Blog: Agronomy & Extension

MCA-funded research at the 2023 Manitoba Agronomists’ Conference

Coles Ag on January 3, 2024

On Dec. 13 and 14, 2023, Manitoba agronomists met to discuss the latest developments in pest, crop and soil management. This year, the conference theme was “Advanced Technologies: tools or replacements for agronomists?” Much of the research shared at the Manitoba Agronomists’ Conference was funded in part by Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA).

The following is a summary of the posters shared that featured MCA-funded research:

Soil Fertility

  • Performance of Soybean-based Rotations in Manitoba: Soil P and K
    Ramona Mohr, Yong Min Kim, Mohammad Khakbazan, Debbie McLaren (ret’d), and Byron Irvine (ret’d), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Crop Management

  • Leveraging On-Farm Research to Evaluate New Malting Barley Varieties for Production and Malting Selection in Manitoba
    Li Yueshu, Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre, Ashley Ammeter, Morgan Cott, Daryl Rex, Andrew Hector, Manitoba Crop Alliance
  • Performance of Soybean-based Rotations in Manitoba: Yield and Quality
    Ramona Mohr, Yong Min Kim, Mohammad Khakbazan, Debbie McLaren (ret’d), Byron Irvine (ret’d), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
  • Establishment of Annual Crop-Living Mulch System
    Jessica Frey, Joanne Thiessen Martens, University of Manitoba

Pest Management

  • Performance of Soybean-based Rotations in Manitoba: Root Diseases
    Yong Min Kim, Debbie McLaren (ret’d), Ramona Mohr, Byron Irvine (ret’d), Mohammad Khakbazan, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
  • Are Intercropped Cover Crops Compatible with Canola Weed Management on the Canadian Prairies?
    Janelle Gawiak, Yvonne Lawley, University of Manitoba, Maryse Bourgault, University of Saskatchewan, Linda Gorim, University of Alberta
  • Manitoba Survey of Herbicide-resistant Weeds in 2022
    Charles Geddes, Mattea Pittman, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kim Brown-Livingston, Manitoba Agriculture, Julie Leeson, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

During the crop management session, Amy Delaquis also presented her research on Agronomic Management to Maximize Spring Wheat Yield and Protein while Minimizing Lodging Risk. Check out our factsheets that summarize this research:

For a full list of poster presentations and speakers from the 2023 conference, as well as a recording of the 2023 presentations (available February 2024), visit the Manitoba Agronomists’ Conference website.

Thank you to the conference partners – University of Manitoba, Manitoba Agriculture and the Prairie Certified Crop Advisor Board – for hosting an excellent conference!

Research on the Farm: Sunflower Plant Population Trials Summarized (2021 – 2023)

Coles Ag on December 5, 2023

Manitoba Crop Alliance’s Research on the Farm program looks at common agronomic, crop-specific concerns on field-scale, replicated trials in commercial fields. 2023 saw the sunflower plant population trials completed with 21 site-years of data.

The objective of this specific trial was to quantify the agronomic and economic impacts of various plant populations on both oilseed and confectionary sunflower production in Manitoba. Constant genetic improvements in sunflower hybrids raise the question of whether farmers can either increase or decrease their planting populations with improvements in quality and/or yield. Farmers took to the field to make that final decision.

Figure 1: MCA Research on the Farm Sunflower Plant Population Trial locations, 2021 – 2023.

Tone Ag Consulting performs MCA’s Research on the Farm trials in all 6 of our crop-types. In this specific trial type, they are helping the farmer with planting and harvest of the plots, plus taking some key information during the growing season. This includes soil sampling in the spring followed by growth stage notes and precipitation data during the season.

Table 1: Three-year summary of sunflower plant population trial for 21 site years. Six site-years contributed statistically significant yield differences which would provide profit for the farm, based only on seed prices.

When looking at this full data set, it doesn’t necessarily give a farmer the details they are looking for. At the end of the day, they want to know the ROI for each treatment, which includes spring seed costs and sunflower prices off the combine. Simply stated, if the “high” planting rate outyielded the “low” and “check” planting rates, it may have only been marginally, therefore the higher seed cost of planting at a high rate was likely not the economical choice.

Table 2: Three-year economic summary of sunflower plant population trial for 21 site years. Net profit per acre was calculated using estimated seed cost in spring 2023 and contract pricing in fall 2023.

