Farmers made good progress with field preparations and planting most of
the week until rain showers arrived in some areas over the weekend,
according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural
Statistics Service. Many areas experienced frost during the week, but
the extent of damage to corn, soybeans, alfalfa, wheat, fruit and berry
crops is unknown at this time. Planting of corn is moving at a record
pace, well ahead of 2004 when approximately 10% of the acreage had been
planted at this time. Farmers have also established a record pace for
planting soybeans.
FIELD CROPS REPORT
Twenty-four percent of the intended corn acreage has been planted compared with 2 percent for both last year and the 5-year average. By area, 16 percent of the crop has been planted in the north, 26 percent in the central region, and 33 percent in the south. Three percent of corn acreage has emerged compared with 0 percent for both last year and the 5-year average. Five percent of the intended soybean acreage has been planted compared with 0 percent for both last year and the 5-year average.
Fifty-seven percent of the winter wheat acreage is jointed compared with 19 percent last year and 22 percent for the 5-year average. Nine percent of the winter wheat acreage has headed compared with 0 percent for both last year and the 5-year average. Winter wheat condition is rated 79 percent good to excellent compared with 58 percent last year at this time.
LIVESTOCK, PASTURE AND RANGE REPORT
Livestock are reported to be in mostly good condition at this time.
Pasture condition is rated 77 percent good to excellent compared with 43
percent last year at this time. Hay supplies are rated 2 percent very
short, 14 percent short, 78 percent adequate and 6 percent surplus.
Crop Progress
-------------------------------------------------------
: This : Last : Last : 5-Year
Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg
-------------------------------------------------------
Percent
Corn Planted 24 6 2 2
Corn Emerged 3 NA 0 0
Soybeans planted 5 NA 0 0
Winter Wheat Jointed 57 29 19 22
Winter Wheat Headed 9 0 0 0
Crop Condition
----------------------------------------------------
: Very : : : : Excel-
Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent
----------------------------------------------------
Percent
Winter Wheat 1 2 18 62 17
Pasture 1 3 19 61 16
Soil Moisture &
Days Suitable for Fieldwork
----------------------------------------
: This : Last : Last
: Week : Week : Year
----------------------------------------
Percent
Topsoil
Very Short 5 4 1
Short 27 18 4
Adequate 57 67 58
Surplus 11 11 37
Subsoil
Very Short 4 2 1
Short 20 11 10
Adequate 70 76 69
Surplus 6 11 20
Days Suitable 5.9 5.2 2.1
----------------------------------------
CONTACT INFORMATION
--Greg Preston, Director
--Andy Higgins, Agricultural Statistician
E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Indiana/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Agricultural Comments And News
Early-Planted Corn & Cold Weather
Written by R.L. (Bob) Nielson, Agronoomy Dept., Purdue Unversity.
Article can be found at
www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/articles.12/EarlyCornColdWthr.html.
The talk among some of the regulars down at the Chat 'n Chew Cafe is
that some of their neighbors who were feeling so smug a week ago about
having planted so much corn so early are now feeling less certain of the
wisdom of their actions in light of the recent cold temperatures and
frost this week. Should they be concerned about the health of their
newly planted and, in a few cases, newly emerged crops? Well, we'll know
for certain come harvest time. But in the mean time, we can talk about
possibilities.
Newly Planted Corn
One of the risks that newly planted corn faces is that of imbibitional
chilling injury due to cold soil temperatures during the initial 24 to
36 hours after seeding when the kernels imbibe water and begin the
germination process. In response to the imbibition of water, kernels
naturally swell or expand. If the cell tissues of the kernel are too
cold, they become less elastic and may rupture during the swelling
process. Symptoms of imbibitional chilling injury include swollen
kernels that fail to germinate or arrested growth of the radicle root
and/or coleoptile following the start of germination. Instances of
chilling injury following germination during the emergence process can
also occur, often causing stunting or death of the seminal root system,
deformed elongation of the mesocotyl (the so-called "corkscrew" symptom)
and either delayed emergence or complete failure of emergence (i.e.,
leafing out underground).
It is not clear how low soil temperatures need to be for
imbibitional chilling or subsequent chilling injury to occur.
Some sources simply implicate temperatures less than 50F (10C).
Others suggest the threshold soil temperature is 41F (5C).
Daily minimum soil temperatures at the 4-inch depth (typical
depth for National Weather Service measurements) have certainly
dropped into the mid- to high-40'sF in recent days, with some
growers reporting temperatures as low as 40F at seed depth.
