Richard L. Petcher                                                                               
Regional Extension Agronomist for SWAL.
Washington County Extension Office
P.O. Box 280, Chatom, Al 36518
(251) 847-2295, cell (251) 202-1009, SL 7*145
E-mail petchrl@auburn.edu

Row Crop Newsletter February 2007

If you know of someone who would like to receive this newsletter have them call the County Extension Office in which you live.  This letter is mailed from Baldwin (251)  937-7176, Mobile 574-8445, Washington 847-2295, Clarke 275-3121, Monroe 575-3477, Escambia 867-7760, Conecuh 578-2762 and Butler (334) 937-7176.  If you would like to have your name removed from this mailing list please call the appropriate county office.  I would like to compile an E-Mail list.  The e-mail will include a few more timely articles, such as disease or insect outbreaks that may give you a heads up on what to look for and hopefully know how to treat.  The e-mail comes directly from my office at petchrl@auburn.edu. 

At times growers have requested information from past newsletters.  Thanks to Sandra Walton at the Baldwin County Extension Office these past news letters are on archive at

http://www.aces.edu/counties/Baldwin/pages/Richard.tmpl

Other information at this web site includes variety tests, crop information and the IPM Pest Management Handbook.

UPCOMING PRODUCTION MEETINGS FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA

2007 GULF COAST COTTON EXPO

Location:  Atmore Lions Community Center, 501 South Pensacola Avenue, Atmore, Alabama

Date: Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Time:  Registration 8:00 a.m., Program 8:30 until 2:30

Topics: 8:20  Welcome:

8:30 a.m.  Cotton Varieties and Weed Resistance Management, Dr. Dale Monks and Dr. Mike Patterson, Auburn University Cotton Specialists.

9:00 a.m.  Cotton Nematode Control, Dr. Bill Gazaway and Dr. Kathy Lawrence, Auburn University Plant Pathologists.

9:30 a.m.  Cover Crops and Tillage to Supply Nitrogen, Up Yields and Cut Costs.   Dr. David Wright, University of Florida Cotton Agronomist

10:00 a.m.:  Break and Visit with Exhibitors

10:15 a.m.  Producers Tell Their Story, Shep Morris and Jerry Davis.

11:00 a.m.  Cotton Insect Control, Dr. Ron Smith, Auburn University Cotton Entomologist

11:20 a.m.   Precision Ag. In Time, Module Cotton Picker, Auto Steer and Cotton Yield Monitor, Hank Van Riesen

12:00 noon.   Sponsored Dinner and Visit with Exhibitors

1:00 p.m.  Harvest Timing: A Hidden Issue, Mike Donahoe, Santa Rosa County Extension Director.

1:30 p.m.  Marketing Cotton and Cotton Economics, Dr. Don Shurley, University of Georgia Cotton Economist.

2:30 p.m. Visit with Exhibitors and Adjourn

MOBILE COTTON PRODUCTION MEETING

Speakers:  Dr. Dale Monks and Dr. Bob Goodman, Auburn University Cotton Specialist

Topics:  Varieties, Weed Management and Cotton Economics

Date: Thursday February 8, 2007

Place:  Beaudine’s Restaurant in Mobile.  Beaudine’s in on Dauphin Island Parkway

Time:  6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

PEANUT PRODUCTION MEETING

Date:  Thursday, March 1, 2007

Place:  ALFA Building in Summerdale

Time:  5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

The first hour will be a legislative listening session.

Speakers:  Auburn University Peanut Specialists

Sponsored Dinner

PEANUT PRODUCTION MEETING

Date:  Friday, March 2, 2007

Place:  Creek Family Restaurant in Atmore

Time:  9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

The first hour will be a legislative listening session.

Speakers:  Auburn University Peanut Specialists

Sponsored Dinner

The Alabama State Seed Laboratory

Every farmer in Alabama is allowed $10.00 worth of seed germination testing per month at the Alabama State Seed Laboratory.  The address is Seed Lab, 1445 Federal Drive, Montgomery, AL 36109.   The sample should contain at least 600 seed.  Send with the seed a card with your request and your return address and phone number.

CROP PROFIT PROFILE

Every grower is seriously studying the crop that brings the highest returns on his investment.  The web site for the Auburn University 2006 Row Crop Enterprise Budgets is: http://www.ag.auburn.edu/agec//pubs/budgets/2006/rowcrop06.html  These budgets may help you in your study.  Be encouraged when you use these enterprise budgets.  I believe that the growers in Southwest Al typically produce higher yields than most of the rest of the state and often when careful can use fewer inputs.  These budgets are only a guideline, but can be very useful in helping to calculate your costs and expected returns.  Every grower’s inputs are different.  Study carefully the crop program that works for your farm.   

The Profit Profile Calculator is conducted by Dr. Max Runge at Auburn University and is updated every Thursday at 9:00 a.m. This too may help you decide on the crop that brings the highest returns for your investment and time.  The web site for this is http://www.aces.edu/dept/profitprofiles/   

                                    PEANUT VARIETIES FOR YOUR FARM

There are primarily eight or nine peanut varieties available for you to plant on your farm.  As of today January 29 the Auburn University Peanut Variety Test is not available on line.  I hope to have it in its entirety in a few days.  Every peanut farmer should have received the Southeastern Peanut Farmer Magazine.  The December/January issue had a very good article called the Peanut Variety Guidebook.  This article may be helpful to you.  If you are a peanut farmer, and not getting this magazine call The Alabama Peanut Producer’s Association at (334) 792-6482 to get your free subscription. 

Selecting your peanut variety is of the utmost importance.  Unfortunately there is no perfect peanut variety.  Each variety has its strengths and weakness.  Study each of these varieties carefully.  The best variety trial is the one conducted on your farm.  Make your best choice on varieties and then plant several of the other varieties in limited quantities for your own test.  This gives you knowledge of the other varieties and also spreads your risks, when planting several varieties.  Of the medium maturity peanuts the variety AP-3 will be one of the major work horse varieties this year.  Georgia O3L is also another very good variety that has been around for a few years.  The AT 3085A and AT 3081 R are fairly new and are very good varieties to try on a limited bases.  Carver is also a good variety.  Its weakness is late leaf spot, making it not too good of a variety on the Gulf Coast.  Georgia Green is a very good variety, but its main weakness is TSWV.  If there were no TSWV this would probably be your best choice.  Of the full season varieties, Georgia O2C is the major work horse.  Georgia O1R has a little better yield and disease package.  However, it some times has a problem with poor seed germination.  Obtaining high quality seed of this variety is a must if you desire to plant this variety.  Tifrunner is a full season variety that has done excellent for some growers and not too good for others.  It probably has the best TSWV resistance of the peanuts now available.  C-99R is another full season peanut variety.  Again, if planting a new variety it is best to plant it on a limited basis unless it has a tried history in this area. 

To my knowledge 65 % of the peanut seed supply this year is Georgia Green.  If you want the other varieties on your farm you need to order them soon.      

                                        PLANTING PEANUTS EARLY

Can I plant peanuts early?  University Peanut Specialists agree that it is best to wait until May 11-31 to plant in order to have the least problem with TSWV.  Planting May 1-10 gives you medium risk.  Planting before May 1, because of TSWV is very risky.  TSWV can cause tremendous losses to your crop.  Waiting until the recommended planting date is one of the major keys to controlling TSWV. 

Whenever planting early select a variety like AP-3 with a low TSWV index.  Plant twin row, use Phorate, strip till, and plant six seed per foot of row. This gives you a risk index of 60.  Anything below 65 is low risk.  Be sure the weather outlook is good and the soil temperature is 65 degrees at 4 inch depth.  Use the entire TSWV management package.  University Peanut Specialists highly discourage planting early.  At the same time these are the production practices needed if a grower does plant early.       

                                             PEANUT TSWV INDEX 2007

This chart has been adapted from The 2007 Version of the University of Georgia’s Peanut Disease Risk Index.  Peanut variety maturity has been added for grower’s convenience. 

                                                TSWV INDEX

At this time the varieties most resistant to:

TSWV are: AP-3, GA01R and Tifrunner

Leaf Spot:  GA01R

White Mold:  GA03L, GA02C and AP-3.

Rhizoctonia Limb Rot: Georgia Green and GA01R

Cylindrocladium Black Rot (CBR): Show some resistance, Carver, GA02C and GA01R

The varieties AP-3  and C-99R show the least resistance to CBR

The malady referred to as “funky” or “irregular” leaf spot tends to be more severe in GA-02C and GA-03L than in other varieties.  Although this condition can look like early leaf spot (Cercoora arachidicol) the cause of “funky” leaf spot is unknown.  Disease losses are not typically associated with funky leaf spot.  

For the University of Georgia Disease Index web page:

http://www.commodities.caes.uga.edu/fieldcrops/peanuts/pu2007/index.htm

Your variety choice is a critical management decision in successfully producing a peanut crop.  Knowing your varieties can reduce your risk and production costs. There are many other peanut lines included in these studies; however, they are not commercially available and therefore not included in these tables.     

                                  WHEAT AND OATS FOR GRAIN

As of today, January 29th the wheat and oat crops are looking very good for this time of year.  The disease to be looking for in February is powdery mildew.  This disease is easy to control and typically does not cause much yield loss.  However, if you have it you do need to treat. 

