Now is the time to get possession of seed needed for planting
Ag Agent
Brian Rees
Saturday, August 18, 2007
As we move into the late summer and fall of the year there are a couple of items that become increasingly important in 2007 — one for crop producers, and one for pasture managers (or grass producers).
For the crop producers considering planting wheat for a potential 2008 harvest: Get your seed — I mean possession of your seed — as soon as possible! Wheat seed will be difficult to come by, especially for the varieties suited for this area. As we all remember, yields and quality of the wheat harvested in 2007 in most of eastern Kansas left a great deal to be desired. There is a lot of wheat with sub-standard test weight, and research has shown that wheat with test weights below 54 to 56 pounds has less seedling vigor and lower yield potential than higher test weight seed.
But you heard that yields and quality were great in western Kansas, so why can’t we get seed from out there? Well, quite honestly you can. But — the varieties are not well adapted to the growing conditions in the eastern half of Kansas. Many western Kansas varieties are susceptible to soil-borne mosaic (not an issue out west), and even some that show soil-borne mosaic resistance and are grown out west are susceptible to other late season issues with leaf diseases, mainly leaf rusts and powdery mildew.
So what do you do? It really depends on your level of management and what you are willing to do for your wheat crop. Obviously, the best choice would be to plant an adapted variety with a good test weight (probably not an option for fall 2007). This would probably be followed by a low test weight adapted variety that has soil-borne mosaic and leaf disease resistance. Another option — if you are ready to plan on a fungicide application — would be a western Kansas produced variety with good test weight and soil-borne mosaic resistance, but one that is susceptible to leaf diseases. If this is your chosen option, be ready to scout heavily next spring and potentially make a fungicide application, if necessary.
Yes, we are still working our way through the Easter 2007 freeze. There are options out there for the 2008 wheat crop, and decisions you will need to make in the very near future!
Now, for the grass producers: SERICEA LESPEDEZA. It is once again time to be on the lookout for sericea, and making plans for an application of metsulfuron methyl (brand name Escort) once we get some rainfall and cooler temperatures. This herbicide is used on sericea once the plants are flowering.
I did notice a few flowers on a couple of sericea plants on Aug. 11, but most of the sericea I looked at was not yet flowering. Normal flowering occurs in late August to early September, but many of the native grasses have appeared to be about 10 days to two weeks early this year.
If you have questions about sericea lespedeza identification or control, contact me at the Lyon County Extension Office, (620) 341-3220.
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