By: THE OMAFRA FIELD CROP TEAM
Winter Wheat:
Although there are exceptions, generally the crop has greened up nicely and is in good condition. Very little nitrogen has been applied. The warm, sunny and breezy conditions over the weekend of the 21st did provide some with an opportunity to get nitrogen applied on well drained ground prior to rainfall on the 25th , but provincially the majority of fields are without a nitrogen application. As was the case during the 2017 season, scouting for rust will be important since spores can reach Ontario with the south winds. Fungicide applications are good in preventing rust damage (Table 1), but not as good in protecting the plant from damage once infected. The yield impact to fungicides applied at various growth stages will depend on crop management such as nitrogen rate, timing of weed control, environmental conditions and disease pressure. The table below provides an overview of yield response to fungicide application timing based on a series of replicated trials conducted by the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus.