Sunflower farmers tend to be aware of the best management practices for their farm, which is evident in Table 2, above. Planting populations are reasonably simple to set up on-farm and MCA recommends farmers make the effort to periodically do this same testing. 2022 and 2023 were dry years in areas of Manitoba, which may have skewed results, but it is important to continue to collect data in years of varying precipitation to determine planting rates that work better on your farm in all environments.

New-to-flax chemistry now registered for in-crop use

Coles Ag on December 5, 2023

It has long been known that flax farmers need stronger weed control options to successfully grow and maintain good quality and higher-yielding flax crops. BASF has been a strong supporter of flax in recent years, encouraging the growth of acres on the Prairies. In 2022, BASF announced a new registration for Heat ® LQ applied as a pre-harvest treatment aid on flax, which both MCA and SaskFlax partnered in running a field trial program for testing.

As of early November 2023, BASF announced that Armezon® herbicide is now registered for post-emergent applications to flax. This use was registered under the User Requested Minor Use Label Expansion program. Armezon® herbicide is a Group 27, post-emergent herbicide that is quickly absorbed by leaves, roots, and shoots to quickly control target weeds. The herbicide claims control of common ragweed, Eastern black nightshade, kochia (less than 10 cm), redroot pigweed, volunteer canola (prior to 6-leaf stage) and wild mustard, when applied at the recommended rate and with a specific adjuvant partner.

Manitoba flax farmers are very fortunate to have this ongoing support and can look forward to an additional tool in their toolbox to aid in successfully keeping their flax crops cleaner in 2024.

Further details on Armezon® herbicide registration in flax can be found in the accompanying documents.

Project Update: MCA Development of Long-Type Confection Sunflower Hybrids

Coles Ag on November 3, 2023

Each year, Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) releases the Sunflower Variety Performance Trial (VPT) data for both oil and confection sunflowers. In recent years, several confection experimental lines have been tested under the company, MCA. It is reassuring to the future of the sunflower industry in Manitoba that several seed companies continue to invest in the success of this crop.

In 2011, the National Sunflower Association of Canada (NSAC), now amalgamated under MCA, joined the impressive list of organizations that are investing in variety development to bring improved sunflower hybrids to our farmer members. Manitoba has a strikingly short list of available confection hybrids and those that are available are not new genetics. There is also an absence of herbicide-tolerant hybrids with improved disease packages that would benefit confection sunflower farmers.

This is a very exciting time for MCA. As a project that started many years ago with NSAC and has remained a high priority in MCA’s research program, it is very possible that one of these lines will be registered soon, with strong interest from the sunflower industry. MCA is very proud of our breeder’s hard work and commitment to building these three strong experimental hybrids that have strong yields and promising genetic and agronomic packages for Manitoba’s unique growing conditions.

MCA sunflower breeder, Mike Hagen, standing in the first commercial field to test MCA experimental hybrids.

MCA is looking for confection sunflower farmers to conduct strip trials in their 2024 commercial sunflower fields. Interested farmer members can contact Daryl Rex, research trial specialist at MCA, for more information.

MCA’s Elite Sunflower Hybrid Guide

Background

This project supports Manitoba Crop Alliance’s farmer-led hybrid confection sunflower breeding program. Hybrids with herbicide and disease resistance, suitable for Canadian growing conditions will be developed as part of this project.

Project Objectives

  1. Develop elite parent lines, possessing genes for tolerance to sulfonylurea herbicide, rust and downy mildew.
  2. Produce testing seed, test and isolate confection sunflower hybrids for Canadian production that are high yielding, lodging resistance with improved dark, long-type seed. Resistant to sulfonylurea herbicide, rust and downy mildew.

Flax Diseases: A 2023 Overview

Coles Ag on October 10, 2023

Pasmo is the primary disease of concern in flax in Manitoba and has a regular seat at the table. Severity ranges from year to year and depends on how early symptoms start to show, but it can have significant effects on yield.

The fungus is both residue- and seed-borne, so best management practices include crop rotation, using clean seed, seeding early and fungicide use, which relies heavily on ideal timing. Keeping fields weed-free is another management practice that also benefits yields via disease prevention. Keeping inter-rows clean enables drying winds to pass through the crop easily and deter fungi or bacteria from setting, but also gets rid of other disease hosts that could enable infection of the crop.

Manitoba Crop Alliance, in partnership with SaskFlax, performs an annual flax disease survey on representative acres in Manitoba. It was uncharacteristically dry in Manitoba in 2023, which led industry members to believe disease pressure would likely be quite low across most crops and mundane disease surveys were to follow.

Pasmo and Aster Yellows were the main diseases of interests this year, but it isn’t yet known how they impacted yield. Pasmo ranged in incidence in-field from 0 – 42 per cent, with severity being as high as 75 per cent in the hardest-hit flax crops. Some flax crops were fortunate to have zero incidence of the disease, most likely due to thinner stands and drier conditions during the season.

Pasmo-infected flax stalk.

Aster Yellows were not significant, but in fields that were affected, it was easy to spot the damage and yield will have been impacted in diseased patches. This is a very random disease, infecting plants that have been fed on by aster leafhoppers that are specifically infected by the aster yellow phytoplasma. Aster yellows affect many different crops, with canola being the most economically significant in Manitoba. Aster leafhoppers are sucking insects that transmit aster yellow phytoplasma directly into the phloem of a healthy flax plant, thereby infecting that plant. Damage is evident in misshapen or unproductive bolls.

Flax aster yellows.

In preparation for the 2024 flax crop, farmers will want to follow some key tips for disease prevention:

  • Use clean seed
  • Diversify crop rotation
  • Use seed treatments
  • Keep fields weed-free

For more information on growing flax on the Prairies, see Flax Production Resources on our website.

Corn Facts: Drought and Harvest 2023

Coles Ag on October 10, 2023

Drought conditions seriously threatened the 2023 grain corn crop in Manitoba. From planting until mid-September, many local fields remained depleted of adequate moisture to support good corn growth and development. As harvest occurs, it is easy to see where the drought impacted yields the most and where crops were graced with timely rains and have succeeded in yielding well.

The following are some facts that help tell the story of 2023 and why some fields were affected more than others:

  • Nodal root development and functionality is reliant on soil moisture. At a shallow depth of 0.75 inches, if soil moisture is not available, the roots cannot properly establish, extract soil water or nutrients, or support upright growth of the corn plant.
  • Corn leaves roll and appear pineapple- or onion-like in response to heat and drought. This decreases the surface area exposed to sunlight and reduces transpiration. Unfortunately, it also reduces photosynthetic activity in the plant, which impacts both maturity and yield.
  • Kernel rows per ear have been said to be determined by V6. Number of rows is determined more by genetics than by environment.
  • Kernels per row are determined from about V7 to a week prior to silking. This development is vulnerable to environmental stresses.

Figure 1. Corn water demand by growth stage.
Credit: Golden Harvest Seeds.

  • Drought stress has a major impact during the V13 to silking (R1) stages of corn development. Water demand is at its peak during this time, so drought and heat stress negatively impact reproduction. 
  • Silks initiate elongation from the kernels around seven days prior to silking. Drought stress can slow elongation, delaying silk emergence or even causing failure of silks to emerge from the husk. Successful emergence of silks is then threatened by moisture and heat stress, which may desiccate silks and make them unviable to pollen shed.
  • Adversely, drought stress speeds up pollen shed. Silk emergence and pollen shed may not sync, which means pollination potential is not met.
  • Water demand remains high during the remainder of the reproductive stages and is required for proper grain development and fill.
  • Drought stress can affect a corn plant’s ability to fill grain properly. As the plant begins to shut down and senesce, it is moving all its sugars and reserves to the grain to fill to its maximum. This process may be cut off by environmental factors, commonly including a severe frost.
  • Prolonged environmental stress will lead to premature physiological maturity. The lack of moisture tells the plant to go into survival mode and fill grain with its remaining energy and reserves (mentioned above). This enables the plant to shut down from the ground up and eventually reach R6 (physiological maturity). The grain begins to dry down from this point on.
  • Stalk diseases may be present, regardless of drought conditions during the growing season. Harvest affected fields first to avoid heavy winds and lodging losses.

Gibberella stalk rot on corn stalk.
Credit: Pioneer.

  • Ear moulds may be present, regardless of drought conditions during the growing season. Harvest affected fields first to avoid spread of disease on cobs and quality concerns.

Fusarium Ear Mould.

REFERENCES:

The value and importance of seed testing

Coles Ag on October 4, 2023

If you are planning on saving seed for next year’s crop, seed testing should be considered, as weather conditions from the year the seed was grown, such as precipitation and heat, affect seed quality. Seed testing in the fall can provide growers with useful information that can save them both time and money – allowing them to plan for next year’s growing season with greater certainty.

