in-crop-weather

State
Indiana Crop Weather

Week Ending Date
July 7, 2002

Issue
IN-CW2702

Agricultural Summary 

Hot, dry weather with day time temperatures reaching into the 90 degree
range placed stress on major crops and livestock during the week,
according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service. In many
fields, corn leaves were rolling and soybean plants were showing effects
from the heat and lack of rain. There was virtually no precipitation
around the state, except for isolated showers in a few northwestern
areas. Winter wheat harvest was in full swing in the central region and
gaining momentum in the northern areas of the state. Cutting and baling
hay along with spraying soybean fields for weed control made good
progress during the week. Pastures are drying out rapidly. 

				
Field Crops Report

There were 6.9 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn condition declined and
is rated 48 percent good to excellent compared with 62 percent last week
and 78 percent last year at this time. Planting of double crop soybeans
was winding up in most of the southern regions last week. Soybean
condition is rated 51 percent good to excellent compared with 61 percent
last week and 66 percent a year earlier. Six percent of the soybean
acreage is blooming compared with 25 percent last year and 23 percent
for the 5-year average.
 
Other activities during the week included mowing roads and pastures,
cleaning up and repairing equipment, scouting fields, baling straw,
cultivating row crops, moving grain to market, cleaning grain bins and
taking care of livestock.

Winter wheat condition is rated 50 percent good to excellent, unchanged
from a week earlier, but below the 69 percent a year ago at this time.
Wheat harvest is 65 percent complete compared with 63 percent last year
and 61 percent for the 5-year average. By area, 15 percent of the wheat
acreage is harvested in the north, 76 percent in the central regions and
96 percent in the south.

Livestock, Pasture and Range Report

Pasture condition is rated 3 percent excellent, 44 percent good, 38
percent fair, 12 percent poor and 3 percent very poor. Second cutting of
alfalfa hay is 25 percent complete compared with 37 percent last year
and 38 percent for the average. Transplanting of tobacco is virtually
complete. Livestock were under stress due to the hot temperatures and
flies were also a problem. 

                         
                  Crop Progress Table
--------------------------------------------------------
                          : This : Last : Last : 5-Year
     Crop                 : Week : Week : Year :  Avg
--------------------------------------------------------
                                     Percent
Corn Silked                  2       0     20      13
Soybeans Blooming            6       3     25      23
Winter Wheat Harvested      65      42     63      61
Alfalfa Second Cutting      25      NA     37      38

                    

                    Crop Condition Table
--------------------------------------------------------
                   : Very :      :      :      : Excel-
     Crop          : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent
--------------------------------------------------------
                                  Percent
Corn                   4     12     36     42      6
Soybean                2     12     35     46      5
Pasture                3     12     38     44      3
Winter Wheat 2002      2     14     34     43      7

   Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table
-------------------------------------------------------
                   : This  : Last  :  Last
                   : Week  : Week  :  Year
-------------------------------------------------------
                           Percent
Topsoil
  Very Short          20       4        4
  Short               42      21       12
  Adequate            36      64       72
  Surplus              2      11       12
Subsoil
  Very Short           7       1        6
  Short               34      11       15
  Adequate            55      74       71
  Surplus              4      14        8
Days Suitable        6.9     5.5      4.5
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

Soybean Aphid in Indiana

                                  
* Aphids are moving from winter to summer host
* Brief information on biology and damage given
* Checklist of considerations before treating
* Many insecticides, if applied properly, should control
  soybean aphid

Soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, was found on June 18 at the
Agronomy Research Center, Tippecanoe County, on V3 soybean plants. This
indicates that soybean aphids are now moving from their winter host,
buckthorn, onto their summer one, soybean. This is our first
observation, not an alert of an economic infestation. States in the
northern Corn Belt observed this movement about one week earlier than we
did. Groups attending Diagnostic Training Center sessions at the
Agronomy Research Center looked for aphids as part of their training
activity, but only ONE was found among such critters as thrips, spider
mites, and whiteflies.

Soybean aphid has a very complicated lifecycle. Simply put, female
aphids feed-on and reproduce in the summer on soybean. Females give
birth to female off-spring, so aphid numbers can increase quickly on
soybean (it is estimated that populations can double every 2-1/2 days).
In the fall, as temperatures drop and days grow shorter, a generation of
winged females and males are produced. Both migrate from soybean to
their over-wintering host plant Rhamnus, a shrubby tree also known as
buckthorn. Eggs are laid on buckthorn, which over-winter and hatch in
the spring. Aphids emerging in the spring are females. After several
generations on the overwintering host, winged spring migrants fly to
soybean to establish new colonies.

