The drought continues to take a toll on corn and soybeans with nutrient deficiencies showing up. There's nothing that can be done about the lack of rain, but there are some management opportunities for future years, explains Peter Johnson on this week's Word. He also outlines three steps that need to be taken after wheat... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Canadian pulses are winning fans around the world. They’re also finding followers right here at home. Canadian chef, cookbook author, and television personality Vikram Vij is only too happy to tell you about his preference for using Saskatchewan-grown lentils and chickpeas in his restaurants. Many Canadians know Vij as one of the dragons on CBC’s... Read More
A taller than normal pulse crop in Western Canada this year could require a different approach for managing drydown. "This year we do have pulse crops that are enormous," notes Rob Klewchuck, technical lead for Western Canada with Syngenta, in the video below. With tall plants and thick canopies, a desiccant like diquat (eg. Reglone... Read More
Canola growers across Western Canada are continually searching for ways to raise yields in the most efficient manner. Growers continue to push to achieve this objective and will even develop production techniques that many people thought was impossible a relatively short time ago. Apparently interest in straight cutting is definitely growing. According to last years... Read More
There's a new way to control gophers on the prairies, and it doesn't require you to properly dispose of carcasses or clean up shells. It's called RoCon and it's a foaming rodenticide registered by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency for the control of Richardson’s ground squirrels and Norway rats. "We have two...main active ingredients.... Read More
As the list of herbicide-tolerance traits in soybeans grows, so does the risk of off-target herbicide applications. For many years, most soybeans in North America have been glyphosate-tolerant, with the exception in areas that grow conventional soybeans for the food market. But LibertyLink glufosinate-tolerant soybeans are being planted on some acres and Monsanto plans to... Read More
Wheat harvest is moving along quickly which is why we're a day late with the Word again this week. In this update, Peter Johnson, RealAg's resident agronomist, discusses the incredible wheat results and how to manage those fields after harvest, western bean cutworm and other insects of concern, and how the drought is affecting corn... Read More
When soybean aphids start multiplying in soybean fields, the decision to spray is typically triggered by the number of aphids found on each plant. The threshold for growers in Western Canada is usually reached when there are an average of 250 aphids per plant on 80 percent of the plants. The population should still be... Read More
Soil microbes require carbon to grow. And they're not picky where that carbon comes from. To demonstrate microbial activity as it relates to soil health, Manitoba Agriculture soil management specialist Marla Riekman and some colleagues buried what she calls "an indicator material" in various locations this spring. Their material of choice: cotton, specifically the soft,... Read More
"Herbicide layering" looks to be an effective approach to managing hard-to-control cleavers in pulses. As Eric Johnson, weed scientist at the University of Saskatchewan, explains in this Pulse School episode, herbicide layering is the application of different modes of action sequentially. It usually involves a pre-seed soil-applied herbicide, such as sulfentrazone, ethalflurolin or pyroxasulfone, ,... Read More