Newly Emerged Corn
Damage from exposure of above-ground plant tissue to frost can range
from minor leaf injury to complete death of all exposed leaf tissue.
That's the bad news. The good news is that the all-important growing
point region of a young corn plant remains below the soil surface, safe
from exposure to frost, until the V4 to V6 stages of development. That
means that the above-ground plant tissue you see in fields younger than
about V4 is composed primarily of leaves and rolled up leaf tissue in
the whorl, but does not include stalk tissue or the growing point. As
long as temperatures are not lethally cold, "simple" frost injury
usually does not literally kill such young corn plants. Damaged plants
will begin to show recovery from the whorl within 5 to 7 days, depending
on temperatures following the frost event.
Disclaimer: Repeated frost events that re-inflict damage to
recovering corn plants can cause permanent stunting or death.
When folks worry about the effects of cold weather on corn, they often
fail to distinguish between simple frost events and lethal cold
temperatures. Frost can occur at temperatures easily up to the high 30's
F, but lethal cold temperatures for corn are generally thought to be 28F
(-2C) or colder. Air temperatures in recent days have certainly dropped
to 28F or lower in areas of the state. Whether such cold temperatures
"penetrated" the upper inch of soil near the growing point region of
corn seedlings is not clear, but may be possible in fields where soils
are excessively dry and free from surface residue.
Bottom Line
Only time will tell whether this week's cold temperatures and frost will
cause permanent damage or death of early-planted corn around the state.
Recovery of damaged plants will usually be evident within 5 to 7 days
following such events. Come October, we will know for certain whether
this year's early planting risk takers will have "won the game" or not.
Related Reading
Nielsen, RL (Bob). 2001. Symptoms of Low Temperature Injury to Corn and
Soybean. Corny News Network, Purdue Univ. online at
https://www.kingcorn.org/news/articles.01/Frost_Corn_Soy-0418_Gallery.html
[URL accessed Apr 2012].
Nielsen, RL (Bob). 2007. Growing Points of Interest. Corny News Network,
Purdue Univ. online at
https://www.kingcorn.org/news/timeless/GrowingPoints.html
[URL accessed Apr 2012].
Nielsen, RL (Bob). 2009. Corkscrewed Corn Seedlings. Corny News Network,
Purdue Univ. online at
https://www.kingcorn.org/news/articles/timeless/Corkscrews.html
[URL accessed Apr 2012].
Nielsen, RL (Bob). 2010. Determining Corn Leaf Stages. Corny News Network,
Purdue Univ. online at
https://www.kingcorn.org/news/timeless/VStageMethods.html
[URL accessed Apr 2012].
Nielsen, RL (Bob). 2010. Germination Events in Corn. Corny News Network,
Purdue Univ. online at
https://www.kingcorn.org/news/timeless/GerminationEvents.html
[URL accessed Apr 2012].
Nielsen, RL (Bob). 2010. Requirements for Uniform Germination & Emergence
of Corn. Corny News Network, Purdue Univ. online at
https://www.kingcorn.org/news/timeless/GermEmergReq.html
[URL accessed Apr 2012].
Nielsen, RL (Bob). 2010. The Emergence Process in Corn. Corny News Network,
Purdue Univ. online at
https://www.kingcorn.org/news/timeless/Emergence.html
[URL accessed Apr 2012].
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The INDIANA CROP & WEATHER REPORT (USPS 675-770), (ISSN 0442-817X) is
issued weekly April through November by the USDA, NASS, Indiana Field
Office, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite 110, West Lafayette IN
47906-4151. For information on subscribing, send request to above
address. POSTMASTER: Send address change to the USDA, NASS, Indiana
Field Office, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite 110, West Lafayette IN
47906-4151.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weather Information Table
Week of April 9-15, 2012
------------------------------------------------------
| Past Week Weather Summary Data
|-------------------------------------
Station | Air | | Avg
| Temperature | Precip. |4 in.
