Current Situation: It has been an interesting week in Colquitt County agriculture. The dicamba situation has been the topic of discussion in the industry. All I can say is to stay tuned. I have been getting questions about oats and other small grains. Small grains range from Feekes Stage 4 to jointing. Below is a great illustration of the Feekes scale of wheat development from the UK Wheat Production Guide.UK Wheat Production Guide.
How do I manage nitrogen for my oats? Very good question. If you reach for the Southern Small Grains Resource Management Handbook it is suggested for grain production to apply 20 lb of nitrogen (N)/acre at planting or soon after seedling emergence. Apply an additional 60 lb N/acre in February for oats behind a summer legume and 75 lb N/acre after a non-legume crop. When oats are planted behind soybeans or peanuts, the autumn nitrogen application can be omitted. Delaying the February nitrogen application until March may severely reduce yields, especially when oats follow non-legume crops.
I have been seeing low numbers of aphids in local oat fields. Here is some information about aphid thresholds from a past blog post.
What about weed control in oats? Options include Harmony Extra, 2,4-D and MCPA. If you applying 2,4-D please apply to fully tillered oats only per the UGA Pest Management Handbook. Spraying oats too young or after jointing may reduce yields. Oats are less tolerant of 2,4-D than wheat. Better results are obtained when day-time temperatures are above 50°F. Liquid nitrogen may be used as a carrier for 2,4-D. Premix in water (1 part 2,4-D to 4 parts water) and add mixture to nitrogen with strong agitation. Notice only an amine formulation of 2,4-D is recommended due to crop response. Consider mixtures of 2,4-D with Harmony Extra for improved weed control. One application in-season only.
Up Coming Meetings: The Colquitt County Pecan Production Update will be held on February 15, 2024 at noon. The update will be held at the Colquitt County Extension office. If you are interested in attending please contact Kristina at the Extension office (229-616-7455).
The Colquitt County Cattlemen’s Association will be hosting a meeting on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. The meeting will take place at the Colquitt County Extension office and starts at 7 PM. Dr. Nancy Hinkle, UGA Livestock Entomologist, will be Zoomed in to update producers on what is new in this area. If you are interested in getting a zoom link please let me know.
Paraquat Training: I had a question or two about paraquat training. Information from the Georgia Department of Agriculture paraquat training website mention that
- As required by EPA’s Paraquat Dichloride Human Health Mitigation Decision and amended paraquat dichloride (a.k.a. paraquat) product labels, certified applicators must successfully complete an EPA-approved training program before mixing, loading, and/or applying paraquat. The training provides important information about paraquat’s toxicity, new label requirements and restrictions, and the consequences of misuse.
- Any person who intends to use paraquat must be a certified applicator and is required to take the training. “Use” includes :
- Pre-application activities involving mixing and loading the pesticide;
- Applying the pesticide; and
- Other pesticide-related activities, including, but not limited to, transporting or storing opened pesticide containers, cleaning equipment, and disposing of excess pesticides, spray mix, equipment wash waters, pesticide containers, and other paraquat-containing materials.
- The use of paraquat, which is a restricted use pesticide, is restricted to certified pesticide applicators only; noncertified persons working under the supervision of a certified applicator are prohibited from using paraquat, including mixing, loading, applying the pesticide, and other pesticide-related activities.
- For more information, please visit https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/paraquat-dichloride-training-certified-applicators.
- To Access Paraquat Training The official EPA-approved paraquat training module is assessable through the National Pesticide Safety Education Center.
- The training module is accessible through https://npsec.us/paraquat
- At the end of the module, a certificate is granted that can be used for pesticide license CEU credit. Please email credentials to us using the contract information below for one hour of CEU.
- Training must be completed every three years, and training will expire after the three-year time interval after module completion.
The Row Weed Management update was held last week at the Colquitt County Extension office. Dr. Culpepper mentioned a few tips for improving weed control in cotton. Last year, I received numerous calls about grass control in dicamba systems. The slide below shows Texas millet control by glyphosate as influenced by dicamba. Results of this study indicate that if glyphosate and dicamba are applied when Texas millet is 3 inches tall, 100 percent control is possible. The control decreases significantly from 100 to 84 percent when glyphosate and dicamba are applied to 10-inch Texas millet. The control of 10-inch-tall Texas millet reached 99 percent when the glyphosate was applied alone.
