Research Update (November 6, 2017)

Diligence Technologies Inc., West Tennessee

EVENTS FROM THE PAST MONTH:

The summer tour season is about over as we have less and less to look at in the field.  Thanks so much to all our friends that dropped by for a visit this summer.  We enjoy the chance to see everyone and show you through the plots.  Come back anytime.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

I look forward to catching up with many of you at the North Central Weed Science Society meeting in St. Louis on December 4-7.  Let me know if you are planning to attend.  I would enjoy the opportunity to visit.

 

CROPPING SEASONS:

This field season is winding down rapidly.  All the corn data has been sent.  Cotton ginning has started and soybean trials are being harvested between rain showers.

All the winter wheat trials are in the ground (and most are up and growing).  We have had enough moisture and warm weather to get wheat off to a good start.  In addition to the wheat plots we currently have going, we have planted some large blocks of wheat that can be turned into postemergence trials next spring.

Winter annual weeds seem to be off to an early start, and we have late fall applications going out in the near future.  We should have some good populations for testing this winter and next spring if you have the need.

GREENHOUSE ACTIVITIES:

The greenhouse is back and better than ever.  Some of you may have been aware that a hail storm last winter left the greenhouse in need of repair.  However, our highly skilled group of greenhouse technicians (Jesse, Kevin, and Jackson) replaced the back wall and the roof.  We are looking forward to another season of having a warm place to hide when it gets cold outside.

If you are looking for a place to generate some data over the winter, our heated and lighted greenhouse may be just what you are looking for.  Let us know if we can be of service.

 

WEATHER INFO:

Fall temperatures have finally came our way over the past few weeks.  We have had several cool days mixed in with some very pleasant ones.

We have been getting just enough rainfall to slow down our harvesting a bit.  While few of the showers have produced large amounts of rain, the frequent, small showers have kept things just wet enough to keep us out of the field.  A few more dry days and we should be able to wrap up soybean harvest.

PEST INFO:

As mentioned above, our winter annual weeds (henbit, chickweed, cutleaf eveningprimrose) seem to be off to a good start.  We also seem to be getting some horseweed in the mix.  It should be a good season for winter and spring burndown trials.

On a less pleasant note, this past season gave us some soybeans plots with lowest frogeye leaf spot pressure we have seen in disease trials.  While we had a few trials that worked out well, we had several trials that did not get nearly the pressure we have observed over the years.  I am sure the farmers in the area were pleased, but it makes it tough when you are trying to evaluate fungicides.  We trust that this was an unpleasant anomaly and we will be back to normal in the coming year.

Proverbs 21:5
The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness.