in-crop-weather
                    INDIANA WEEKLY WEATHER & CROPS
                                            
                    

                                   
Released: Monday, 3PM    Sept. 25, 2000    Vol. 50, #25    W. Laf.,  IN 
                                                            

          CROP REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 24
                                   

Corn and soybean harvest made good progress early in the week
before showers slowed field activities, according to the Indiana
Agricultural Statistics Service.  Most areas received some rain and
strong winds occurred in isolated areas.  Farmers are concerned with
lodging problems in corn fields.  
 
                            Corn 
               
Corn condition is rated 71 percent good to excellent compared with
73 percent last week and 29 percent last year at this time. Eighty
percent of the corn acreage is mature compared with 92 percent last
year and 68 percent for the average.  By region, 75 percent of the
corn acreage is mature (safe from frost) in the north, 83 percent
in the central region and 82 percent in the south.  Fourteen percent
of the corn acreage is harvested compared with 23 percent last year
and 11 percent for the 5-year average. Moisture content of harvested
corn is averaging 23 percent.

                         Soybeans
          
Soybean condition is rated 64 percent good to excellent compared
with 64 percent last week and 23 percent last year.  Eighty-five
percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves compared with 94
percent a year earlier and 75 percent for the average. Fifty-five
percent of the soybean acreage is reported as mature compared with
68 percent a year ago and  46 percent for the average.  Thirteen
percent of the soybean acreage is harvested compared with 23 percent
last year and 11 percent for the average. Moisture content of
harvested soybeans is averaging 13 percent.
                             
                       Other Crops 

Pasture condition is rated 11 percent excellent, 56 percent good,
29 percent fair, 3 percent poor and 1 percent very poor.  Tobacco
harvest is 85 percent complete compared with 90 percent last year
and 77 percent for the 5-year average.  Four percent of the winter
wheat acreage is seeded compared with 5 percent last year and 6
percent for the average.

               Days Suitable and Soil Moisture
                              
For the week ending Friday, 5.2 days were rated suitable for
fieldwork. Topsoil moisture was rated 2 percent very short, 8
percent short, 77 percent adequate and 13 percent surplus. Subsoil
moisture was rated 7 percent very short, 16 percent short, 70
percent adequate and 7 percent surplus.  

                              

                          Crop Progress
---------------------------------------------------
                     : This : Last: Last : 5-Year
     Crop            : Week : Week: Year :  Avg
---------------------------------------------------
                               Percent

Corn in Dent           100     98    100      95
Corn Mature             80     60     92      68
Corn Harvested          14      7     23      11
Soybeans Shedding Lv    85     72     94      75
Soybeans Mature         55     27     68      46
Soybeans Harvested      13      3     23      11
Winter Wheat Seeded      4      2      5       6
Tobacco Harvested       85     78     90      77


                              
                          Crop Condition
-----------------------------------------------------
                : Very :      :      :      : Excel-
     Crop       : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent
-----------------------------------------------------
                            Percent
Corn               1      4      24     51      20
Soybeans           1      7      28     50      14
Pasture            1      3      29     56      11




             Soil Moisture
-----------------------------------
               : This : Last : Last
               : Week : Week : Year
------------------------------------
                       Percent

Topsoil
  Very Short       2      1     75
  Short            8      9     22
  Adequate        77     78      3
  Surplus         13     12      0
Subsoil
  Very Short       7      6     70
  Short           16     18     26
  Adequate        70     70      4
  Surplus          7      6      0

--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 







New Wheat Variety Improves Management of Hessian
Fly

- Seed of new variety will be available for planting in
  fall 2000
- Planting after the fly-free date is a key management
  strategy for reducing Hessian fly problems
- Highest levels of infestation occur in Southwest Indiana

As reported in 1999, a new soft red winter wheat variety
resistant to Hessian fly biotype L (designated as INW9811 by
Purdue University) is available to Indiana wheat growers.
Although many wheat varieties grown in Indiana have the H5
or H6 genes for Hessian fly resistance, INW9811 is the only
variety resistant to biotype L, which is predominant in fly
populations throughout the state.  INW9811 was developed in
cooperation with the USDA and released by Purdue in 1998
through the licensing program. 

