Oregon State University Cereal Central

First Forecast of Stripe Rust for the Pacific Northwest in 2012

2012-01-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

January2, 2012, by Dr. XianmingChen, USDA ARS, Pullman, Washington

Based on the 2011 December temperatures, stripe rustyield loss on highly susceptible winter wheat cultivars is predicted to be47%. The value is calculated using theformula Y (yield loss) = 84.3 – 0.323X, where X is the absolute value of theaccumulated value of negative degree days based on daily maximum temperatures.The negative degree day value for a day equalsthe maximum temperature (^oC) subtracted by 7 (^oC).

This is the first of a series of models we useto predict stripe rust damage on susceptible cultivars for the major wheatgrowing region in the Pacific Northwest. For more information about this formula and other formulas, you mayrefer to our recent publication (Sharma-Poudyal,D., and Chen, X. M. 2011. Modelsfor predicting potential yield loss of wheat caused by stripe rust in the USPacific Northwest. Phytopathology 101:544-554).

If we classify stripe rust yield losses into fourcategories, low (equal to or less than 20%), moderate (more than 20% but equalto or less than 40%), severe (more than 40% but equal to or less than 60%), andextremely severe (more than 60%), the predicted level of 47% for 2012 indicatesa severe level, higher than normal (35%). For comparison, the 2010 stripe rust epidemic caused 60% yield loss andthe 2011 caused more than 90% on highly susceptible winter wheat cultivars.

Please keep in mindthat this prediction is based on the winter weather so far. If the weather conditions from now to Juneare close to normal, the prediction will be very close to the real diseasesituation. The other models using theweather data from the entire November to February give better predictions. Our next forecast will be in early March.

OSU Cereal Seminar & Sustainable Ag Forum

2011-12-06T13:25:00.001-08:00

Stripe rust, wireworm control, new drill prototype,microbiology and nitrogen fertilizer management are just a few of the widearray of topics to be covered at the Columbia Basin Cereal Seminar &Sustainable Ag Forum on December 14 present in partnership by OSU Extension andUmatilla County Soil and Water Conservation District.

The open session will begin with a conservation researchupdate in low rainfall zones by Bill Schillinger of Washington State Universityin Lind, Washington. Dr. Schillinger’s work has focused on reduced and no-tilldryland cropping systems for cereal crops in the Pacific Northwest. He will betalking about the development and testing of new deep-furrow drill prototypes, hissuccesses with winter triticale, and no-till summer fallow.

In addition, McGregor Company will be bringing a section of their newdeep-furrow drill to the seminar and it will be on display at the BMCC AgComplex where the seminar lunch will be served. In the afternoon breakoutsession on Precision Ag, Paul Buchholtz of McGregor Company will presentadditional information about the drill and how their testing and developmentprogram is going for it use in the PNW.

Other presenters during the morning session will include“Stripe Rust Impacts on Wheat,” Chris Mundt, OSU pathologist, “Pesticide DriftPrevention Strategies,” Cory Cooley, ODA pesticide investigator, “WirewormBiology and Control in Wheat,” Aaron Esser, WSU Extension agronomist,“Microbiology: some tricks up our sleeves,” Kate Reardon, USDA ARS, “Wheat InsectPests,” Silvia Rondon, OSU Extension entomologist, and an Update from OregonWheat Commission and Oregon Wheat Growers League.

The afternoon will have two tracks of presentations: TrackOne- Precision Ag will cover deep furrow, high residue drill update, earlyseeded canola, managing nitrogen using optical sensors, and a panel of growerstalking about their on-farm use of variable rate fertilizers. Presentinggrowers include Herb March of Milton Freewater, Berk Davis of Adams, and BillJepsen of Heppner, Oregon.

Track Two for the afternoon will be a pesticide COREtraining session covering “Principles of IPM,” “Drift: What is it, when does ithappen, and how can we prevent it,” “Sprayer Calibration,” and “Testing YourKnowledge: Pesticide Jeopardy.”

For a detailed agenda:

Columbia Basin Cereal Seminar & Sustainable Ag Forum

Pesticide recertification credits and Certified Crop Advisorcredits are available in the morning and afternoon session. See full agenda fordetails. There is a $10 registration fee for the seminar which includes lunch.To preregister go online to: www.umatillacountyswcd.comor call Shevon at OSU Extension office (541) 278-5403.

Christmas wish lists

2011-12-05T11:19:00.001-08:00

With Christmas fast approaching, perhaps you are working on a wish list of new iron to add to your packages under the Christmas tree? With that in mind, and having read Craig Reeder's recent column in the Oregon Wheat Magazine, I thought I should share with you a revised publication from the University of Idaho.

When I receive calls about the cost of equipment and local leasing rates for different farming practices this is the only resource that I have to provide to growers that provides an analysis of farm machinery costs. With ongoing economic pressures farmers need to continue paying attentionto managing their machinery resources, now more than ever.

The longstanding trend of substituting financial capital for labor by addingmore productive and higher capacity machinery has resulted in large amounts of capital being used annually to acquireand operate farm machinery. On today’s commercial farm, substantial componentsof both capital investment and annual production costs are machinery related.As a result, farmers must not overlook effective strategies to manage their machinery resources.

Effectively managing machinery resources requires having adequateanswers on a continuing basis to the following questions:

What size of machinery is most economical?
How much machinery is needed for a given acreageand/or crop mix?
Should machinery be leased, rented,custom-hired, or purchased?
Should new or used machinery be purchased?
How long should machinery be kept before it isreplaced?

A farmer needs to know machinery costs to deal effectively withthese management questions. Yet, many farmers do not keep adequate records ofmachinery costs.The link below will take you to the full publication and tables for the publication which can help you answer some of the questions listed above:

PNW 346, Costs of Owningand Operating Farm Machinery in the Pacific Northwest, 2011

http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/edComm/pdf/PNW/PNW0346/PNW0346.html

Happy Holidays, and best wishes in the coming year.

Stripe Rust Fall Infection Levels

2011-11-08T09:41:00.000-08:00

The following observations of stripe rust fall infection levels were made by Dr. Xianming Chen, USDA ARS, Pullman on November 3, 2011 in eastern Washington:

OnNovember 3, we were checking stripe rust infection in winter wheat fields alongHighway 23, Platter Rd, Doerschlag Rd, Lake Rd, Stromberger Rd, and Danekas Rdin Whitman, Adam, and Lincoln counties and the Horse Heaven Hills region in BentonCounty in Washington. Wheat ranged fromnon-emerged to early jointing (Feekes 5). We only check fields with big plants (Feekes 3-5) as big plants weremore likely to be infected.

Wefound stripe rust pustules in 6 fields out of a total of 15-20 fields that werecarefully checked: two fields west of St. John and east of Sprague along HW 23in Whitman County (Fig. 1); one field alongStromberger Rd in Lincoln County near the Adam County border; one field alongDoerschlag Rd; one field along Danekas Rd about five miles east of Ritzville inAdams County and one field in Horse Heaven Hills in Benton County (Fig. 2). Wewere able to found only 1 or 2 leaves with rust pustules in each of the fields.

Fig. 1: Stripe rust, November 3, 2011 near Colfax, WA

Incontrast to the big hotspots found in the Horse Heavy Hills region and otherregions in Washington in early November, 2010, the rust infection level anddistribution found yesterday were much lower. This level of stripe rust infection is expected based on the dry weatherconditions in September this year.

Striperust infection was found on volunteer wheat plants in the middle of October inMt Vernon (northwestern Washington) as usual when our people were plantingwinter wheat nurseries. Stripe rust wasalso reported by Dr. Juliet Marshall to be occurring on volunteer wheat plantsin October in southern Idaho.