|-----------------|-------------|Soil
| Hi | Lo |Avg|DFN| Total | Days|Temp
------------------------------------------------------
Northwest (1)
Chalmers_5W 66 26 48 -4 0.18 1
Francesville 71 24 47 -2 0.14 1
Valparaiso_AP_I 66 29 49 +1 0.06 3
Wanatah 68 22 46 -2 0.09 3 55
North Central (2)
Plymouth 67 25 46 -4 0.01 1
Rochester 66 28 47 +0 0.26 1
South_Bend 66 27 48 +1 0.11 3
Young_America 67 25 47 -3 0.29 1
Northeast (3)
Angola 63 30 46 +2 0.15 1
Fort_Wayne 65 28 49 +1 0.15 2
West Central (4)
Greencastle 66 25 46 -6 1.40 2
Perrysville 72 24 50 -1 0.37 2 60
Spencer_Ag 69 27 48 -3 0.94 2
Terre_Haute_AFB 70 29 53 +2 0.79 2
W_Lafayette_6NW 67 23 49 -1 0.21 1 56
Central (5)
Eagle_Creek_AP 66 31 51 -1 1.00 1
Greenfield 66 30 48 -3 0.87 2
Indianapolis_AP 66 29 52 +0 1.20 2
Indianapolis_SE 64 27 48 -4 0.64 2
Marion_Ag 64 28 46 -2 0.26 2
Tipton_Ag 66 27 48 +0 0.54 1
East Central (6)
Farmland 65 26 46 -2 0.42 1 59
New_Castle 64 26 46 -3 0.88 2
Southwest (7)
Evansville 79 31 55 -1 0.23 1
Freelandville 70 31 51 -2 1.25 2
Shoals_8S 71 26 49 -5 0.27 1
Stendal 76 30 52 -2 0.50 2
Vincennes_5NE 73 30 52 +0 0.84 2 64
South Central (8)
Leavenworth 73 30 52 -2 0.16 2
Oolitic 68 27 49 -4 1.36 2 56
Tell_City 78 31 54 -2 0.16 2
Southeast (9)
Brookville 68 29 49 -1 1.40 1
Greensburg 66 27 49 -3 2.06 2
Seymour 67 28 48 -4 1.86 1
------------------------------------------------------
Weather Information Table (continued)
Week ending Sunday, April 15, 2012
--------------------------------------------------
| Accumulation
|---------------------------------
| April 1, 2012 through
Station | April 16, 2012
|---------------------------------
| Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF
|---------------------------------
| | | | |
| Total | DFN | Days|Total| DFN
--------------------------------------------------
Northwest (1)
Chalmers_5W 0.50 -1.25 4 53 +14
Francesville 0.43 -1.40 2 54 +29
Valparaiso_AP_I 0.07 -1.88 4 53 +29
Wanatah 0.11 -1.78 4 33 +16
North Central (2)
Plymouth 0.01 -1.90 1 41 +12
Rochester 0.31 -1.48 2 46 +29
South_Bend 0.14 -1.81 5 54 +34
Young_America 0.46 -1.22 3 42 +18
Northeast (3)
Angola 0.91 -0.72 3 12 +7
Fort_Wayne 0.19 -1.47 5 54 +33
West Central (4)
Greencastle 2.07 +0.27 4 53 +8
Perrysville 0.42 -1.51 3 92 +57
Spencer_Ag 2.33 +0.38 6 67 +29
Terre_Haute_AFB 2.25 +0.37 5 114 +67
W_Lafayette_6NW 0.46 -1.32 3 70 +44
Central (5)
Eagle_Creek_AP 1.35 -0.47 3 83 +42
Greenfield 1.02 -0.93 4 50 +19
Indianapolis_AP 1.90 +0.08 5 89 +48
Indianapolis_SE 1.02 -0.78 4 55 +19
Marion_Ag 0.26 -1.54 2 38 +19
Tipton_Ag 0.79 -1.14 3 48 +29
East Central (6)
Farmland 0.43 -1.35 2 44 +27
New_Castle 0.88 -1.11 2 41 +22
Southwest (7)
Evansville 0.48 -1.51 2 151 +69
Freelandville 1.57 -0.27 4 99 +44
Shoals_8S 0.69 -1.31 3 87 +33
Stendal 0.77 -1.42 3 119 +53
Vincennes_5NE 1.21 -0.63 3 122 +67
South Central (8)
Leavenworth 1.27 -1.05 5 108 +51
Oolitic 3.07 +1.10 6 74 +29
Tell_City 0.43 -1.97 3 145 +73
Southeast (9)
Brookville 1.53 -0.32 3 59 +29
Greensburg 2.43 +0.47 5 60 +22
Seymour 3.30 +1.37 5 57 +12
--------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2012: Agricultural Weather Information Service, Inc.
All rights reserved.
DFN = Departure From Normal
GDD = Growing Degree Days.
Precipitation (Rainfall or melted snow/ice) in inches.
Precipitation Days = Days with precip of .01 inch or more.
Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit.