Nidhi Rawat and Vijay Tiwari
University of Maryland, College Park
Data from the 2024 University of Maryland small grain variety trials is now posted. Please follow the links below to download the reports. For detailed information on how to interpret variety trial data, please see this factsheet.
Reports are for crop conditions up to July 5, 2024.
Western Maryland
Dry, dry, dry. The pleasant spring has turned into a dry summer so far. Even when the heat isn’t oppressive, the sun is bright, and the wind blows all wonderful conditions for drying out things. Corn and full-season bean planting is a memory. Wheat harvest is in full swing, and yields and test weights are good. Two cuttings of alfalfa are off, and we are hoping for enough moisture to make a third cutting. Double-crop beans are going in the ground, further proving that farmers are the most optimistic people on the planet. Until next month, keep looking up. One day, those clouds will have rain in them, and we will need it.—Jeff Semler, Washington Co.
Central Maryland
The wet spring resulted in lots of slugs and replanted soybeans. However, in the last few weeks, the rain has disappeared here in Montgomery County. Temperatures have soared into the upper 90s, resulting in some very dry topsoil, subsoil which is quickly losing moisture, and drought-stressed crops. Some corn fields are starting to tassel, and soybeans are beginning to flower.—Kelly Nichols, Montgomery Co.
Northern Maryland
June was unusually dry and we are in a drought situation. Wheat and barley harvest and straw baling was a breeze to the dry weather, and harvest came about 1-2 weeks earlier than normal due to the dry, windy June. Yields were not near the record-setting numbers we’ve seen the past two years but they were still respectable. Having small grains off early will greatly benefit double-crop soybeans, assuming there’s enough moisture in the ground to germinate them. Earliest planted corn is in tassel by July 4 and we thankfully got a couple of decent storms just as tassels were pushing through and alleviated drought scenarios in many fields; that rain likely saved several bushels. Full season soybeans are also starting to come along nicely now after a slow start that some moisture is back in the soil.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.
Upper and Mid Shore
Center pivots have been working double time, keeping corn and soybean fields in the region irrigated amid the ongoing dry spell. Significant rain events are a distant memory, and the summer solstice has brought record heat, contributing to visible water stress symptoms on non-irrigated fields. All corn acres are planted, and early-planted corn is currently tasseling. Small grain harvest is progressing well, aided by the dry weather, which has extended the harvest window. As the small grain harvest wraps up, double-crop beans will soon be planted. Meanwhile, sprayers are busy applying post-emergence herbicides to fields to manage pre-emergence weed escapes, most likely due to the absence of an activating rain. Hopefully we get some rainfall soon.—Dwayne Joseph, Kent Co.
Lower Shore
We had a very dry couple of weeks. Crops were showing signs of drought stress with stunting and leaf burning in some fields. This was followed by a 2-4” rain event across much of the Lower Shore. Corn is approaching late vegetative stages, but not yet tasseling. Wheat has been harvested and double crop soybean planted.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.
Southern Maryland
No report.
Reports are for crop conditions up to June 6, 2024.
Western Maryland
I have a good friend who says, “I don’t have forty years of experience farming; I have one year’s experience forty times.” This spring has been just like that. We have had more moisture than last year, but then came the hot days, cool weather, and more moisture. Corn is planted, and the first cutting of hay is in the barn. Soybean planting is winding down, and grain harvest will be here before you know it, starting with barley. With the moisture we will see how much disease took its toll. Fungicide applications weren’t always as timely as we would hope because of the frequent showers. Until next month when harvest is underway it is then the story will be told.—Jeff Semler, Washington Co.
Central Maryland
Planting is almost complete. Slugs have been an issue; some soybean fields will need replanting. It was getting a bit dry, which did provide a good hay-making window. However, a thunderstorm is rolling in as I write this, giving us some needed moisture. Small grains are looking good. Summer annual weeds like pigweed, crabgrass, and foxtail are starting to take off with this warmer weather.—Kelly Nichols, Montgomery Co.
Northern Maryland
Spring has been a little challenging in our area. A dry spell in mid-late April made herbicide efficacy less than ideal, followed by several weeks of a lot of rain, which activated herbicides but prevented the timely termination of other cover crops. Early planted corn and beans are up and out of the ground, with earliest planted corn around V6 and getting it’s second shot of nitrogen. Rainy weather in late April early May delayed planting the remainder of the crop by about two weeks. These later planted fields are much further behind than usual but are looking good. There has been some slug damage present, it gets worse the further west you go in the region. Barley nearing harvest and wheat is starting to turn. There are symptoms of head scab but it remains to be seen how severe DON levels are in the grain. The wet weather has made it very difficult to make timely dry hay.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.