Fig. 2: Stripe rust, November 3, 2011 in Horse Heaven Hills area, WA

Thefinding of stripe rust in winter wheat fields allows us to know the level ofinfection before the winter, which will help us to predict disease situationfor the next year. There is no actionfor growers to take for most of the regions in the PNW until next February orMarch, except for selection of spring wheat cultivars to grow in next spring(resistant cultivars should be always considered anyway). As the weather starts getting cold, striperust spores on the leaf surface will be killed and the fungus will sleep asmycelium within the infected but not sporulated leaves during the winter. Some of the sleeping rust mycelia may be killedby harsh winter and some will survive. The level of the survival will depend on how cold and how muchsnow-cover during this winter. A recentweather prediction says that this winter for the PNW will be colder than normal(http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/late-fall-winter-outlook_2011-10-24). If, this prediction will be true, we shouldnot have stripe rust as bad as this year. We will wait to see how cold the winter will be and have our firstforecast in February for stripe rust in the PNW next year. People in the south-central states may need tocheck for stripe rust earlier as that weather prediction indicates a warmerwinter.

OWGL Fall Workshop for Umatilla County Growers

2011-10-06T14:48:00.001-07:00

October 19 – Umatilla County Meeting & Dinner – Pendleton Convention Center, 5:00 pm.

The PGG Buckle Club will join us for the Social hour and Dinner following the meeting.

Topics/Speakers:

· Forecast for the 2012 Legislative Session

· Jana Jarvis, OWGL Lobbyist; PGG Marketing Update;

· Dinner keynote – Blake Rowe, Oregon Wheat CEO.

All wheat producers and industry supporters are invited and encouraged to attend OWGL events. RSVP is not required,

but appreciated. Watch your mailbox and/or inbox for details and RSVP

Winter Wheat Variety Comparisons

2011-08-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

The following table combines stripe rust disease readings from the Oregon Statewide Elite Variety trials and yields of those same varieties at the Pendleton/Ruggs and Hermiston sites. I am highlighting only the most commonly planted winter wheat varieties. The complete results of disease notes and yields from the trials are available online at www.cerealcentral.com. It is interesting to note the different levels of infection at the two different sites.

I have included the 2 and 3 year averages when available – realizing that yields were impacted in 2010 and 2011 by stripe rust. 2009 was a year with low stripe rust levels and it is beneficial to include those yields in the average when available.

While weather conditions may return to drier patterns, researchers in Oregon and Washington have noted that stripe rust races have changed and so long-term we will need to respond also. Fortunately, two years have given our wheat breeders an opportunity to do some serious selections for stripe rust resistance but it will take a few years to reap the benefits and bring those selections into our production system.

My CerealCentral website and August Newsletter provide more in depth information for your planning purposes. Enjoy!!

Winter Wheat Stripe Rust Infection vs. Yield Comparison, 2011

Planting considerations Part Two

2011-08-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

I got some reaction to yesterday's posting about which varieties one might steer away from planting because of their susceptibility to strip rust infection. The issue of variety selection is often one of that involves several considerations, but if all other things were equal - one would select the top yielding variety for the area that you grow wheat in. In Umatilla County we have long-term average yields that range from 25 bu. to 90+ bu. and our plant breeders have provided a selection of varieties for these different production areas.

When deciding which variety to plant, if for example you are in a high production area, you would probably want to select the highest yielding variety with the highest level of strip rust resistance. So perhaps you would choose Legion over Tubbs06.

This year, we were able to control the stripe rust through timely treatments with fungicides and it turned out to be a good investment. I don't have hard numbers for the acres treated in Umatilla County, but I estimate that 90% of 250,000 acres were treated once, another 40% treated a second time and maybe 25% treated a third time for a total treated acreage of about 387,000. Treatment costs varied but even with saving the application costs by tank mixing with herbicide treatments in early spring, I estimate fungicide treatments costs growers about $3.6 million in 2011.

These additional production costs were fairly easy to swallow as prices were good and yield potential was higher than average. If these variables change, which they always do, then the choice might be harder to make.

Let me know where you think we should be headed, but long term I think we will need to look at varieties with higher levels of resistance to the current stripe rust races rather than relying on fungicides. Short term I think we are setup for a possible repeat of last fall with early infections of stripe rust, and we should plan accordingly.

Early winter wheat planting considerations

2011-08-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

Hopefully, you are wrapping up harvest in the next few days! All reports I have heard have been very positive, so no one is complaining about finishing up late. Yet, with the excellent moisture conditions and the cool night time temperatures, it looks like we will be seeing significant amounts of early seeding in the area.

Early seeding likely faces two challenges this fall. One is aphids and the second is fall infections of stripe rust.

On the topic of aphids, if you are seeding early, prior to October 15^th, an insecticidal seed treatment is your best management tool to prevent aphids transmitting Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV). Especially in areas adjacent to irrigated fields of corn, last fall, we saw a migration of aphids to early seeded wheat. Fall infections of BYDV can seriously impact yields. Typically, delaying seeding until later in the fall will reduce the level of infection due to a shorter window of opportunity for aphids to infect the plants. Fall aerial applications of insecticides can be effective, but it is challenging to get the timing right. Always scout your fields before making crop management decisions.

The second challenge that we face this fall is one we have been talking about since the field days in June – the potential for fall infections of stripe rust. Given the high inoculum levels we experienced this past growing season, and the below average temperatures that have continued most of the summer, it is very likely we will again see fall infections of stripe rust in our area.

In our drier parts of the area, the benefits of early seeding still outweigh delaying. The only remaining option is to look at variety selection. The following list, provided by the Mike Flowers and the OSU Cereal Breeding Program, is based on their many observations across the state this past season. These varieties are the most susceptible to stripe rust and should be avoided if possible:

Soft White Winter		Hard Red Winter
AP Badger	AP Paladin
AP Legacy	Bauermeister
Goetze	Esperia
Tubbs 06	Genesi
Xerpha	UICF Grace
	WB Rimrock
	WB Tucson
	Whetstone

Fall application of fungicides for stripe rust control are not recommended as fall/winter environmental conditions may provide some levels of control. It will be important to scout fields, regardless of variety, in late February or early March, depending on growing conditions and weather. If stripe rust is found an application of fungicide is recommended, and can possibility be tank mixed with spring herbicide applications.

Thanks to Mike Flowers, OSU Cereal Specialist, for information he provided for this article.

Stripe Rust - HTAP is finally kicking in!

2011-06-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

Mike Flowers, Oregon State University Cereal Specialist, is offering the following observations at our CBARC and Ruggs OWEYT trials.

GOOD NEWS
It appears that HTAP is finally kicking in. On many varieties it was very difficult to find active rust. Of course there were exceptions like Tubbs 06, Xerpha, and AP Legacy.
Also several varieties are showing hypersensitive reactions like OR2040726 (little to no active rust, but lots of yellow).

Growers in the area seem to have stayed on top of the rust and kept it under control (there are exceptions). Hopefully this will keep the rust load down for the remainder of the year and next fall.

BAD NEWS

The crop is late. Neither site was headed yet, which means we are 10-14 days behind.

There will be plenty of moisture for early seeding as we continue to get rain. This sets us up for fall stripe rust infections and may mean we will see another bad rust year. So variety selection this fall will be very important.
Be sure to attend one of the OSU Station Field Days near you next week to get more information on this topic and other research farming cereals in the Pacific Northwest.

Stripe rust & late growth stage applications

2011-06-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

We are reaching, if not past in some areas, the point where fungicide applications are effective in controlling stripe rust. Remember -applications at late growth stages (past flowering) usually do not increase yield regardless of rust level.

Also watch your applications to insure that you don't exceed the maximum rate for the season. Also carefully read if the fungicide label is using a maximum stage of growth such as Feekes 10.5 and/or a Pre Harvest Interval (PHI) of a minimum number of days to harvest.

Hopefully, with temperatures in the 80's over the next several days we will at least have some drier and warmer conditions in the fields.

Visit CerealCentral for the latest newsletter which includes Field Day Schedules for Hermiston, Pendleton, and Moro Cereal Field Days.

Potiental yield losses to Stripe Rust

2011-05-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

Dr Chen, USDA ARS in Pullman, shared the following table: Stripe Rust losses with and without fungicide
last winter. This experiment was conducted in the Pullman, Washington area under natural infection conditions in 2010. The table shows that Tubbs and Xerpha losses in the 23-26% range.

Stripe rust update, May 5, 2011

2011-05-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

Mike Flowers, Chris Mundt, Larry Lutcher and Mary Corp, of Oregon State University, provided the following information in their Stripe Rust Seminar this morning. The webcast seminar connected 8 sites across eastern Oregon with over 30 growers and crop consultants in attendance to learn the latest update on stripe rust conditions across the wheat growing regions of the Columbia Plateau and central Oregon. Here are some of the topics covered:

Stripe rust pressure continues to build across the region, but the answer to the dilemma is in the details of each grower’s field conditions, stage of growth and wheat variety susceptibility to stripe rust. Growers are faced with questions both about what is currently happening in their fields and then also what are their best options for seeding this fall. OSU Extension webcast this morning focused on these two key questions for wheat growers across the Columbia Basin: Do I need to treat a second time for stripe rust? And what wheat variety should I be planting in the fall of 2011?

Both questions center on the level of susceptibility of the various wheat varieties and the current strains of strip rusts being seen in fields. Mike Flowers, OSU Cereal Specialist, noted that he sees about three grouping of varieties –

Highly susceptible,
Moderately susceptible, and
Mostly resistant.

So far this year, Flowers has observed that varieties that are holding up well under dryland conditions are ORCF 101 and Skiles. This is the same result he saw last spring when stripe rust conditions were a problem. Yet it is worth noting that this year, the problems started last fall and have continued to increase under our cool wet spring conditions.

The next level of susceptibility with only moderate resistance or susceptibility, depending on if your cup is half empty or half full, are the varieties - Legion, ORCF 102 and Stephens. Finally, the most susceptible are Tubbs, Xerpha, Legacy and Goetze.

Many acres had an earlier application of fungicide applied at the same time as the herbicide. The stripe rust control provided by those applications are running out, and fields with susceptible varieties need to be closely monitored. Remember if you see 10% live spores on the leaves, then you likely have 40-50% infection as there is a 2 week delay in appearance of the spores following infection.

Flower’s summary remark at the end of today’s broadcast – was “Don’t let it (stripe rust) get ahead of you.” Many fields are currently seeing stem elongation, but don’t yet have flag leaf emergence. Plants usually show 4 joints on the stem prior to the flag leaves according to Lutcher. These plant development stages are helpful in gauging the timing of fungicide applications to maximize the control window during late spring applications. The real world realities of getting the application scheduled and finding enough good hours to get the application on the field may be a greater deciding factor about pulling the trigger for many growers especially with highly susceptible varieties to moderately susceptible varieties.

Chris Mundt, OSU Pathologist, also added the caveat that when the wheat plant reaches the flowering stage it is too late to have any affective control of the stripe rust with fungicide application so growers need to realize that if the treatment window get passed there is no benefit in continuing to treat.

Next week, we can talk more about the question of what to plant this fall,

Mary

If you have additional comments and thoughts, please post below.

Stripe Rust Webcast

2011-04-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

Please join us for a Stripe Rust Update Webcast. Thursday, May 5th at 9:30 am PDT.

We will have presentations by:
Chris Mundt, OSU Wheat Pathologist, Corvallis, Oregon
Mike Flowers, OSU Extension Cereal Specialist, Corvallis, Oregon
Larry Lutcher, OSU Extension Agriculturalist, Heppner, Oregon

The informal presentations will focus on current field conditions across Oregon related to stripe rust. Many growers have made an application of fungicide with their spring herbicide. Given the ongoing cool temperatures and rain showers, we will discuss factors to consider when deciding if a second application will be needed.
The second topic will be: "What wheat variety should we be planting next fall?" Chris and Mike have been evaluating rust levels in the statewide variety testing program - and have seen enough pressure by stripe rust at some locations to talk where we might be seeing differences by variety and how the resistance by variety is holding up given the ongoing stripe rust pressures.

The Webcast can be viewed at the following OSU Extension Offices:

Umatilla County OSU Extension, BMCC Umatilla Hall, Pendleton
Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Hermiston,
Morrow County OSU Extension, Heppner,
Gilliam County OSU Extension, Condon
Union County OSU Extension, Union
Central Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Madras
Wasco County OSU Extension, The Dallas
Oregon Wheat Commission Office, Wheat Marketing Center, Portland.

Please plan to join us! Questions: call Shevon 541-278-5403.

Stripe Rust Update, Pacific Northwest

2011-04-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

Winter wheat growth stage ranged from Feekes 3 to 6 across the Pacific Northwest according to Dr. Chen, USDA, Pullman, WA. The growth stage was mostly related to planting date and less so to location. Some fields in northern Idaho and eastern Washington reached Feeks 5 and 6, but most fields are in the earlier stage.

The relative lower-than-normal temperatures since mid February have kept crop growing slowly and also made stripe rust develop slowly. Otherwise, stripe rust could have exploded.

However, stripe rust is widely occurring in these regions (more than 70% of wheat fields checked yesterday had stripe rust), plus southern central Washington, western and northeastern Oregon, and southern Idaho, which have been previously reported for stripe rust.

Some growers have treated with fungicide with their spring herbicide applications. Other areas have seen delays due to rain and wind. As weather conditions are forecast to stay cool over the coming week, many questions still remain.

For fields that have not been sprayed, growers should check for stripe rust and consider spraying fungicides when apply herbicides.

In some early planted fields, barley yellow dwarf was severe last fall and should be expected to continue to be a problem this spring. Do not mistreat barley yellow dwarf from stripe rust. BYDV disease does not produce powdery rust dust and yellow symptom starts from leaf tips and moves to the middle of leaves, and more severe along field edges.

We are asking growers and field consultants to assist us in collecting samples in BYDV infected fields. Contact me by email mary.corp@oregonstate.edu if you want to help us.

Stripe rust - what to look for?

2011-03-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

As you are out scouting fields for weeds and other things, be on the lookout for stripe rust. It will start in a patch, and then spread. Here is a photo taken by Dr. Chen of WSU near Bickleton, Washington in February. Timely rains last fall allowed for early seeding, which increases the likelihood of stripe rust infections for 2010 crop to still be active at the time our 2011 crop emerged last fall.
If you are planting spring wheat, look for varieties with resistance, and hold on it could be a bumpy year.

Stripe rust in fields north of Pendleton

2011-02-28T16:10:00.000-08:00

Stripe Rust Starts Developing Early

"Stripe rust of wheat has waked up much earlier this year than last year in the Pacific Northwest and may not have slept in the western Oregon and western Washington. Don Wysocki and Jim Towne found sporulating rust pustules in a wheat field near Pendleton in the northeastern Oregon on the 1st of this month. Last week, Mike Flowers and Chris Mundt reported that stripe rust was easily found (about 5% incidence) in wheat fields in the Willamette Valley of western Oregon." Xianming Chen, February 18, 2011

Early scouting is recommended for our local area.

