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.
                   



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