Typically, seed tests evaluate variables such as germination, thousand kernel weight, physical purity, and vigour. As well, some labs can conduct seed-borne disease testing. Understanding these variables is important when making seeding management decisions, as seeds with poor germination and vigour or those that contain seed diseases can negatively impact crop establishment, uniformity and health. This will ultimately affect yield.

Information collected from seed tests is also integral to achieving your desired plant population, as thousand kernel weight should be used to determine optimal seeding rates. Additionally, understanding seed germination and vigour can give you a better gauge of expected seed survival and how the seed will perform in the spring.

Germination tests evaluate the percentage of seeds likely to develop or germinate under optimal moisture, light and temperature conditions. Vigour tests are similar but provide information regarding the ability for seeds to produce normal seedings in suboptimal conditions. Cold stress tests are often used to determine this, although there are multiple vigour testing protocols used by labs. Vigour testing is important, as seed vigour usually drops before the seeds ability to germinate does. More information about calculating seeding rates can be found here.

It’s important to note that long periods of storage can affect seed quality. For example, both germination and vigour levels can decrease during winter storage. Therefore, secondary seed testing in early spring may also be necessary. More information about seed testing and seed test interpretation can be found here.

Below are Seeds Canada accredited seed testing labs in Manitoba. Accredited labs can also be found across the Canadian Prairies. Growers should contact labs to understand the services they provide:

 

Carbine Insecticide – Emergency Use Registration Approved for Use on Lygus Bug in Confection Sunflowers in Manitoba

Coles Ag on July 27, 2023

Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Crop Alliance and FMC Canada are pleased to announce that Carbine insecticide has been approved for use to control lygus bug in confection sunflowers in Manitoba again in 2024.

The need for an emergency use registration was identified in the wake of the re-evaluation of lambda-cyhalothrin product use in Canada, which left a void in lygus bug control in confection sunflowers. This insect pest is a serious economic threat to human consumption market confection sunflowers.

Lygus nymph and adult.

Lygus bug feed on developing sunflower seeds, which can cause kernel brown spot, a physical scar on the bare seed, and a bitter taste when consumed. Sunflower processors allow only 0.5 per cent damage in physical product. Since tolerance is at an absolute minimum, confection sunflower farmers need an insecticide product to control lygus bug to maintain the quality that is so highly demanded.

Lygus bugs can damage 30 to 35 seeds per head per adult. With the industry standard allowing for a maximum of 0.5 per cent kernel brown spot, the economic threshold for lygus bugs on sunflowers is about one lygus bug per nine heads. In research trials, damage to sunflower heads was approximately twice as severe when infestations occurred at late bud and early bloom compared to stages when heads had completed flowering. Thus, lygus bug management should be initiated prior to or at the beginning of the bloom stage if adult densities approach the economic threshold. Also, fields should be monitored for lygus bugs until flowering is complete to reduce incidence of kernel brown spot damage to confection sunflowers.

Please note that confectionary sunflower farmers interested in using Carbine on their sunflowers are recommended to contact their ag retailer as soon as possible to allow for timely delivery in case there is no local stock available.

Here are key details regarding the Carbine insecticide Emergency Use Registration:

  • Carbine® insecticide is registered for control of lygus bugs (Lygus spp.) on confection sunflowers in Manitoba from July 21, 2024 until July 20, 2025.
  • This emergency use is for Manitoba confection sunflowers only with intended sell-in markets of Canada or the U.S. Please confirm this with end purchaser prior to application.
  • This emergency use is not for oilseed sunflowers, as maximum residue levels are not set in other countries where oilseed sunflowers might be sold.

What you need to know about Carbine® insecticide:

  • Application Rate: 81 grams/acre (20 acres per 1.587kg jug); maximum of three applications per year.
  • The emergency use covers both air and ground application.
  • Application Water Volume: Thorough spray coverage essential for optimum control. Apply in sufficient water to ensure good coverage (min. of 50 L/ha for ground; 30 L/ha for air). Finished spray volumes should be increased when plant foliage is dense.
  • What to expect: Carbine® insecticide will stop lygus bug feeding rapidly and irreversibly, but it may take several days to see a reduction in lygus bug numbers, as they take time to desiccate. They will not be causing damage in this time.

Please contact your local FMC Account Manager for more information.

Funding to support sustainable practices available to Manitoba farmers

mca2022dev on May 26, 2023

The Agricultural Climate Solutions – On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) was established to provide funding and support to farmers in adopting practices that store carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Manitoba, funds are available through the Manitoba Association of Watersheds and the Canola Council of Canada. Farmers may only receive funding from one organization for a given eligible beneficial management practice on a given parcel of land. More information on these programs, including a summary of eligibility criteria and beneficial management practices can be found here.