Social media: A Fad or the Future?

2010-10-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

Social media like Facebook, Blogs, YouTube, Twitter....are quickly becoming more than a place to hangout, chat with friends and family and see the latest music video. For example with the introduction of "groups" on Facebook there is the opportunity to create engaging educational and informative conversations with others who share your interests or profession.

Engaging clientele - social media tools are fun and interactive

No longer need to be a techie to build a webpage with Web 2.0

Clientele already use the web - social media gives new methods for sharing research and information:

Blogs useful for posting new diseases, insects or pest outbreaks
RSS Feeds can be used to recieve a steady stream of information on markets
Twitter can quickly disseminate and call people to action

Not going away but is increasing - it is not a fad, add your voice, create a presence.

Know that the only constant is change and using web based tools will insure that change will happen faster than ever. Fifteen years ago, I didn't even have an email account. Four years I joined Facebook to keep in touch with my younger friends. Now I can create a photo web page and a blog without knowing anything about html or programming!

Wheat marketing meeting, Oct. 21- TOMORROW

2010-10-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

Darren Padget, OWGL President and Dan Steiner, Marketing Committee Co-Chair, have announced the Statewide Wheat Marketing Meeting will be held via Polycom Thursday, October 21^st at 8:00 am pacific.

Special guest this month is Chris Mertz, Oregon Agri-statistician.

Should you have any questions, please contact the OWGL office at 541-276-7330

Participating Sites:

OSU/Baker County Extension Service 541-523-6418, 2600 East St, Baker City, OR

OSU/Central OR Ag Research Center 541-475-7107,850 NW Dogwood Lane, Madras, OR

OSU Columbia County Extension Service – 503-397-3462,505 N Columbia River Hwy, St. Helens, OR

OSU/Gilliam County Extension Service Conference Room – 541-384-2271,333 South Main Street, Condon, OR

Gilliam County Grain Quality Lab Conference Room - 541-454-0227,Industrial Park, Arlington, OR

OSU/Klamath County Experiment Station 541-883-4590, 6941 Washburn Way, Klamath Falls, OR

OSU/Malheur County Extension Service – 541-881-1417, 710 SW 5th Ave., Ontario, OR

OSU/Marion County Extension Service – 503-373-3756,3180 Center St., NE, #1361, Salem, OR

OSU/Morrow County Extension Service Conference Room – 541-676-9642,54173 Hwy 74, Heppner, OR

Oregon Wheat Commission, Albers Mill Bldg 503-229-6665,1200 NW Naito Pkwy, Ste 370, Portland, OR

OSU/Sherman County Extension Service 541-565-3230,409 Hood St, Moro, OR

OSU/Umatilla County Extension Service 541-278-5403,Conference Rm. 100 A - Umatilla Hall, BMCC Campus, Pendleton, OR

OSU/Union County Extension Service - Agricultural Service Center – 541-963-1010,10507 N. McAlister Road, Room 9, La Grande, OR

OSU/Wallowa County Extension Service - 541-426-3143, 668 NW 1st, Enterprise, OR

OSU/Wasco County Extension Service - 541-296-5494,400 E Scenic Dr, Ste 2.278, The Dalles, OR

OSU/Washington County Extension Service 503-821-1127,18640 NW Walker Rd, #1400, Beaverton, OR 97128

Provided by the Oregon Wheat Growers League,
Oregon State University and Blue Mountain Community College

CRP - Bringing CRP back into wheat production

2010-09-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

Here is what the conversation would look like if we were blogging and adding comment to the blog....and if you all signed up as followers of the blog you can choose to be notified when someone has posted to the blog...how about we try it on this topic as there is a lot of help that we can offer each other, and this way to don't have to open 8 emails to follow the conversation:

Just my thought on it..

Greetings,

Had two calls today from growers wanting to take out CRP, one to fall plant wheat in 2010 and the other to spring plant. Neither have yet touched their CRP. We discussed this at our Pendleton meeting, but don’t know that we came to any conclusions. Apparently the insurance people are telling them that for their first year crop to be covered they need to follow the advice of an “expert.” So fellow experts, what ‘s your best advice?

Sandy

Hi Sandy,

This is an interesting development. In Gilliam County, an additional 5000 acres of cropland were bid into CRP. I learned yesterday that all land bid into the program was accepted. The rental rates were as high as $60 per acre.

USDA has rules regarding taking land out of CRP, although I'm not sure how prescriptive it is other than timelines.

Jordan

Sandy et al. My best advice, at the present time, is to eliminate or minimize tillage unless there is a significant amount of sheep fescue in the stand. If sheep fescue is present in significant quantities (you be the judge), then some kind of undercutting operation will be necessary to sever the roots of sheep fescue and minimize (probably not eliminate) the presence of this plant (and possibly intermediate wheatgrass) in the subsequent wheat crop. Clear as mud? Based only on my limited experience here. Good luck.

Larry

If you cut it off won't your drill be a rake when you plant through it?
Brian

Larry and all,

What type of chems are you using to reduce the amount of tillage? You mentioned 75 ounces of Round up wasn’t doing it but that Maverick may have some stoppage power on sheep fescue. How about Beyond? Or would a guy be nuts to spend that much on a new crop establishment?

Sandy

I am still hopeful that high rates of glyphosate, applied at the correct time (or times) would take care of the sheep fescue. Just don’t have any research (or first-hand experience) to back this up.

One of the farmers I know used a combination of glyphosate applications (well before seeding time) and tillage to prepare his seedbed.

This same farmer applied Maverick herbicide in the fall (after seeding and according to label directions) on very limited acreage—because there were isolated spots of cheatgrass in his old CRP stand. His observation was that this “added treatment” seemed to reduce sheep fescue contamination of his stand of wheat.

Larry

Farmers talking about changes in their farming operations

2010-09-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

Farmers are constantly facing change: the weather, the markets, input prices, and many more factors from outside their operations. In addition, as largely family operations, they face constant changing circumstances within their enterprise: children ready to join the farming operation, retiring the senior generation, in-law, ex-laws and distant family who still want to have a connection to the family farm. How do they make decisions when faced with these external and internal challenges and opportunities?

Ready, set....change!!!???

In 2007, I began a journey to learn more about how farm families make changes in their operations, and farming practices. Who do they use as advisers? How does change actually take place? How do they choose one path or another? With help from OSU students and Chris LaBelle, a fellow faculty member, we have now posted several of the interviews on YouTube for your viewing pleasure about the processes used in adopting change in a farming operation. I hope you will find their stories insightful and instructive. The series is called the Art of Change.

Fall Cereal Newsletter is online

2010-09-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

Fall issue of Cereal Newsletter is now posted on Cereal Central website. You will find complete results of the Umatilla County Drill Strip Trial, plus Statewide Variety Trial results. I have also included a summary of an article on one pass tillage fallow taken from "One Tillage Pass Can Produce Highly Effective Tilled Summer Fallow" in the 2010 Columbia Basin Dryland Research Report. Follow the link for the full article with graphs and charts.

Drill Strip Variety trial yields results

2010-08-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Legion, ORCF 102 and Stephens came out as top yielders in this year’s Umatilla County Variety Drill Strip Trial. Goetze came out at the bottom of the list even in the blend with Skiles as Skiles was also near the bottom of the list this year. Goetze has the potential for winter injury and that is the most likely culprit for this year’s low performance as stripe rust was not a problem for the variety.

Legion, an AgriPro tall semi dwarf variety release in 2008, was the top yielder this year. It has medium maturity and good straw strength. This is the first year I have had Legion in the drill strip trials and so I have little experience with it, but literature describes it as a variety suitable for higher production areas of Washington and northeastern Oregon. It had very little stripe rust present when we evaluated the trial on June 25th.

