Category: Agronomy

Heterodera glycines or soybean cyst nematode (SCN) was first identified in Ontario in 1987, after over 30 years in North America. It's original introduction is believed to have occured in the late 1800s, when settlers brought soil from Asia to supply the proper bacteria for soybean root nodulation. "Of the ten major diseases of soybeans... Read More

Much of southern Ontario received another well-timed rain this week — well-timed for filling out corn and soybeans, which has RealAg agronomist Peter Johnson celebrating on this week’s. There’s also good news coming from the wheat harvest, with average to above average yields in “managed” fields north of London — even a report of 135+... Read More

Soybeans are serious consumers of phosphorus, so it seems logical that supplying P fertilizer would be important for maximizing soybean yields, right? That's wrong, at least in the short-term, according to research results in southern Manitoba. Researchers from the University of Manitoba and Manitoba Agriculture are comparing how soybeans respond to three rates of P2O5... Read More

Knowing the context in which a plant variety was selected is critical in understanding how it should be managed in the field. As an example, in the video above, Martin Entz of the University of Manitoba explains what happens when cereal crop varieties developed in a conventional breeding system are grown in an organic system,... Read More

Does a hailed out crop absolutely need a fungicide pass? Not necessarily, says Peter Johnson, RealAgriculture agronomist and host of Wheat Pete’s Word. It’s a crummy thing to have to discuss, but wicked weather earlier this week means that several fields are ragged and torn. Why isn’t a fungicide always needed? Listen below to find... Read More

Ask three farmers what the best row spacing is for soybeans and you might get three different answers, but in most soybean growing areas there's been a trend back toward wider rows. As part of this Soybean School episode, Horst Bohner, soybean specialist with Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture and RealAg's Bernard Tobin discuss the driving... Read More

We’re moving into prime white mould season — mid-summer and into August. While conditions were very favourable for disease development through June (wet and cool), mid-to-late July’s heat and dry conditions could have slowed progress of the disease. While you won’t be able to gauge infection levels in soybeans without scouting (hint: go do that... Read More

Not all wheat varieties are created equally when it comes to the amount of phosphorus they remove from the soil. Some varieties are efficient, while others are phosphorus hogs, explains Jay Goos, soil scientist at North Dakota State University, in this instalment of the Wheat School. So why does this matter? "The reasons I'm concerned... Read More

Can you hear that? That’s the sound of corn growing fast. In fact, parts of Ontario are on track to break heat records this week. What does this mean for the corn and soybean crop yields? That depends. Peter Johnson kicks off this week’s Word with a full report on corn pollination pitfalls — could... Read More

Preliminary research conducted in southern Manitoba is casting some doubt on the common belief that dark, tilled soil is best for planting soybeans in northern growing regions. Greg Bartley, a graduate student working together with Dr. Yvonne Lawley at the University of Manitoba, is in his second year of comparing how soybeans respond when planted... Read More