grain fill period was only 13 days for the hard red spring wheat (between June 17-June 30) and only 8 days (between June 22 and June 30) for the durum wheat. Although, our winter wheat was planted on September 25, 2021 and the spring wheat was planted on April 5, 2021, all wheat reached maturity at the same time and were harvested on the same date. Thus, the higher yield of winter wheat is likely due in part to the longer grain fill period.
Figure 2. Number of days between Feekes 10.5.4-11.3 growth stages.
In addition to yield, there are other factors to consider:
- Do you have a place to sell spring wheat? Is there a market for spring wheat?
- Can you meet grain quality requirements? Soft red winter wheat and white wheat tend to have low protein (8.5 to 10.5%). Hard red winter wheat has medium to high protein (10.0 to 13.0%) while durum and hard red spring wheat have high protein (10 to 15.0%). For more information on the various wheat classes and requirements, see: https://www.uswheat.org/working-with-buyers/wheat-classes/
Although wheat prices are high, spring wheat is probably not the best option in 2022 due to low yields and uncertainty surrounding selling the grain and quality. However, we will continue to look at these various wheat classes this year as opportunities may arise in the state. If interested in wheat, the best option would be to plant soybean this year followed by winter wheat planting in the fall.
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Topdressing Wheat with Liquid Swine Manure
Wheat fields are firming up across Ohio and topdressing with nitrogen fertilizer will soon start. Given the current fertilizer prices more livestock producers may be considering applying liquid swine manure as a top-dress for wheat.
The key to applying the correct amount of manure to fertilize wheat is to know the manure’s nitrogen content. Most manure tests reveal total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen and organic nitrogen amounts. The ammonia nitrogen portion is readily available for plant growth. The organic nitrogen portion takes considerably longer to mineralize and generally will not be available when wheat uptakes the majority of its nitrogen before mid-June.
Most deep-pit swine finishing manure will contain between 30 and 40 pounds of ammonia nitrogen per 1,000 gallons. Finishing buildings with bowl waters and other water conservation systems can result in nitrogen amounts towards the upper end of this range. Finishing buildings with fixed nipple waters and surface water occasionally entering the pit can result in nitrogen amounts towards the lower end of this range. The contents of the ration fed to the pigs can also affect manure nitrogen numbers.
In past years, some farmers have used sow manure to topdress wheat. Just know the nitrogen amount in sow manure will be much lower than swine finishing manure.
In university research, we have used both manure tankers and drag hoses when topdressing wheat. The concern with manure tankers is soil compaction, especially on heavy soils. The drag hose seemed to work well wherever it was used.
The typical application rate for liquid swine finishing manure on wheat is 4,000 gallons per acre. Wheat removes 0.49 pounds of P2O5 per bushel harvested. When also harvesting the wheat straw, a ton of wheat straw contains between three and four pounds of P2O5. So, a 100 bushel wheat crop with one ton of straw also removed would withdraw about 52 pounds of P2O5 per acre. This is likely about the same amount of P2O5 as 4,000 gallons of swine finishing manure would contain but review your manure test to make this determination.
When applying livestock manure to wheat it’s recommended to follow the NRCS #590 Waste Utilization Standard to minimize potential environmental impacts. This standard includes a 35 foot wide vegetative strip setback from ditches and streams. Applicators in the Western Lake Erie Basin also need to look at the weather forecast to be certain there is not greater than a 50 percent chance of a half-inch of rain in the 24 hours following manure application when surface applying. Print this forecast so you have proof in the event of a surprise rain downpour.
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Collect Soil Samples for SCN in Spring
Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a major soybean pathogen that continues to spread throughout Ohio. Commonly, yield reduction will take place with no visible symptoms. To know if the nematode is present in a field, soil sample for SCN testing must be properly collected. The presence of SCN in a field, but most importantly, the SCN numbers will determine the best management strategy. It is important, therefore, to Test your Fields to Know your SCN Numbers.
When should you sample for SCN? Spring before planting is a good time to sample for SCN. A soil test in spring will reveal if SCN is present and at what levels. Knowing your SCN numbers in spring will tell you what to expect for the season, identify the best management practices [more on SCN management here], and plan for next year. Furthermore, if you are planning to collect sample for soil fertility, a subsample can be used for SCN testing!
How should you collect soil sample for SCN? Different sampling strategies can be used to collect soil sample for SCN testing, including those used for soil fertility sampling. We strongly recommend using a 1-inch-diameter cylindrical probe to collect between 15 to 20 (more is better!) soil cores, 8 inches deep, for every 20 acres. Collect these soil cores in a zig-zag pattern across an area similar in soil texture and cropping history. Thoroughly mix the composite sample by gently breaking the soil cores. At this point we advise splitting the composite sample in two: one for soil fertility and one for SCN testing. Place 1 pint (approx. 2 cups) of soil in a labeled plastic bag and ship it to the lab as soon as possible. For more information on how to collect soil sample for SCN testing visit here.
How should you handle your SCN soil sample? Soil sample collected for SCN testing is alive! We must handle it carefully. To keep the nematodes alive, store sample in a cool, dark place out of direct exposure to sunlight and ship SCN samples to the lab as quickly as possible.
Where should you send your soil sample for analysis? There are several SCN testing labs in the North Central Region, however, with funding from the Ohio Soybean Council and The SCN Coalition we will process up to TWO soil samples, per grower, to be tested for SCN, free of charge. Growers will decide how they want to collect these samples, but we suggest collecting one sample from a low and one from a high yielding area. Download and complete this Soil Sample Submission Form and mail your samples to:
OSU Soybean Pathology and Nematology Lab
Attn: Horacio Lopez-Nicora, Ph.D.
110 Kottman Hall
2021 Coffey Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43210
For more information on SCN sampling and management visit our factsheet here.
Soybean cyst nematode eggs (note SCN juvenile inside eggs).
Soybean cyst nematode, infective second stage juvenile (J2).
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Reminder to Attend the Wheat Refresh and Field Walk
On March 30, we’ll walk a wheat field with Dr. Laura Lindsey who will show us how to evaluate the field coming out of winter and refresh growth staging the wheat. Growth staging is critical for nutrient and crop protection applications.
All topics covered:
- Stand evaluation
- Growth stages
- Nutrient and crop protection
- Seeding rate, timing and row width
- Seeding, application and combine equipment display
Nate Douridas, Farm Manager of the Molly Caren Ag Center, and an equipment specialist from Ag-Pro Ohio will answer questions about equipment displayed.
CCA credits offered: 1 CEU CM, 1 CEU NM
Please RSVP for the free event. Doughnuts, coffee and a limited number of Corn, Soybean, Wheat and Alfalfa Field Guides will be provided. Contact information is needed to notify in the event of a cancellation.
March 30, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.,
Molly Caren Ag Center North Farm1782 OH-38, London, OH 43140
(2 miles north of Farm Science Review on St. Rt. 38).
Registration: https://go.osu.edu/wheatrefreshContact: Amanda Douridas, Douridas.9@osu.edu
Crop Observation and Recommendation Network
C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.
Contributors
Disclaimer
The information presented here, along with any trade names used, is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is made by Ohio State University Extension is implied. Although every attempt is made to produce information that is complete, timely, and accurate, the pesticide user bears responsibility of consulting the pesticide label and adhering to those directions.
CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity.osu.edu. For an accessible format of this publication, visit cfaes.osu.edu/accessibility.