Tubbs 06, which has been a good performer at this site, dropped due to a high incidence of stripe rust and the well known lack of effectiveness of high-temperature adult-plant resistance (HTAP). The failure of warm temperatures to materialize this past spring played havoc on varieties like Tubbs that are dependent on HTAP. For additional information and pictures on the level of stripe rust in the trial, I have posted a PDF on www.cerealcentral.com that shows strip rust pictures and stripe rust severity ratings of each variety in the trial. ORCF 101, and ORCF 102 along with Stephens continue to be strong performers even under these unusual conditions.

Remember as you plan your seeding activities this fall, that season-to-season variations in weather and the lack of an effective crystal ball, make variety selection challenging. I recommend looking over the variety information that I have included in the newsletter, and adding this year’s result into the mix, recognizing that this past spring we were setting or nearly setting new records for rainfall and low temperatures.

An option is to use mixes of two varieties as a means of minimizing the risks, or one could planting different fields to different varieties to spread the risk.

Additional variety trial information from across Oregon and Washington on available on my website, and they are updated as soon as new or revised information becomes available.My variety drill strip trial is for demonstration purposes and as such gives us an opportunity to see newer varieties under field growing conditions on a larger scale that the typical small plot research trials. It is only one strip per variety and is not replicated. Check out www.cerealcentral.com for more complete results.

New Common Crop Insurance Policy Introduced by RMA

2010-08-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

The new insurance policy combines four insurance plans with similar features into one single policy. The four insurance plans that have been combined are Actual Production History (APH), Crop Revenue Coverage (CRC), Revenue Assurance (RA) and Income Protection (IP) that had similar features into a single policy. RMA kept the most important features of each insurance plan while simplifying the insurance options a producer faces when buying coverage. Wheat, barley, malting barley, corn and canola/rapeseed are the crops most affected by this change in the Spokane region.

Upcoming Sales Closing Dates:
• Canola/Rapeseed – August 31, 2010 (for Fall Planted types)
• Onions – August 31, 2010 (Fall Planted types - Umatilla/Walla Walla counties only)
• Mint with Winter Coverage – September 30, 2010
• Forage Production - September 30, 2010 (Klamath and Malheur counties, Oregon)
• Forage (Alfalfa) Seed Pilot – September 30, 2010 (in selected counties)
• Fall Planted Barley with Winter Coverage – September 30, 2010 (in selected counties)
• Wheat – September 30, 2010
• Apiculture (Honey) - September 30, 2010
• Pasture Rangeland Forage - September 30, 2010

Informational meetings are being presented by Northwest Agricultural Services Co. here in Umatilla County.

The first meeting will be held at 8:00 am Friday, August 20 at the Hale Companies office, 73120 Hwy 207, Echo, Oregon. The second meeting is scheduled for 8:00 am Tuesday, August 24 at the Adams Community Center, 160 Main Street, Adams, Oregon. Coffee and doughnuts will be provided.

For additional information call or email Amos or Lori at 541-966-0188 or nwasc@eotnet.net

Variety Trial Results

2010-07-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Statewide Variety Trial results from Arlington and Lexington are now posted on CerealCentral website. We will continue to post results as they come in. Check back often! Please note that these are preliminary results and may be subject to revisions.
Also please take a few minutes to complete my web survey, and give me more ideas about how to make web pages that meet your needs!! Go and do it now!!! Click here for the Survey link. :

Stripe Rust Evaluation by Winter Wheat Variety

2010-07-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

Please take my 5 minute survey! Your input is important to me and will help me to improve my educational efforts on cereal production at the Cereal Central web pages and blog. Don't delay - do it today! Thanks!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C76WCJ8

Stripe Rust Evaluation by Winter Wheat Variety
Evaluation were conducted on June 25 on my Umatilla County Drill Strip Variety Trial located near Midway Elevator (Latitude 45°47'27.85"N by Longitude 118°37'15.24"W) on Hale Farms. I have posted a PDF at www.cerealcentral.com that shows pictures and stripe rust severity ratings by variety. I have visited with other Extension faculty across the Columbia Plateau in Oregon and they are seeing similar results. The field was not treated with fungicides. I will be posting yield results from the trial in August following harvest.

I hope you find a bountiful harvest in your fields, and remember to stay safe!

Stripe Rust in Wheat

2010-07-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

Cereal Central User Survey - Please help improve my educational efforts by providing your feedback on my blog and website: Click here to take survey

Stripe Rust of Wheat Update -

July 2, 2010 by Xianming Chen, Washington State University

With the majority of fields have been sprayed with fungicides, winter wheat crops have reached stages by which fungicides may no longer be applied. Head infection is more common this year than in past years due to the much more rust-favorable weather conditions and heavy inoculum. Rust damage, including loss of grain yield and reduction of grain quality (smaller grain size, shrivel grain, and lower test weight and flour rate), is mainly caused by leaf infection. Head infection has a much less effect on grain yield and quality than leaf infection. Rusts do not produce known toxins and are not seedborne, and therefore, head infection will not cause problems of toxins in food products and carrying the pathogen to next season. Unlike smuts and bunts, rust on head should not change grain color as rust spores will be blow away during harvesting and threshing. However, it is a good idea to get grain as clean as possible.

Stripe rust has been and will continue increasing in spring wheat crops. Crop growth stages range from late stem elongation to flowering. Rust severity (leaf areas infected) reaches up to 100% in some nurseries. Many fields have been sprayed with fungicides. If not, fields of crops with a susceptible reaction should be sprayed, those with an intermediate reaction may or may not need to be sprayed depending upon yield potential, and those with a resistant reaction should not be sprayed.

According to Dr. Juliet Windes, stripe rust of wheat is developing in southern Idaho. Dr. Mary Burrows has reported that stripe rust is occurring in Montana. Based on reports by Drs. Marcia McMullen, Marricells Acevedo, and others, stripe rust has developed to its highest level of the recorded history in North Dakota. According to Dr. Gary Bergstrom, stripe rust of wheat showed up, for the first time, in the state of New York. Dr. Wayne Temple reported severe stripe rust on both winter and spring wheat in British Columbia, Canada. So far, wheat stripe rust has been reported in 23 states of the U.S. (California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Maryland, South Dakota, Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Virginia, Delaware, Minnesota, North Dakota, New York, and Montana) and 3 provinces of Canada (Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia).

Stripe Rust of Barley

Stripe rust of barley has been found in the Palouse region (Whitman County, Washington). In our experimental nurseries, rust reached 15% of severity and 40% of incidence (percentage of plants infected). Rust of up to 2% of severity and <1% of incidence was found in the McGregor variety testing nursery west of Colfax yesterday (July 1). With weather conditions still favorable to stripe rust, barley stripe rust is expected to develop to severity levels significantly higher than the very low levels in the past several years, but not as a big problem as wheat stripe rust. Please check your field within the next week or so. If rust incidence reaches to 10%, consider fungicide application. Leaf Rust of Wheat

Leaf rust of wheat is occurring in the Palouse region. On June 29, Dr. Michael Pumphrey found few pustules of leaf rust in his breeding nursery near Pullman. Yesterday (July 1), we found leaf rust (1-2% of severity, <1% incidence) on several winter wheat varieties in the McGregor’s variety trial field west of Colfax. As quite severe leaf rust was found in central Washington two weeks ago and the disease is now occurring in eastern Washington, we expect to see significant levels of leaf rust this year. Fungicides that have been applied to control stripe rust also have protected crops from leaf rust infection. However, leaf rust may develop on crops about one month after fungicide application. Nevertheless, leaf rust will not be as severe and widespread as stripe rust. Stem Rust of Wheat