INW9811 has performed well in field trials conducted by
Ag. Alumni Seeds across the southern cornbelt and in Indiana. 
A comparison of yield of INW9811 with Madison, AP Foster,
Pioneer 2540, Patterson and Clark at four locations are shown 
below.  INW9811 is early, heads 1 day later than
Clark, and has resistance to glume blotch, leaf blotch,
soilborne mosaic and wheat yellow mosaic viruses.  It has
excellent soft wheat milling and baking qualities.

INW9811 has demonstrated excellent resistance to field
populations of the Hessian fly from Illinois, Indiana,
northern Alabama and Arkansas, southern Delaware
and Maryland, and eastern North Carolina that have a
high frequency of biotype L.

Commercial seed of INW9811 will be available for
planting the fall of 2000.  Parties interested in further
information can contact Jon Stafford, Purdue Ag. Alumni
Seeds, West Lafayette, IN.  The toll-free number is 800-
822-7134.   

Although Hessian fly populations remain low throughout
Indiana, the potential for flies to infest fall-planted winter
wheat still exists, especially in the south-western
counties.  Much of the fall fly population can be
avoided by planting after the fly-free date.  This is key to
avoiding subsequent infestation by the spring brood.
Additionally, it has been shown that following the fly-free
date will help reduce wheat disease problems and
reduce winter kill from excessive growth.  To determine
the fly-free date for your area of the state, refer to the
enclosed map.  Crop rotation, where wheat following
wheat is avoided, also is one of the key management
strategies for reducing Hessian fly problems.  The Hessian
fly passes the summer in the stubble of the current
wheat crop.  Plowing the stubble results in the destruction
of the pest.  Volunteer wheat, the wheat seedlings
sprouting in the fall from grain left in the field during
threshing, germinates and begins growing just in time
for the fall emergence of the Hessian fly.  These plants are
readily infested resulting in a rapid build-up of the
population.  The use of resistant varieties, in combination
with the above pest management strategies, increases
the chance for a fly-free crop.

Specific characteristics and yield potential of varieties
presently grown in Indiana can be determined by
consulting Purdue Station Bulletin "Performance of Public
and Private Small Grains in Indiana - 1998", web
access: http://shawdow.agry.purdue.edu/agronomy/
ext/smgrain/variety/sm~var.htm or talk to your seed
dealer.


  

          Comparison of Yield of INW9811
-----------------------------------------------------------
         : Sullivan : Ursa : Centralia  : Columbia : Yield
 Variety :  IN      :  IL  :     IL     :   MO     :  Avg.
-----------------------------------------------------------  
Madison     74.6      60.6      82.0       62.8       70.0
AP Foster   76.5      65.8      75.7       55.1       68.3
Pio. 2540   59.5      64.0      80.4       67.2       67.8
INW9811     73.8      61.8      69.4       62.5       66.9
Patterson   76.9      52.6      74.7       57.8       65.6
Clark       66.0      47.2      78.2       58.6       62.5
            71.0      56.6      74.9       59.9       65.6






                        Weather Data

            Week ending Sunday September 24, 2000
--------------------------------------------------
                |        Accumulation           
                |    April 1, 2000 thru       
 Station        |      September 24, 2000            
                |---------------------------------
                |Precipitation|  GDD Base 50oF   
                |-------------|-------------------
                | Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN  
------------------------------------------------
Northwest (1)                                    
Valparaiso_Ag    88  43  63  +1   0.72     4     
Wanatah          90  42  62  +1   1.29     4   66
Wheatfield       91  42  64  +3   0.36     3     
Winamac          87  43  63  +1   0.62     3   65
North Central (2)                                
Logansport       87  46  64  +2   0.92     3     
Plymouth         86  44  63  -1   0.73     3     
South_Bend       86  45  64  +2   0.86     4     
Young_America    88  42  65  +3   0.77     3     
Northeast (3)                                    
Bluffton         84  44  64  +1   1.10     3   62
Fort_Wayne       84  42  65  +3   1.87     3     
West Central (4)                                 
Crawfordsville   85  39  63  -1   1.81     3   66
Perrysville      87  41  65  +2   0.90     3   67
Terre_Haute_Ag   89  42  66  +2   1.19     3   69
W_Lafayette_6NW  89  42  66  +4   0.48     4   64
Central (5)                                      
Castleton        84  44  64  -2   1.05     3     
Greenfield       83  44  65  +0   1.32     3     
Greensburg       84  45  65  +2   1.10     3     
Indianapolis_AP  84  45  67  +3   0.91     3     
Indianapolis_SE  82  45  65  +0   0.81     3     
Tipton_Ag        85  41  64  +2   2.02     3   63
East Central (6)                                 
Farmland         84  42  63  +2   0.79     3   61
New_Castle       80  43  61  -2   1.05     3     
Southwest (7)                                    
Dubois_Ag        85  48  66  +1   0.90     2   69
Evansville       87  48  69  +3   0.97     3     
Freelandville    85  47  66  +1   1.16     2     
Shoals           85  42  65  -1   0.74     2     
Vincennes_5NE    88  48  67  +2   0.30     2   68
South Central (8)                                
Bloomington      85  45  65  -1   1.33     2     
Tell_City        86  46  67  +0   0.62     2     
Southeast (9)                                    
Scottsburg       85  44  65  -1   0.96     3     




                                                
                        Accumulation           
                      April 1, 2000 thru       
 Station              September 24, 2000       
                Precipitation|  GDD Base 50oF   
                       |     |    |     |
                 Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN  
Northwest (1)    
Valparaiso_Ag     25.06  +1.77  77  2725   +13
Wanatah           25.30  +2.77  70  2600   +10
Wheatfield        23.73  +1.86  56  2797  +149
Winamac           22.97  +1.18  62  2737   +10
North Central (2)
Logansport        24.55  +3.47  69  2825    +5
Plymouth          25.55  +3.34  73  2613  -255
South_Bend        22.07  +0.49  74  2703   +13
Young_America     22.39  +1.31  65  2886   +66
Northeast (3)    
Bluffton          23.73  +2.84  71  2815   -76
Fort_Wayne        25.85  +6.46  65  2794   -24
West Central (4) 
Crawfordsville    24.38  +1.69  61  2731  -282
Perrysville       22.00  -1.00  67  2960    +3
Terre_Haute_Ag    31.70  +8.58  69  3398  +245
W_Lafayette_6NW   19.41  -2.14  70  2939  +134
Central (5)      
Castleton         30.38  +8.30  81  2977  -142
Greenfield        29.04  +5.40  73  2993   -15
Greensburg        27.94  +4.97  77  3090  +161
Indianapolis_AP   24.48  +2.89  63  3181   +55
Indianapolis_SE   27.22  +5.14  65  2928  -191
Tipton_Ag         24.23  +2.34  67  2655   -65
East Central (6) 
Farmland          29.41  +8.08  72  2737   +80
New_Castle        27.18  +4.58  67  2448  -275
Southwest (7)    
Dubois_Ag         27.26  +2.40  73  3367  +180
Evansville        23.95  +2.18  68  3636   +16
Freelandville     29.19  +6.51  58  3289   +33
Shoals            30.82  +6.32  70  3146   -12
Vincennes_5NE     32.22  +9.66  65  3340   +84
South Central (8)
Bloomington       27.68  +4.51  60  3021  -180
Tell_City         26.51  +1.55  58  3550   +54
Southeast (9)     
Scottsburg        31.80  +8.46  63  3307   +63
----------------------------------------------------------
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.
 
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