| May 1, 2006 |
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Lack of soil applied herbicides, herbicides applied later than recommended, flushes of weeds emerging after herbicides were applied, poor weed control, and favorable weather conditions promoting weed growth have resulted in several weedy small grain fields. Producers may be asking about harvest aids to use to burn down these weeds prior to harvesting the crop. Linked is information to assist you in answering those questions.The harvest of wheat will soon begin. As you harvest samples from variety tests, please record the information on the foot of drill row(s) harvested and the number of inches from drill row to drill row. I will need this information to calculate the yield per acre. The thrasher is located at the Research and Extension Center at San Angelo. You may want to team up with another county to thrash samples. It takes at least two people to do the job efficiently. After the thrashing of grain is complete, the grain weights can then be entered into a spreadsheet and the information you want determined. Also, at the time of harvest you may want to get the production information from your demonstration cooperator.
Producers that are keeping seed for planting purposes next year need to closely inspect the acreage being harvested. If weeds or diseases are a problem, they will need to have the seed cleaned, bagged and treated with the appropriate fungicide. Be sure to review the laws concerning seed being saved for planting. Producers can find themselves in trouble due to the Plant Variety Protection Act (attached is information on the topic).
There were a few changes in the tests being conducted from what was originally posted on last month's newsletter. Attached is an updated copy of the result demonstrations planned for 2006. Cottonseed for variety tests can be picked up from the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center on May 3 after the training on Result Demonstrations and Applied Research. To avoid duplication of effort, only one selection of a variety was used when multiple releases under the different names were available. Linked is a list of the duplicate lines that I am aware of.
The attached sheet should assist you in getting the information that you need about the preparation and establishment of test plots (Rich Text Format). It can be saved to your hard drive and opened by most word processors.
During cotton production programs this spring it was stressed that producers planting Liberty Link cotton need to make some modifications to their sprayers. Ignite herbicide is a contact material and requires a minimum of 15 gallons per acre to get adequate coverage of the material on the plant. Coverage is critical anytime a contact pesticide is used!
Over-the-top glyphosate herbicide applications to Roundup Ready Cotton needs to be made before the fifth true leaf stage. Roundup applied to tolerant varieties has a slight impact on the cotton. Applying Roundup incorrectly can be a costly mistake. Some known negative impacts include: 1) thickening of anther sack which reduces the plant's ability to release pollen and which results in reduced seed production (since lint forms on the seed coat then lint production is reduced also); 2) reduced stamen length which results in reduced pollen deposition on the stigma which results in reduced seed production; 3) disorientation of the cells in developing seeds which result in low vigor seeds being produced. Roundup is a beneficial tool when used correctly.
The soil temperature this season is higher than usual. The minimum temperature for planting cotton is a ten day average of 60 degrees F at the 8 eight inch depth. This temperature is taken at 8:00 a.m. each day. Cotton planted in warm soil, usually germinates and emerges faster resulting in healthier plants. So don't get in a rush. The weather stations located east of San Angelo, east of Rowena, and southwest of St. Lawerence records soil temperature and that information is posted on the web. The URLs are http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/weather/sjt/2006/, http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/weather/runnels/2006/, and http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/weather/glasscock/2006/ .
May 1, District Office, Office Conference
May 1, Runnels County, Weather Station
May 2 & 3, Brown County, Professional Extension Board Meetings
May 3, Agent Training on Result Demonstrations, San Angelo
May 5, Taylor and Callahan Counties, Wheat Tour
May 6, Tom Green County, District 7 4-H Roundup
May 9, Farm Bill Hearing, Morning, ASU
May 10, Runnels County, Wheat Tour
May 10 - 12, Coleman County, District 7 TCAAA Meeting
May 12, Annual Leave
May 17, Concho and McCulloch Counties, Wheat Tour
May 18 & 19, Tom Green County, Kids, Kows and More
June 5, District Office, Office Conference
June 5, District Office, IPM Scout School
June 26 - 28, Potter County, Southern Conservation Systems Conference
Sincerely,
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