On June 28, stem rust was found in the winter wheat field near the barberry bushes near Potlatch (Latah County, Idaho). The severity level (<1% severity, <1% incidence) was much lower than that of the winter wheat field this time of last year. No stem rust was found in the spring wheat field, which is closer than the winter wheat filed to the bushes. The relatively low level of stem rust this year is due to the facts that both spring and winter wheat fields have been sprayed to control stripe rust and that the spring wheat variety is likely resistant to stem rust based on our variety tests with the isolate from the same field last year. We expect that stem rust will develop to significant levels, but should be localized as in the last two year

Stripe Rust Update, June 18, 2010

2010-06-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Rust Update, June 18, 2010

By Dr. Xianming Chen, Washington State University

Stripe Rust of Wheat

As winter and spring wheat crops are progressing, fungicide application for control stripe rust on winter wheat crop has almost reached the end and has started on spring wheat crops in most areas of the Pacific Northwest. The winter wheat crop ranges from heading (Feekes 10.1) to soft dough stage (Feekes 11) and spring wheat crop ranges from mid jointing (Feekes 6) to flowering (Feekes 10.5) depending upon locations and planting dates. Stripe rust is everywhere. Some fields of winter wheat which has not been sprayed have 100% incidence (percentage of plants infected) with about 20 to 80% of severities (percentage of leaf area infected). For such fields, yield loss could reach up to 20%, considering the intermediate reactions. We have not found completely susceptible crops of winter wheat in commercial fields, but in experimental fields. Highly susceptible reactions are easily found in commercial fields of spring wheat. Based on the rust situation and weather conditions so far and predicted for next two weeks, a highly susceptible crop of either winter or spring wheat could easily have yield loss of more than 60%. Now, we have reached the critical time for fungicide application on spring wheat crop.

Based on our data in the past and field data and observations in this week, the following commonly grown spring wheat cultivars are susceptible: Hank, Hollis, Bullseye, Zak, Eden, Macon, Tara 2002, Nick, Westbred 926, and Scarlet, etc. are either moderately or highly susceptible. Fungicide application should be considered when rust is seen in these fields. Louise, Alpowa, JD, Alturas, Whit, Babe, Buck Pronto, Otis, Clear White, Patwin, Solano, Expresso, Wakanz, Lassik, etc. are either resistant or moderately resistant. Fields of these cultivars may not need to be sprayed. As we have observed, cultivars can react differently in different areas as rust races and environment conditions (mainly moistures and temperatures) can be different from one area to another. Therefore, it is important to check your fields to determine spray or not spray.

This year, black telia pustules of stripe rust are very common, especially on the lower leaves had early infection, due to the wet weather conditions and particular races. When rust infection reaches to the telial stage, damage has occurred already, and generally no further damage will occur for the crop.

Head infection by stripe rust is common this year. Damage by head infection is relatively low compared to leaf infection. Head infection usually occurs on susceptible cultivars. However, few cultivars can be infected on head, but leaves are resistant. Generally, when head infection occurs, it is too late to use fungicide.

In contrast to most other areas of the PNW, southern Idaho has had very late appearance of stripe rust. According to Dr. Jianli Chen and Dr. Juliet Windes, stripe rust was reported on spring wheat Ulturas in Burley, Idaho, but has not been confirmed.

Nationally, stripe rust has been reported from the south to north and from west to east in all major wheat growing areas and severe in many states, such as California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. Stripe rust has also been reported in Ontario, Canada.

High-temperature adult-plant (HTAP) resistance has been working in the PNW, but not to their full levels under the cool and wet conditions so far. There is no a clear cut off point of either temperature or plant stage for HTAP resistance to work or not work. It is a quantitative effect of cultivars (level of HTAP resistance) interacting with temperature and plant stages. The higher level of HTAP resistance, the earlier in the growth stage and/or under the lower a temperature range does it work. It is in a relative sense in comparison with a highly susceptible reaction (just vigorously sporulating rust pustule, no necrotic stripes). Many fields of cultivars with moderate levels of HTAP resistance look very bad this year, but we have not seen such cultivars becoming completely susceptible. Cultivars with single effective all-stage resistance genes, combination of all stage resistance genes, high-level of HTAP resistance, and combination of effective all-stage resistance and HTAP resistance genes have held well this year.

Barley Stripe Rust

Stripe rust is till very low on barley in commercial fields. Most of checked barley fields were rust free. We found stripe rust on a couple of spring barley entries in our nurseries in Lind (Adams County), WA.

Wheat Leaf Rust

Wheat leaf rust was found in the Variety Trials at the Lind Experiment Station only on a hard red winter wheat cultivar, Declo.

In a field of hard red winter wheat cultivar Farnum, between Pasco and Connell (Franklin County) WA, leaf rust had severities of 5 to 40% and more than 20% incidence. Rust occurred very early from lower leaves and has mostly turned to black telia. Stripe rust in this field is very low. The crop reached late dough stage. The leaf rust damage is limited as the crop had well filled grains. Leaf rust (uredinial stage) was also found in a neighboring field of hard red winter wheat Bauermeister at very low incidence level (<1%). In this field, stripe rust of resistant reactions was common.

Stem Rust

No more news about stem rust since the last report on June 9 that rust on barberry plants was identified as stem rust in greenhouse testing.

Stripe Rust - Update, corrections and pictures!

2010-06-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

Dr Chen updated and corrected his information from yesterday:

Three varieties should be changed:

Goetze should be in the "should be sprayed" group. Goetze has been severely damaged in western Oregon and showed a susceptible reaction in the Dayton Variety Trial.
Varieties ORCL 103 and RJames and maybe others should be put in the group of "either spray or not spray". (Thank Art Swannack and Mike Mckinley for sharing their observations of these varieties.)

Stripe Rust Update, Dr. Chen

2010-06-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Stripe rust started earlier in the Milton Freewater, Walla Walla and Dayton (Columbia County)area than in other areas of the region this spring. Dr. Chen, WSU, was able to take preliminary notes in the variety trial near Dayton on June 7 and 8th. Here are his observations and recommendations:

Stripe rust reactions of the most of tested varieties were as expected with some exceptions.
Rod, SWW variety, had more susceptible plants than in the past, indicating a considerable proportion (estimated as 20%) of plants became susceptible.
Tubbs 06, SWW variety, became more susceptible than in the past a couple of years after the re-selection from ‘Tubbs’.
Lambert had very high severity (40-80%),even with a moderately resistant reaction.
The changes towards more susceptibility of these two varieties are not only due to the low temperature and high moisture conditions this year, but also possibly due to changes of races and their frequencies.

Based on Dr Chen notes in this variety trial and previous data, the unique weather conditions, and HTAP resistance has started kicking in, he is grouping the major varieties into the following three groups and rating the need to spray fungicide applications:

Varieties should NOT be sprayed: Eltan, Madsen, Eltan/Madsen, Chukar, Finch, Skiles, ORCF-102, ORCF-103, Coda, Madsen/Rod, Legion, Bitteroot, Bruehl, Stephens, Brundage 96, Eltan/Tubbs06, KCF9002, RJames, Goetze, Goetze/Skiles, Cara, and George.

Varieties should be sprayed: AP Legacy, Salute, KCF9003, CDC Ptarmigan, Paladin, Eddy, Finley, Finway, and Buchanan.