Aphids are the main insect to scout for.  They not only cause a yield loss themselves, but spread the disease Barley Yellow Dwarf, which can be devastating. The threshold for treating aphids is 6 or more aphids per foot of row on 6 to 10 inch tall wheat or oats.  At stem elongation treat when there are 2 aphids per stem.  Warrior ICS at the 2.56 fl. Oz. per acre is one of the best insecticides for aphids on wheat.  With the rain and wet weather aphids have been well below this threshold.  An excellent time to scout your fields is right before you apply your fertilizer.  If you need to treat for aphids you can put this out with your fertilizer.

Nitrogen rates and timing of application are key management factors for making good wheat yields.  Nitrogen is also the most expensive nutrient.  For expected wheat yields of 40 to 70 bushels use a total N rate of 80 to 100 lb/acre.  For expected wheat yields of 70 bushels or more use a total N rate of 120 lb/acre.  Adjust the rate based on the following crop.  If following peanuts or soybeans, decrease the N rate by 20 to 40 lb/acre.  If following corn or cotton increase by 20 to 40 lb/acre.  Demand for N is relatively low in the fall but increases rapidly in the spring just prior to stem elongation.  Therefore, apply 20 to 40 lb N/acre at planting, and then the remaining N prior to stem elongation.  Use the lower rates on heavy textured soils and the higher rate on sandy soils.  Phosphorus and potassium fertilizer applications should be based on soil testing.  Because 65 percent of the total P uptake and 90 percent of the total K uptake occurs before the boot stage, these nutrients should be applied before planting.  Split applications (half at planting and half at top dress) of K are recommended on deep sandy soils.  Sulfur is an essential nutrient to wheat production and is often missing in our soils.  Therefore, wheat producers should make a conscience effort to include at least 10, but preferably 20 pounds per acre in their fertilizer applications.  This can be done either pre-plant or top dress. Zinc and Manganese are also possible deficient elements.  Other deficiencies of micronutrients in wheat are rare.

                   WEED MANAGEMENT IN ALABAMA SMALL GRAINS:

                         By Dr. Mike Patterson, Auburn University Weed Scientist

            Several weeds infest wheat, rye and oat fields in Alabama including annual ryegrass, wild garlic, and evening primrose to mention a few.  Small grains are generally planted from October through November depending on the area of the state.  Small grains grown for grain should be as free of winter weeds as possible in order to obtain optimum yield and quality.  Starting with a clean seedbed at planting is very important.  This can be accomplished by disking fields prior to planting, or using a preplant foliar (burndown) herbicide such as glyphosate (Roundup, etc.) or paraquat (Gramoxone ).  These products will kill most emerged vegetation including annual grasses and broadleaf weeds.  The addition of 2,4-D or dicamba to these products can increase control of hard to kill broadleaf weeds like cutleaf evening primrose.  If 2.4-D or dicamba are added in the burndown mix, then wait about two to three weeks before planting small grains. 

            Controlling weeds after the crop has emerged can be a little tricky.  Dicamba (Clarity, Vision, etc.), 2,4-D, and MCPA can be used to control several species of emerged broadleaf weeds in emerged small grains, but these materials should be used after the crop is fully tillered (about 6-8 inches tall), but before jointing.  This usually occurs in the early spring in much of Alabama.  If these products are applied too early, there probably will be a reduction in grain yield.  This is somewhat of a dilemma since waiting to control emerged weeds lets the weeds grow larger and therefore become harder to control.  Harmony Extra is one herbicide that can be used on wheat, barley, and oats when these crops are small (two leaf stage).  Use the low rate of Harmony Extra on oats.  Add a good quality non-ionic surfactant with Harmony Extra.  Harmony Extra provides good control of wild garlic and wild radish.

            Hoelon and Osprey provide postemergence control of annual ryegrass in wheat.  They both can be applied after the wheat has emerged, but before the ryegrass has reached the 4 leaf stage.  Both materials require the addition of a non-ionic surfactant.  Osprey also has activity on wild radish/mustard.  Peak (prosulfuron) is registered for use in all small grains for broadleaf weed control including wild garlic and wild mustard, but the recrop restriction on this product is 10 months for cotton, peanut, and soybean.

                                                       COTTON:

If you are interested in a very readable variety guide for 2007 for cotton:

http://www.cottonfarming.com/home/2007_seedguide.html.  This guide lists maturity, quality and limited comments.  

                                                      SOYBEANS

Planting Dates and Varieties are the two main keys to making a profit. Mississippi is primarily recommending group IV and V soybeans.  Their planting dates for the best beans are April through May.  There will be more on this topic next newsletter.