The soybean aphid feeds by using a needle-like, sucking mouthpart to
remove plant sap. Plant damage occurs from large numbers of aphids
removing a significant amount of water and nutrients as they feed on
leaves and stems. Some isolated fields in east central Indiana, in 2001
had plants that were covered with aphids, and leaves that were curled
and wilted. Leaves on the bottom-third of plants were covered with shed
aphid skins (resembling white powder) and aphid secreted honeydew, both
of which are signs of aphid presence. Gray sooty mold growing on the
honeydew, also covered these leaves. Plants covered with aphids were
often stunted when compared to plants from other parts of the field. In
some cases, heavily infested plants showed dramatic leaf yellowing. This
yellowing may have been associated with potassium (K) deficiency,
because symptoms can be more pronounced in fields where both high
numbers of aphids and deficient levels of K are found.

It is too early to speculate on how severe the infestations will be in
the Midwest, much less Indiana, for this season. Considerable time and
effort has been and will be devoted to this pest throughout the Corn
Belt because of its potential economic impact on soybeans. Indiana has
had minimal crop damage due to this aphid since its discovery in 2000.
Therefore, our expertise in this area relies heavily on what we read and
hear from colleagues in neighboring states. Many pest managers are
asking about thresholds for this insect in case outbreaks occur.
Christina DiFonzo, Michigan State University Entomologist, put together
a treatment decision "checklist" this past winter. Her checklist
follows:

"Aphid distribution: Aphids on leaves and stems. When aphids begin to
move from the undersides of leaves onto stems, the population is large
and increasing. Aphids on stems generally are easy to see without a hand
lens.

Aphid number: Leaflet rating of at least 3.0. The leaflet rating is
fairly quick and easy to do, and will allow you to assess aphid numbers
after treatment. A rating of a 3.0 is a minimum of 25 aphids on every
leaflet of the plant.

Plant appearance: Honeydew (sticky substance) on plants. Honeydew is a
sugary substance secreted by aphids as they feed. It is mainly an
annoyance, although it promotes the growth of gray sooty mold on leaf
surfaces. Honeydew is a sign aphid numbers are large.

Aphid appearance: Healthy. Aphid-infesting fungi already exist in your
fields, in the soil and on plant surfaces. These fungi specifically
attack and infect aphids and can crash the aphid population in a field
in a matter of days. Infected aphids are pinkish, white, or tan, and
fuzzy from the growth of fungi out of their bodies. When weather
conditions are favorable, the fungi can infest and control aphids
quickly. Once a fungal infection starts, an insecticide spray may not be
needed.

Weather conditions: Warm and dry. Aphid pathogenic fungi reduce aphid
numbers best in warm, humid weather. Under dry conditions, these fungi
cannot infect aphids. When thinking about aphids and weather, think
about the same conditions favorable for spider mite infestation in
soybean.

Timing: July. June is likely too early to assess aphid populations and
make a spray decision. August is probably too late to get the most yield
advantage from treatment.

Plant stage: Flowering and early pod development. Flowering and early
pod fill seem to be critical times for aphid control. Large numbers of
aphid feeding on the plant may cause flowers and pods to abort. Also,
there is Minnesota data showing that node number was reduced by large
numbers of aphids. Spraying too late in the season, once pods are
formed, is probably too late to get the most yield advantage from
treatment."

As well, predatory insects, especially lady beetle adults and larvae,
lacewing larvae, and syrphid fly larvae, have been very abundant in
infested fields and should provide some control, if present. Parasitic
wasps, which lay eggs directly into aphids, have been less abundant, but
still present. In addition to the above mentioned pathogenic fungi,
these biocontrol agents have the potential to dramatically reduce aphid
numbers in Indiana to below economic levels.

Efficacy trials conducted by Michigan State and Minnesota demonstrated
that many products control aphids in soybean. Complete coverage on the
foliage, as with spider mites, seems to be the key. Last year, on-farm
trials conducted in Michigan yielded from 2 to 24 bushels better than
the untreated. Yield benefits decreased the later applications were
applied in the season.

Further information with many color pictures can be found in extension
publication E-217, Soybean Aphid (new May 2001). A hard copy of this
publication can be obtained by calling 1888-EXT-INFO or an electronic
copy viewed at <http://www.entm.purdue.edu/entomology/ext/targets
/e-series/e-list.htm>.

John Obermeyer, Rich Edwards, and Larry Bledsoe, Department of
Entomology, Purdue University. 