Varieties can be either sprayed or not sprayed: Tubbs 06, Simon, Xerpha, Rod/Tubbs 06, Rod, Lambert, Masami, WB-528, AP700CL, Farnum, and Bauermeister. The difficulty to make a decision of spray or not spray for varieties in this group is due to the inadequate levels of HTAPWalla Walla, Columbia, and Garfield counties and southwestern Whitman County as rust severity has reached to significant levels and expected to increase more in another week or so. In most of the other areas, rust levels are still quite low and we expect that HTAP resistance starts to work in most of these varieties as the weather is going to warm up next week. The second consideration is the yield potential. The higher yield potential, the easier to justify the cost of fungicide application. A general guideline is that fields of 100 bushel per acre should move toward spraying as yield losses of such varieties may range between 5 to 15%.

In addition to Tilt, Quilt, Quadris, Stratego, and Headline, Folicur can be used.

Spring wheat has a much wide variation in growth stages, from tillering to flag leaf stage across the Pacific Northwest, particularly in Washington State. Rust is in spring wheat fields, but in very low incidence and severity (less than 2%) in general. If susceptible varieties (such as Scarlet, Hank, Nick, Eden, Westbred 926, Tara 2002, Jefferson) are grown, you may consider an early spray before rust reaches 10% severity or incidence as you may be able to use ground application in early stage. If resistant varieties (such as Louise, Wakanz) are grown, fungicides may not be used you should not use fungicides. Alpowa is in between and we hope its HTAP resistance starts working as the weather becomes warm.

Dr. Chen found a very low level of stripe rust on barley in a couple of fields in Whitman County, not warrant immediate spray. People should check their fields for stripe rust and its increase. If moderately resistant varieties (such as Baronesse and Bob), spray may not be necessary. If other varieties (mostly susceptible) are grown, spray may be needed in a week or two when rust reaches about 10% severity or incidence.

Stem rust: The rust samples we collected from barberry bushes in the Latah County Idaho and Whitman County, Washington last month have been identified as stem rust. We couldn’t found any stem rust in the wheat fields nearby the barberry bushes in the Latah County today. Rust reached last stages of aecial on the bushes.

Stripe rust treatment options-Going Going GONE!!

2010-06-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

A quick reminder that most fungicides for the treatment of stripe rust have a cutoff for treatment with either a stage of growth of Feekes 10.5 (full heading) and/or a pre-harvest interval of 35-40 days! Once the heads are flowering we have moved beyond 10.5.

Please check your product labels closely and don't push the treatment window!! We can not afford to have misapplications of fungicides in our wheat crops and the related potential for food safety concerns!

Reports continue to come in that stripe rust is being found on the flag leaves of varieties such as Tubbs 06, Skiles, Goetze, Rod, ORCF102, Xerpha and WEstbred 528 in Umatilla County and north into Walla Walla County, Washington, but our treatment window is going, if not gone in many areas near Pendleton.

Wheat Head Armyworm - larvae emerging

2010-05-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

Wheat head armyworm adult moths (F. diffusa) are starting to emerge in increasing numbers, plus we are starting to find larva in Umatilla County. The following numbers are total moths collecting in our 25 sites. The largest numbers in individual traps were found near Holdman Rd, west of Kings Corner with 37 adults, and also south of Myrick with 21 adults. We expect about a 2-3 week delay between adults emerging and larva hatching. We will continue to keep posting numbers. If you desire more details about specific counts please call my office at 541-278-5403.

               Adults Larva
14-Apr 0 0
21-Apr       4               0
28-Apr       7 0
5-May        1               0
12-May      17             1
19-May      157 2

Stripe Rust Infections Reaching Treatment Levels

2010-05-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

STRIPE RUST CONTINUES TO INCREASE:
Stripe rust has been developing rapidly in Walla Walla and nearby parts of Umatilla County. Since the first observation by Xianming Chen in plots in Walla Walla on April 29, stripe rust has been reported to be widely spread. Plants of a field of ‘Declo’, a susceptible hard red winter wheat cultivar, were quite uniformly infected. Up to 20% incidence was reported in some fields grown with ‘Tubbs 06’ or a mixture of ‘Rod’ and ‘Tubbs 06’.
Dr. Mike Flowers reports significant infection in OSU trials in Hermiston, Pendleton, and Lexington.
Dr. Stephen Guy reported significant infection in one replication of ‘Lambert’ in the variety trial near Walla Walla. Some fields have been sprayed with fungicides in this region. Rust is developing in the Central Ferry area (Columbia County, southeastern WA). Based on Dr. Kim Campbell, ‘Xerpha’ (a soft white winter wheat with a moderate level of high-temperature adult-plant resistance) had infection type 5 and 10-20% severity. Rust has been reported in commercial fields in this area.
Stripe rust management in the PNW:
The current stripe rust situation is similar to what we forecasted in January, little bit more severe than last year, but should be less than 2005. The low temperature and high moisture conditions in the past several weeks and predicted for the next two weeks have been and will be favorable for stripe rust. Under such conditions, fields grown with susceptible cultivars (such as Declo, Buchanan, Finley, Finway, Palatin, and Eddy) should be sprayed. Depending upon locations, cultivars with low to moderate levels of high-temperature adult-plant resistance (such as Farnum, Xerpha, and Baurmeister) may need to consider spraying. Cultivars with high levels of resistance (such as Eltan, Madsen, Stephens, and many others) may not need to spray. Now is the critical time for growers in the Walla Walla, central WA, and nearby regions to check their fields and spray if necessary. Growers in the Palouse region (Whitman County of Washington and Latah county of Idaho) and further north should start to check wheat fields, and consider spraying if rust develops to 5-10% of severity. People also need to consider the fact that several cultivars (such as Tubbs, Tubbs 06, Brundage 96, and many others) are not uniformly resistant, susceptible plants can be found in these crops. Fields grown with such cultivars may need or not need spraying depending upon locations, and a 20% severity threshold may be used to make decision.

This report is based on information provided by Xianming Chen, WSU and Mike Flowers, OSU.

Wild weather and Stripe rust update

2010-05-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Weather is on everyone's mind in the West this week. Winds topped 102 mph on Rattlesnake Mt. in south eastern Washington and numerous reports of winds in the 50 mph range were reported on Monday in the Columbia Basin in Oregon. Snow in the foothills and frost the last two mornings in the valleys would to keep weather on our minds.
While late frosts can damage heads, for the moment cool temperatures are keeping the wheat crop looking good for the first week of May. As cool temperatures linger, we would typically expect to have one hot week in May, and so we know warm temperatures will eventally come, and if rains don't arrive with them, many of the shallow soil areas to run out of soil moisture in a hurry.
Cool temperatures have slowed wheat development may delay stripe rust development on susceptible varieties. Stripe rust was found in the Walla Walla area last week at very low levels, and growers should be scouting their fields to look for infection levels on suspectible varieties.

New variety, Xerpha, raisings some concerns

2010-04-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

The new winter wheat variety, Xerpha, is experiencing some of the vulgarities that Mother Nature can throw at her here in the Pacific Northwest. Various reports from across eastern Washington showed an assortment of responses to the growing conditions created by above average temperatures in February, followed by a couple of weeks of cold weather. Tim Paulitz, USDA ARS plant pathology researcher, noted some brown discoloration, and browning of the subcrown internodes in some fields of Xerpha in the Ritzville/Lind area last week. Additional field experience with this new variety will tell us a more complete story of its suitability for different growing conditions found across eastern Oregon and Washington, until then we will continue to gather information and see what the final outcome is at harvest time.

While some concerns were raised about the discoloration being from intolerance to herbicide applications, feedback from both Dan Ball and Joe Yenish, university weed scientists, is that current research indicates a good level of crop safety if label precautions are followed. More studies are underway and additional information will be available perhaps later this spring.

Xerpha, released in 2008, is adapted to a broad range of production areas and consistently ranks among the top cultivars in all agronomic
categories in the PNW. It was released as a replacement for Madsen and Eltan based on its high grain yield potential, test weight, cold tolerance, and high-temperature adult-plant resistance to local races of stripe rust.

With wheat development still ahead of “normal” we continue to see the potential for impact to our local wheat fields from late spring frosts, but for today we are happy with recent rain showers and the continuing advance of spring. We just keep glancing over our shoulders at the fresh snow each morning on the Blue Mountains, keep our thermal coveralls handy and wait for warmer temperatures to return.

Insect ID class - 4 openings

2010-04-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

Recent cancellations have created 4 openings in the Train-the-Trainer Insect Identification Short Courses to be held in Hermiston, Oregon. Call (541)278-5403 or email us (mary.corp@oregonstate.edu)TODAY if you are interested in joining the class! This is a busy time, but skills learned will benefit you for years to come as you make informed decisions about insect pest management saving your operations potentially thousands of dollars.

• Hermiston Agricultural Research & Extension Center, May 3-5, 2010, Hermiston, OR (2 openings)
• Hermiston Agricultural Research & Extension Center, May 6-8, 2010, Hermiston, OR (2 openings)

The 20-hour short course is designed to train University Extension field faculty, Extension Master Gardeners, agency professionals, and crop consultants on identification of insects - both beneficial and pesky bugs.

The training will include many hands-on aspects:
• collecting, mounting, and identifying insects,
• using a stereo microscope, and
• using an insect key.

Training will also include insect management and creation of an educational display. Class enrollment is limited to 20 individuals at each site.
For additional information visit our Insect Id webpage.

Winter grain mite making an appearance

2010-04-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

A damaging infestation of winter grain mite (Penthaleus major) was reported in a Timothy grass field at Valleyford, Spokane County, earlier this week (March 29)by Diana Roberts, Washington State University Area Agronomist. She also notes there are reports that infestations are widespread in Kentucky bluegrass fields in Spokane County. Farmers should check their fields without delay as this is the peak season for the pest. Affected areas appear as brown, circular patches in a field.

The mite is best viewed with a hand lens as it is only about 1 mm long. The body appears blue-black, roundish, and with 8 bright, red-orange legs. In 2009, Oregon State University Extension published a bulletin on the mite at
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8976-e.pdf

Hosts of the winter grain mite include many crops in the grass family, plus some broadleaved plants. It is seldom an economic problem in wheat, but can be damaging in perennial grasses such as Timothy and orchardgrass. Populations peak in March and April, especially following mild winters. Rain can reduce the mite populations drastically, especially in wheat. However, grass seed crops are more susceptible to prolonged damage.

March madness: Wheat weed control options

2010-03-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

March madness this spring has cherry trees in full bloom, and apple blossoms ready to pop open. Recent above average temperatures have hastened the arrival of spring and now wheat growers are hoping for April showers for their wheat fields. With April 1st coming just next week, growers are also facing a cutoff date of applications of some herbicides especially in Milton-Freewater and the adjacent Walla Walla Valley areas.

A quick check with MiltonFreewater fruit and grape growers today, indicates that leaves are starting to emerge on horticultural crops in the Walla Walla Valley, which raises the need for additional care to be taken as herbicide applications on wheat as other crops are ahead of “normal” development. Grapes continue to be the most sensitive crop found in the area. Herbicide drift can injure foliage, shoots, flowers and fruits. If injury is severe enough, or occurs repeatedly, it can cause reduced yield, poor fruit quality, and occasionally, vine death.

For downy brome control, Powerflex and Olympus Flex are good choices. Powerflex offers a 9 month plantback restriction which offers some flexibility in future planting decisions. Dan Ball, OSU Weed Scientist recommends a full 3.5 oz rate for a spring application of Powerflex. It has good crop safety, and while he has noted some yellowing with Powerflex under cool application conditions but he hasn’t seen this to affect yield.

For more information visit OSU Extension Cereal Central webpage.

Soil Borne Wheat Disease Expands

2010-03-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

The wheat disease, soilborne wheat mosaic virus, has made itself known this spring in parts of the Walla Walla Valley in southern Washington and northeastern Oregon. This is the second time it has appeared, but this time it is more noticeable and wider spread than 2 years ago according to local crop consultant Jerry Zahl of Walla Walla. Two years ago affected areas were small and limited to low lying areas. This time around more fields are affected and larger areas are showing symptoms. Spofford area near Milton-Freewater, Oregon and in the Mill Creek and Russell Creek areas east of Walla Walla, Washington are again seeing the disease.Visit www.cerealcentral.com for more information.

Weather's Impact on Business

2010-01-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

Weather's Impact on Business...
I was interviewed today on the potential impacts of weather on PNW wheat crops, check it out!

AgriNews - News - Markets

2009-10-23T14:30:00.001-07:00

AgriNews - News - Markets

Posted using ShareThis

Knowing what bugs you

2009-10-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Know what really bugs you is a necessary skill for survival in the farming game! Not knowing what the true "bug" is can lead to faulty decisions and costly expenditures. To add to the complexity of correctly identifying what is bugging you - there is often a disconnect from the pretty moth that flies by and the armyworm eating your wheat heads and flag leaves. Next spring OSU specialists are offering a Insect Identification Train-the-Trainer Short Course. For more information see the Insect ID webpage.

Wheathead Armyworm -the Real Thing!

2009-09-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

After looking since June, we have found our first "true" Wheathead Armyworm moth of the year in our insect traps in wheat fields near Helix, Oregon. The last couple of weeks we have found a couple of "false" Wheathead Armyworm moths, BUT at last we have the true one.
This identification of the moth has been confirmed by Silvia Rondon, OSU Extension Specialist, Hermiston, Oregon and Peter Landolt, USDA ARS Research Leader, Wapato, Washington.
After a summer of trapping and collecting insects from our traps it is exciting to find it. It feels like hitting a home run, or at least a triple.

Fall flight of armyworm moths continue

2009-09-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

One was still our number this week for "false" wheathead armyworm moths. We will continue to collect for about 3 more weeks to see if the level remains the same, increases or drops.
Fall seeding continues in our area, as growers prepare the fields, hoping to catch the early seeding window. Cool temperatures forecasted for the long Labor Day weekend should help. It looks like many local farmers will follow our family tradition of laboring over Labor Day weekend.

Fall flight of Wheathead Armyworm moths begins?

2009-08-31T13:37:00.000-07:00

Last week I found a "false" Wheathead Armyworm moth (1)in a pheromone trap near Helix, Oregon. This is the first moth I have seen since last June. I will continue to monitor the traps through September to see if we do indeed get a fall flight of moths as literature suggests is possible.

Fall seeding of winter wheat has starting here in northeastern Oregon, along with some forest fires and blazing sunsets.

Skeletonweed..the silent invasion

2009-08-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Rush Skeletonweed, a perennial weed, continues to invade new areas in Umatilla County. I looked at a small patch of Skeletonweed near Athena, Oregon this week. Almost 25 years has passed since I was involved in the first sighting of Skeletonweed in our county. While it has not spread as quickly as we first thought it would, it has continued to move into new areas over the years.
Perennial weeds will likely be an increasing threat as we reduce the amount of tillage in our production system. Also as we plant perennial buffers along waterways and streams, perennial weeds like Canada Thistle, Russian Knapweed and Skeletonweed will likely get established and require more attention. For more information on weeds and their control visit the following sites:http://extension.oregonstate.edu/umatilla/cereals/weeds/rush and the Pacific Northwest Weed Management Handbook.