The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) – Sustainable Agriculture Manitoba

The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) is an investment by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to support the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector. As part of the SCAP, the Manitoba government has now opened intake for the Sustainable Agriculture Manitoba (SAM) program, which provides funding to farmers to support the implementation of beneficial management practices that increase the environmental and economic sustainability of agriculture operations in Manitoba. Funding streams that may be of particular interest to MCA farmer members include:

Crop Land Management: Funding to support adoption of cropland management practices that optimize operations and improve productivity. Eligible beneficial management practices include:

  • Reduced Tillage Intensity
  • Low Disturbance Placement of Seed & Fertilizer
  • Preventing Soil Compaction
  • Reduced Pesticide Use
  • Soil Landscape Restoration
  • Perennial Cover for Sensitive Lands
  • Hazardous Products Storage

More information on the Crop Land Management funding stream is available here.

Water Management: Funding to support the adoption of practices that enhance the supply, efficient use, quality and management of water. Eligible beneficial management practices include:

  • Increased Irrigation Efficiency
  • Fertigation
  • Sub-surface Drainage Water Management
  • Water Quality
  • Runoff Control
  • Water Use Efficiency
  • Water Supply

More information on the Water Management funding stream is available here.

To be eligible for funding through the SAM program, farms are required to have a valid Environmental Farm Plan (EFP). Information on Manitoba’s EFP can be found here.

Application intake for the SAM program closes at 11:59 pm on Tuesday June 13, 2023. For more information on this program and other SCAP programs you may be eligible for, visit the link below.

https://www.manitoba.ca/scap/index.html

Availability of Lambda-Cyhalothrin Insecticide and How It Affects Sunflowers

mca2022dev on February 28, 2023

By Manitoba Crop Alliance

Many major lambda-cyhalothrin products have been made unavailable to Canadian farmers for 2023 due to a label revision. This revision has a significant focus on feed-related commodities, which affects most Canadian commodities, but also includes concerns to human health and safety via consumption.

In sunflowers, Manitobans only had access to one insecticide (Matador) to control lygus bug, which is a significant pest in confection sunflowers due to their ability to negatively affect quality. Matador is now removed from our repertoire, leaving no current chemical options to control lygus bugs in sunflowers. Manitoba Crop Alliance and Manitoba Agriculture are working with industry to determine if an Emergency Use Registration will be possible for the 2023 growing season with any current products that have lygus bug on label but are not registered for use on sunflowers. It is a common occurrence in minor crops to not be included on label, so in these instances it requires a label expansion, which is an extensive process.

Lygus bugs are a major pest of sunflowers because they can cause kernel brown spot, which is a small brown to black spot on the blunt end of the seed. The industry standard allows for a maximum of 0.5% kernel brown spot in confection sunflowers marketed for human consumption. The economic threshold for lygus but in confection sunflowers is one bug per 9 sunflower heads. Each adult lygus bug is capable of damaging as many as 35 seeds per head.

Control of lygus bug is very limited and insecticides (lambda-cyhalothrin) are the most effective option in sunflowers. Cultural options are even more limited. When planning sunflower acres, it is recommended to avoid planting near adjacent canola fields since they are both favourable host crops to lygus bug. Canola does have limited insecticide options available for lygus bug, so in canola-lygus infestation and insecticide application scenarios, those neighbouring lygus bugs will attempt to move out and find another host crop, like sunflowers.

Some environmental and biological control factors from Manitoba Agriculture include:

  • Weather: Heavy rainfall may reduce levels of early-instar nymphs of lygus bugs. A study in alfalfa found heavy rainfall reduced first generation nymphs of Lygus lineolaris by 50%.
  • Biological Control: Nymphs of Lygus bugs may be killed by parasitic wasps in the genus Peristenus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae); with parasitism being common in weedy alfalfa stands or uncultivated weedy sites but very low in canola. Damsel bugs, assassin bugs, lacewing larvae, big-eyed bugs and crab spiders can prey on lygus bugs. Protecting these natural enemies by avoiding unnecessary insecticide applications may also help to reduce the impact of lygus bugs.

Manitoba Crop Alliance and Manitoba Agriculture will update farmers and industry of any changes in the insecticide market that affects lygus bug control in sunflowers in the near future.

Top