mcastef Farming, Saturday. Hay 23,1998
Mild Winter, Wet Spring Challenges Crop Protection Strategies
(Continued from Pago A 1)
com planting may have already
cost some bushel yield for some.
He said May 10 probably should
have been the cutoff, but that was
not a possibility for many.
It really wasn't until this week
that many fields were dry enough
to drive into with a tractor without
being very seriously concerned
about compaction.
Other than compaction, work
ing a too-wet field can result in
long term crop losses for other
reasons.
In some cases, Voight pointed
out that some soil was obviously
too wet when com was planted,
and the ground covering the seed
didn't close or hold closed behind
the seeding disc.
A member of the Composite Family? Regardless, it’s but
one of a variety of weeds any unintended plant that
have been so far able to escape control measures in some
crop fields because of wet weather delays and advanced
growing degree day accumulation.
After being delayed from getting Inti togetthlsyeai crop *e»
with weedc getting started as early as January In some cases, this no-till field will have
plenty of surface residue once the weeds are “burned" down. That can help greatly
should dry weather occur later in the summer.
But insects and weeds have
grown tremendously quickly. In
some cases, no-till com fields have
been covered with almost a foot
thick mat of the winter annual
duckweed, and stands of thistle
have grown to 2 feet
Voight said farmers should con
sider rethinking some of their
planting decisions, and maybe
even seed choices.
Herbicidal choices and applica
tion strategies should most likely
be modified also.
On the other hand, some look at
the situation as not so bad.
One farmer- who has beefr. bat
tling encroaching burcucumber,
said that the situation presents
another opportunity to put a dent in
the reproduction of the corn
strangling weed.
Lebanon County Extension Agronomy Agent Delbert Voight -in a no-till corn
field overrun with weeds. Next to him is part of a patch of thistle, and the pennycress,
part of the mustard family, Is highlighted In front, while a lot of the ground cover is a
thick mat of chickweed.
Jimsonweed has been a problem weed for some time, but especially in some reg
ions. A poisonous plant, Lebanon County Extension Agent Delbert Voight shows
three aspects of the plant worth noting: the decaying, yet still prickly seed case from
last year’s adult; the small, dark, irregularly shaped seed on his finger, and the young
sprout
He said that last year’s wet
spring and early growth of weeds
allowed him to kill and plow the
weeds down before they went to
seed, and he was able to plant his
com.
The com got started well, but
while a late summer drought hurt
the com crop for many throughout
the state, this particular farmer has
some low lying fields that retain
soil moisture.
The com was able to tap into
that, while any further germination
of burcucumber was left to wilt
before going to seed.
He said the current weather pat
terns and delayed field work may
well work to his continuing advan
tage against burcucumber, by
bring able to kill off the emerged
weeds and planting soon.
Instead of just thinking about
the type of herbicides to order, the
farmer is using an Integrated Pest
Management-type strategy
understand the life cycle of pests,
and then discover windows of
opportunity to disrupt those life
cycles, while at die same time get
ting field work done and the crop
planted and growing.
Dr. William Curran, a weed
expert and researcher with Penn
State University Agronomy
Department who also conducts
weed research at the Perm State
Southeast Research Farm in Land
isville (Lancaster County), said he
secs a number of different weed
control scenarios resulting from
the weather so far.
However, he said that fanners
should not be discouraged from
these early challenges.
“Keep in mind we different situ
ations every year, and, three or
four days from now, things could
be cm a more positive note,” he
said. “So, remain optimistic, it’s
early in the season yet”
Curran said of the situations
he's been observing, the rain has
been a common factor.
“One of the main things I*m see
ing, die guys who got their com
planted early and got all that rain,
we’re going to see the
preemergence pesticide wear out"
He said that with rainfall com
ing in 3- to 4-inch doses, that the
preemergent herbicides probably
leached below the weed germina
tion zone, in some cases.
“Of course, some of the guys
who planted didn’t get (back into
fields to spray the preemergent
crop protection), and are now deal
ing with big weeds as big or bigger
than com. For no-till it’s worse off.
(Turn to Pag* A 23)