Category Archives: Archive

2018 Canola Field Days

by Dr. Clark Neely, Small Grains and Oilseeds Extension Specialist Canola is a relatively new alternative cool-season crop option for growers across Texas. With wheat prices low and canola prices hovering around $7.75/bu, some growers may find it to be a more economical option. Agronomic and variety trials have been conducted by numerous Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension scientists over the past decade across the state. Currently, canola trials are conducted at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Centers in Bushland, College Station, Corpus Christi, and… Read More →

Test Your Knowledge of Integrated Weed Management

by Muthukumar Bagavathiannan, Scott Nolte, Peter Dotray, Joshua McGinty, Gaylon Morgan Effective and sustainable long-term weed management requires integrating diverse techniques, as opposed to relying solely on one or two tactics. This is particularly true as troublesome herbicide-resistant weeds continue to develop and spread throughout Texas and the U.S.A. Diversifying weed management inputs reduce the risk of herbicide-resistant weeds developing and spreading. This brief, 20-question quiz will help you test your understanding of Integrated Weed Management (IWM) and help us recognize where IWM research and outreach efforts should… Read More →

Physiological Leaf Spotting in Wheat

by Dr. Clark Neely, Statewide Small Grains Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; Dr. Jake Mowrer, Statewide Soil Fertility Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Without fail, every spring there are questions about yellowing or flecking in wheat across Texas, particularly in Central and South Texas. The first thing that comes to mind is rust. In many cases that is true; however, there have been several instances where rust was not an obvious culprit. Other candidates that come to mind were fungal pathogens such as septoria, tan spot,… Read More →

The Trap of Beardless Wheat & Forage Quality

by Dr. Calvin Trostle, Professor & Extension Agronomist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, 806-746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu; Discussion of forage quality it is fairly common, and the emphasis placed on forage quality among forage growers and livestock feeders ranges from none to strong consideration.  Texas A&M AgriLife (Trostle) discusses examples of forage quality as well as tips for producing, selling, buying, and storing different forages in a new PowerPoint that examines these issues from several viewpoints.  There are a number of considerations participants in the forage production,… Read More →

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AUXIN CERTIFICATION TRAINING IN TEXAS – 2018

by Peter Dotray – Extension Weed Specialist, Lubbock, TX; Scott Nolte – State Extension Weed Specialist, College Station, TX; Josh McGinty – Extension Agronomist, Corpus Christi, TX; Gaylon Morgan – State Extension Cotton Specialist, College Station, TX; Seth Byrd – Cotton Agronomist, Lubbock, TX Auxin Certification Training has not been taken lightly across the state of Texas.  Trainings started in January and to date have been a part of programs or has been the stand-alone topic at over 100 Texas locations.   This training was mandated by the US… Read More →

Does an Early Fungicide Application Pay in Wheat?

by Dr. Clark Neely, Statewide Small Grains Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Dr. Tom Isakeit, Extension Field Crops Pathologist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Despite the wet, dreary weather some parts of the state have experienced over the past few weeks, rust levels appear to be low at this time for most of the wheat acres in the state. However, I still receive questions on whether a topdress or pre-flag leaf application of fungicide is a good idea. In most cases, the answer is “no”, an early fungicide… Read More →

Grain Sorghum Hybrid Tolerance to Sugarcane Aphid

by Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, 806-746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu; Dr. Allen Knutson, Extension Entomology, Dallas, (972) 952-9222, allen.knutson@ag.tamu.edu; Dr. Ron Schnell, Extension Agronomy/TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, College Station, (979) 845-2935, ronschnell@tamu.edu This is an edited version of a report first prepared for Texas Grain Sorghum Association’s “Sorghum Insider” (see other TGSA sorghum tips at http://texassorghum.org/sorghum-tips)  Here we share results of different assessments of grain sorghum hybrids to SCA across the state.  We have observed dramatic results of hybrid… Read More →

Application Timing is Critical With Auxin Herbicides

by Josh McGinty – Extension Agronomist, Corpus Christi, TX;  Scott Nolte – State Extension Weed Specialist, College Station, TX; Peter Dotray – Extension Weed Specialist, Lubbock, TX; Muthu Bagavathiannan – Research Weed Scientist, College Station, TX; Gaylon Morgan – State Extension Cotton Specialist, College Station, TX With the introduction of new formulations of 2,4-D (Enlist One and Enlist Duo) and dicamba (XtendiMax, Engenia, and FeXapan) for use in Enlist and XtendFlex cotton, growers now have more options for controlling emerged broadleaf weeds, especially those that may be resistant… Read More →

Texas Wheat Disease Update

by Dr. Clark Neely, Statewide Small Grains Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Dr. Emi Kimura, Regional Extension Agronomist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Dr. Tom Isakeit, Extension Field Crops Pathologist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension For wheat growers in a good chunk of the state, we are finally getting some beneficial rain (unfortunately this does not include the Panhandle). This is good news with more and more of the state slipping into exceptionally dry or drought conditions this winter. However, with spring rains sometimes comes rust pressure in wheat… Read More →

“Nitrogen and Texas Wheat Grain Production—Topdress N Timing is Critical”

by Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, 806-746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu; Dr. Jake Mowrer, Extension Soil Fertility, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, College Station, 979-845.5366, jake.mowrer@tamu.edu Soil & Crop Sciences extension has developed a new publication for Texas wheat. Nitrogen topdress timing involves recognizing the key jointing growth stage in wheat, and understanding when conditions may merit earlier application of topdress N.  Much of the discussion in the new document is presented in the context of twelve common grower questions about… Read More →