     

                    Weather Information Table
     
                 Week Ending Sunday July 7, 2002
---------------------------------------------------------------
                | Past Week Weather Summary Data   
                |---------------------------------
 Station        |      Air      |           | Avg  
                |  Temperature  |  Precip.  |4 in.  
                |---------------|-----------|Soil 
                |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days|Temp 
------------------------------------------------------------- 
Northwest (1)   |                                
Chalmers_5W     |98  61  80   +7   0.00    0     
Valparaiso_AP_I |95  61  79   +7   0.83    1     
Wanatah         |96  59  79   +8   0.50    1   85
Wheatfield      |94  59  79   +7   0.00    0     
Winamac         |95  60  79   +7   0.00    0   85
North Central(2)|                                
Plymouth        |94  60  79   +6   0.00    0     
South_Bend      |94  61  79   +7   0.00    0     
Young_America   |93  60  78   +6   0.00    0     
Northeast (3)   |                                
Columbia_City   |92  57  76   +5   0.00    0   81
Fort_Wayne      |94  59  78   +6   0.00    0     
West Central (4)|                                
Greencastle     |92  58  76   +2   0.00    0     
Perrysville     |94  63  79   +5   0.00    0   81
Spencer_Ag      |93  62  78   +5   0.00    0     
Terre_Haute_AFB |95  60  79   +5   0.00    0     
W_Lafayette_6NW |94  61  79   +7   0.00    0   86
Central (5)     |                                
Eagle_Creek_AP  |93  63  80   +6   0.00    0     
Greenfield      |93  60  79   +5   0.00    0     
Indianapolis_AP |93  66  80   +6   0.00    0     
Indianapolis_SE |92  61  78   +4   0.00    0     
Tipton_Ag       |93  58  78   +6   0.00    0   82
East Central (6)|                                
Farmland        |94  55  78   +6   0.00    0   80
New_Castle      |90  56  75   +4   0.00    0     
Southwest (7)   |                                
Evansville      |96  63  82   +4   0.00    0     
Freelandville   |95  66  82   +7   0.00    0     
Shoals          |95  61  80   +5   0.00    0     
Stendal         |95  64  81   +5   0.00    0     
Vincennes_5NE   |96  64  81   +6   0.00    0   81
South Central(8)|                                
Leavenworth     |94  63  80   +6   0.00    0     
Oolitic         |93  63  79   +6   0.00    0   84
Tell_City       |97  65  83   +7   0.00    0     
Southeast (9)   |                                
Brookville      |98  59  80   +8   0.00    0     
Milan_5NE       |91  57  76   +3   0.00    0     
Scottsburg      |95  55  78   +3   0.00    0     
------------------------------------------------------------- 

-------------------------------------------------------------                                                            
                |        Accumulation           
                |      April 1, 2002 thru       
 Station        |         July 7, 2002         
                | Precipitation   |GDD Base 50oF 
                |      |     |    |     |
                |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN  
-------------------------------------------------------------
Northwest (1)   |
Chalmers_5W     |10.77  -1.34  42   1315   +15
Valparaiso_AP_I |12.29  -0.72  37   1295  +154
Wanatah         |11.95  -0.43  40   1226  +142
Wheatfield      |11.06  -1.19  33   1258  +141
Winamac         |11.27  -1.04  40   1242   +65
North Central(2)|
Plymouth        |12.81  -0.03  41   1180   -48
South_Bend      |10.21  -1.85  39   1238  +114
Young_America   |12.52  +0.70  37   1337  +143
Northeast (3)   |
Columbia_City   |11.09  -1.06  39   1154   +88
Fort_Wayne      |13.17  +1.95  36   1298  +115
West Central (4)|
Greencastle     |18.71  +5.39  39   1283   -99
Perrysville     |17.25  +4.11  40   1382   +99
Spencer_Ag      |19.67  +5.78  43   1365   +85
Terre_Haute_AFB |25.23 +12.24  42   1526  +150
W_Lafayette_6NW |16.87  +4.72  46   1367  +166
Central (5)     |
Eagle_Creek_AP  |16.58  +4.43  42   1472  +109
Greenfield      |20.52  +7.56  45   1391  +104
Indianapolis_AP |16.22  +4.07  38   1532  +169
Indianapolis_SE |19.52  +7.11  38   1381   +43
Tipton_Ag       |13.88  +1.76  38   1267  +111
East Central (6)|
Farmland        |13.09  +0.71  43   1317  +202
New_Castle      |16.43  +3.02  34   1143    -2
Southwest (7)   | 
Evansville      |17.15  +4.00  33   1808  +173
Freelandville   |17.81  +4.26  33   1604  +170
Shoals          |19.34  +4.86  34   1506  +134
Stendal         |19.69  +4.96  33   1667  +148
Vincennes_5NE   |19.47  +5.92  35   1638  +204
South Central(8)|
Leavenworth     |16.68  +2.03  30   1609  +236
Oolitic         |22.34  +8.58  42   1455  +157
Tell_City       |17.82  +3.07  26   1893  +358
Southeast (9)   |
Brookville      |17.99  +4.95  35   1468  +263
Milan_5NE       |23.41 +10.37  42   1256   +51
Scottsburg      |19.49  +6.06  38   1494   +72
------------------------------------------------------------- 
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