WESTERN Green Gold Report June 2, 2014

Here is the Second release for the Scissor Clipping Project for 2014.

SITE / RFV PEAQ / RFV NIR / Height / CP
Dauphin / 216 / 181 / 18 / 34
Makinak / 268 / 150 / 12 / 25
Virden / 260 / 170 / 13 / 35
McAuley
AVERAGE / 248 / 167 / 14.33 / 31.33

For June 2nd we have alfalfa that is tall enough to sample. The Dauphin alfalfa has grown 8 inches from the end of May. RFV are in the 170 average but it needs to be noted that there is a lot of variation throughout the Western half of the province. Looking at Dauphin we have seen the RFV drop 1 point/day but protein is increasing. What we are likely seeing is an increase in the leaf to stem ratio as we have moved from the extreme heat on May 26 to a more normal to slightly below normal temperatures. Our June 4th sampling should give a good indication at what rate RFV will continue to drop.

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For more information contact:

John McGregor, MFGA Extension Support

Early Bud Stage

Below is a shot of alfalfa in the early bud stage. For the Green Gold program and PEAQ early bud is considered as1 to 2 nodes having visible buds. Buds may be hidden by leaves. To check for presence of buds pinch stem tip with fingers. Presence of a small, hard “ball” means that a bud is present.

Growing Degree Days

As of June 2 we are now at 175 for Dauphin and 198 for the Virden area which is 84 and 87% of normal. All areas are reporting the alfalfa in the vegetative stage. As mentioned earlier we normally would expect 300 GDDs to reach 180 RFV but with some high temperatures generating rapid growth we now are seeing the exception to the rule.

Common Leafspot

One of the samples this week showed a lot of brown spots on the lower leaves. Normally as we start to get close to first cut you will see some of the bottom leaves yellow and die. If you are finding brown colored spots on the lower leaves likely what you have is common leaf spot.
The disease first develops on the lower leaves and as it develops it moves up the plant. Infected leaves become yellow and drop prematurely.

Typically you will see this in alfalfa fields at or before the first cut and in the late fall. The disease likes moist and cooler conditions found in the spring and fall. The fungi survive on the infected and dead leaves found on the ground. It is spread by spores that are released into the air and infect young leaves. Early cutting of the alfalfa is about the best practice that we have as it helps to reduce the amount of leaf loss.

To Cover or Not to Cover

At this time of year some of you may have accessed your forage fields and decided it is time to replace one or more fields. Traditionally, hay and pasture land was seeded with a cover crop as a way of competing with weeds and reducing soil erosion. Here is some information that may help make the cover crop decision easier.

Click here for the Agri-News article

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