Dr. Culpepper mentioned the results of a study evaluating goosegrass control in a Liberty-based system. The slide below shows three treatments that included Liberty, Liberty tank-mixed with gyphosate, and glyphosate applied alone. If you use a Liberty-based system and goosegrass is an issue, then the glyphosate applied alone was the most effective, reaching 100 percent control. Liberty was the least effective, and Liberty + glyphosate did increase control of 2-3 inch goosegrass to 70 percent.
Below are a few tips on grass control for the up coming production year.
Dr. Prostko discussed several topics, including how Brake herbicide fits into a peanut weed management program. Below is research from 2022 showing what happens if you replace Valor with Brake in an herbicide program for peanuts. The slide shows Valor or Brake Tank mixed with Prowl and Strongarm applied PRE. The POST herbicide program is the same as the Valor and Brake programs.
What if it does not rain for 8 days to activate the pre-emerge herbicides in my peanuts? Below is Dr. Prostko’s work from last year again evaluating Valor and Brake in peanut.
Mr. Kichler, what did Dr. Bob say about infurrow fungicide options for peanuts at the Row Crop Disease update? I had to miss the meeting.
Well, Dr. Bob mentioned Abound/Quadris, Proline and Velum or Propulse. Azoxystrobin: 6 fl oz/A to 12 fl oz/A (3-6 fl oz/A under twin rows): very effective against Rhizoctonia seedling disease, much less effective now against Aspergillus crown rot disease. Velum: used primarily as a nematicide at a rate of 6.5-6.84 fl oz/A (3.4 fl oz/A under twin rows), Velum also has outstanding activity against Aspergillus crown rot if this is needed. Use of Velum also helps growers with a good start to early season control of leaf spot diseases, even though it is applied in the furrow. Proline: used in-furrow primarily if there is concern for management of CBR or, perhaps, early season white mold control. Propulse: this product is a pre-mix of fluopyram (Velum) and prothioconazole (Proline) and is used at a rate of 13.6 fl oz/A (single rows) and 6.8 fl oz/A (twin rows). Propulse would be used for reasons similar to Velum or Proline.
I am going to plant corn and I need to manage nematodes? What does Dr. Bob suggest?
I know that stubby root nematodes was the talk of the town last year and the topic of nematode sampling has come up over the last week or so. At the Row Disease meeting, Dr. Bob mentioned that the soil temperatures are too cold and sampling would not be worth the time and effort. According to Dr. Bob, “It is my estimation that use of nematicides to protect a corn crop from damaging populations of root-knot, stubby-root, and sting nematodes can easily increase yields by 10 to 40 (or more) bu/A. The magnitude of the yield increase is related to the size of the nematode population, the yield potential of the crop, and the type of nematicide that is used, e.g., Poncho-VOTiVO vs. Avicta Complete Corn vs. Propulse or Velum vs. Averland vs. Counter 20G vs. Telone II. The top yield increases are expected when Telone II is used to protect the corn crop where high populations of parasitic nematodes exist.”
Management of Nematodes
- Data continues to accumulate documenting the yield benefits that can result from the use of nematicides in appropriate fields infested with nematodes.
- Root-knot nematodes are the most common plant-parasitic nematodes affecting corn in our state; it is likely we have underestimated the losses associated with stubby-root nematodes.
- Use of Telone II has provided the most consistent increases in plant vigor, early crop development, and yields compared to other nematicides. Use of Telone may also result in
improved utilization of available nutrients. - Use of other nematicides, such as Counter 20G, Propulse, Velum, and AVICTA Complete Corn, can be effective in fields where nematode populations are at an appropriate level.
Have a safe week!
Jeremy M. Kichler
Colquitt County Agent
The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension does not endorse or guarantee the performance of any products mentioned in this update.