Coming Events
- Aug. 14, 2013 – Soybean Management Field Day – Jerry Stahr Farm, registration 9:00 a.m., program at 9:30 a.m. More information at: http://ardc.unl.edu/soydays
- Sept. 5, 2013 – York County Corn Grower Plot Tour, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. located west of York on Highway 34 – ¾ miles north of Hwy 34 and Road I intersection (Same location as last year)
Soybean Management Field Day Planned
I hope you’ve marked your calendar and have called in to reserve your spot for our August 14th Soybean Management Field Day just East of York on the Jerry Stahr farm. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. with the program from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Topics include: adjuvants and water quality; fungicide and insecticide inputs-yield results and risks; row spacing; soybean nutrients including micronutrient study; irrigation management; the golden triangle-Nebraska’s livestock production past, present, and future.
There is no charge thanks to the Nebraska Soybean Board but please pre-register at 800-529-8030. For more information, visit: http://ardc.unl.edu/soydays.
Please share this info with a neighbor or two and bring them along. I hope to see you Wednesday.
Cropping Update
It’s been another week of cooler temperatures and higher humidity, the ETgages I monitor dropped between 1.15 and 1.25†this past week. The early planted corn near the ETgages I monitor is in the brown silk stage with most of the kernels in the early to late milk stage. The crop coefficient for these stages is 1.10, so to estimate the crop water use for we multiply 1.20 x 1.10 so our crop water use was only 1.32†or .19â€/day for the week. It would be the same for most all of our soybean fields also.
Just a reminder so that you can get it on your calendar, the York County Corn Grower Plot Tour is planned for next Thursday, September 5 , 2013 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. The plot is located ¾ miles north of Hwy 34 on Road I!
Those attending will be able to check out the various corn varieties and visit with the seed company representatives. Following the tour, we’ll have pork sandwich lunch with all the trimmings. We’ll then have a report on 2013 practices, products used as well as an irrigation update.
Door prizes will also be given away, so mark September 5Â on your calendar and plan to attend!
Yard and Garden
I’ve received a few questions this week about yellowing Kentucky bluegrass and like last week, our Turf Specialist Zac Reicher shared a great article on the topic which follows:
“Similar to previous summers with adequate rainfall, Kentucky bluegrass has turned an off-color yellow in the last few weeks. We are still unsure of what could be causing this.
What we do know:
1) Only the young leaves are yellow (Figs. 3 and 4), so it is probably not related to nitrogen or other nutrients mobile in the plant. However, iron deficiency could explain the symptoms because Fe is relatively immobile in the plant.
2) There are no obvious lesions present so it is not mediated by above-ground diseases.
3) We do not see it in tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, and some cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass.
4) We see it when soil temperatures are at their seasonal highs.
5) We see it almost exclusively on irrigated turf and most frequently during wet summers.
We know from past experience that this a visual effect and long-term health of the plant is not an issue. Therefore, immediate action is probably not needed other than to improve aesthetics. Reducing irrigation in the short should help. Increasing drainage and reducing compaction with more frequent aerification should also help in the long-term. We would not recommend a fungicide, insecticide, or > 0.5 lbs N/1000 sq ft (avoid almost any N in August except on greens or sports turf in use). We often see symptoms similar to this in the spring, but those are usually attributed to denitrification and Fe applications do not help then. However, a low rate of iron may be effective now. Since most the chlorotic leaves are the youngest and higher in the canopy, mowing should remove much of the yellowing.†Check out our Turf Pages for the latest turf updates: http://turf.unl.edu/.
The grass ETgage in front of our office dropped right at one inch for the week and since we received .28†Sunday evening we used about ¾ of inch of water this past week. It’s been kind of nice the past few weeks with the cooler temperatures. The grass again did begin to grow, so it’s important to remember the 1/3 rule. You want to mow frequently enough to not remove any more that 1/3 of the leaf surface any mowing. So if you’re mowing at a high height, you don’t need to mow as often so it’s easier on you as well as the turf. Soil temperatures are also cooler with a higher mowing height, so the cool season grass light that. Also remember to sharpen your blade on a regular basis.
