Monday, March 1, 2021

Research Update (March 1, 2021)

 

Research Update (March 1, 2021)

 Diligence Technologies Inc., West Tennessee

EVENTS FROM THE PAST MONTH:

It took a while, but winter finally showed up in west Tennessee.  We went from relatively mild temperatures to being cold and damp.  We had our first significant snowfalls of the year in late February (almost any amount of snow is significant in west Tennessee, but in this case we actually got several inches).  We are now looking forward to March where we normally get enough nice days to accomplish a few things in the great outdoors.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Virtual meeting season is virtually over at this point.  On the plus side, I suspect we have actually listened to more presentations this year than in most.  Because of the format, that was pretty much all there was to do.  I, for one, look forward to returning to traditional meeting format as soon as possible.  We all did the best we could this year but I do not wish to repeat it.

 

CROPPING SEASONS:

Wheat and burndown trials are on the schedule for March.  With late February being less than inviting for field work, we still have our wheat maintenance and trial lay-out ahead of us.  We have a few trials to “wake up” from last fall and some additional herbicide and fungicide trials to cut out of our existing blocks of wheat.  Depending on the trial, we will also be looking to initiate some spring burndown trials in late March and early April.  We still have space available for both wheat and burndown work this spring if you have the need.

 

GREENHOUSE ACTIVITIES:

The greenhouse was very active in February.  We had several trials that were ongoing from previous months and we added a variety of insecticide, fungicide, and fertility trials to the mix in the past few weeks.  We have very much enjoyed the variety of trials and are grateful to have some meaningful work to accomplish.  We are entering the “home stretch” of greenhouse season, so if you are considering a trial for this winter let us know soon.

 

PEST INFO:

We appear to have a good crop of winter annual weeds for use in burndown trials.  If you are considering burndown work for this spring, let us know as soon as you can.  We have plenty of area to work with right now, but I want to make sure to reserve enough trial space when we start cleaning up fields this spring.

 

Many thanks to all of you who have already started sending protocols for the coming season.  We look forward to running those and many additional trials in 2021.  As always, please feel free to contact us with your questions as you prepare your field program for the year.  We are always here to help.

 

Proverbs 12:24

The hand of the diligent shall bear rule, but the slothful shall be put to forced labor.