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
Category: Crop Schools
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
The canola industry has been among the most vocal advocates of Canada being part of a possible Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. So what's in it for canola growers? According to industry estimates, canola exports could grow by $780 million if tariffs on Canadian canola oil and meal were eliminated across the TPP region. For this... 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
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
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
Canola fields with spotty emergence and heat-blasted pods have farmers in parts of the prairies grappling with the thought that their crops might not be worth combining. But that doesn't mean it's time to till it under. "There are some other uses for canola that we normally wouldn't consider," says Keith Gabert, agronomy specialist with... Read More
It's a great problem to have, but gains of an average four to five bushels per acre per year is possible with today's corn crop if modern genetics are managed properly. Of course, "managed properly" is too general — if Ontario's average corn yield per acre is set to surpass the 200 bushel mark in... Read More
Boron's complete role in plant health is not entirely understood, but the nutrient does play a key role in cell elongation, hormone response and membrane function. Boron is a micronutrient necessary for optimal yield and growth, but needed in only very small quantities. In Western Canada, trials surrounding boron have shown inconsistencies in yield response,... Read More
The rallying cry of "harvest the wheat ASAP!" makes sense in light of heavy fusarium levels, seeing as the fungus continues to grow and cause damage even on mature wheat. But for those looking at a glyphosate application ahead of harvest, going in too early could mean glyphosate being translocated to the wheat kernels and... Read More