Upper and Mid Shore
Corn acreage is looking good, with a nice color and uniform growth. Depending on when it was planted, corn is in the V2 to V5 stages right now. Most of our full-season soybeans are already in the ground. As usual, rain across the region has been hit or miss, with some areas getting a lot more than others. These downpours might not be ideal, but they’re certainly better than no rain at all. Barley harvest is just around the corner. Summer annual weeds are popping up and are ready to impact yield potential. If your residual herbicide program hasn’t kept them in check, now’s the time for a POST application. And remember, using multiple modes of action in your tank-mix slows down the evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds.—Dwayne Joseph, Kent Co.
Lower Shore
has been planted and currently in emergence stage to around V4 stage. Corn is looking good, and being sprayed to combat early season weeds. Soybean planting is currently underway. In a few instances, early planted soybean (early April) had to be replanted due to slug damage. Wheat is looking good and drying down. Farmers are gearing up to cut wheat, which is earlier than anticipated.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.
Southern Maryland
As I write this, a very welcome rain is falling outside my window. As we move into the hotter days of June, the old adage that we are only a week away from a drought at any time is holding true. Two weeks ago it was too wet to get into fields and this week we have corn fields starting to show curling leaves and drought stress. In general corn is off to a good start with most sidedress N applications completed. There have been a lot of catch up full season beans planted in the last 2 weeks. Slug feeding has been minimal this year. Barley is drying down with harvest expected any day. Wheat will not be far behind. Ryegrass continues to be a challenge for producers in both burndown situations in corn and beans, as well as small grains. Many fields may need a harvest aid to kill the ryegrass and allow for timely harvest of wheat. Given the wet conditions following flowering, we are encouraging producers to get the wheat crop off as quick as possible to maintain grain quality.—Ben Beale, St. Mary’s Co.
Nidhi Rawat, Small Grains Pathologist
University of Maryland, College Park
Wheat in Maryland has either already flowered or is finishing-up flowering. The FHB prediction maps for today and up to the next 6 days predict high FHB risk. If your wheat is still in the window for FHB fungicide application (from flowering up to the following 4-7 days) you should consider the application of FHB fungicides: Miravis-Ace, Prosaro, Prosaro-Pro, or Sphaerex. These fungicides are also effective against other fungal foliar diseases such as stripe rust, powdery mildew, and tan-spot etc. Strobilurin-containing fungicides are not recommended for application at this stage.
Nidhi Rawat, Small Grains Pathologist
University of Maryland, College Park
Wheat is mostly ending flowering across Maryland now, except for some late-planted fields. The FHB prediction map shows enhanced FHB risk. If your wheat flowered within the past 4-7 days, you are still in the window for FHB fungicide application. This season, we are also observing several foliar diseases such as stripe rust, powdery mildew, BYDV, and tan-spot in our variety trial plots. Some farmers are also reporting these issues from their fields. If you are considering the application of fungicides at this stage, use FHB fungicides: Miravis-Ace, Prosaro, Prosaro-Pro, or Sphaerex. These will control other fungal diseases, in addition to FHB, but not BYDV. For BYDV none of the fungicides can provide control, as it is a viral disease, and genetic resistance is the only real solution for it. Strobilurin-containing fungicides are not recommended for application at this stage.
Reports are for crop conditions up to May 3, 2024.
Western Maryland
April has brought us many showers. The triticale is all in the silos for the most part, and corn planting has begun. The wheat and the barley are looking good. Producers have a keen eye out for FHB, and thus, fungicide is on the docket. Pastures are looking good and first cutting alfalfa is not far off. Warmer temperatures are on the horizon.—Jeff Semler, Washington Co.
Central Maryland
The wet, cool spring has turned into a hot, dry spring this week. Currently, the highest chance of rain (about 60%) is for this weekend. Planting is in full swing, and the first cutting of orchardgrass will start in a couple weeks. Wheat and barley are heading; if the drier weather keeps up, it will lower the risk for Fusarium.—Kelly Nichols, Montgomery Co.
Northern Maryland
Rain has been hard to come by with only about 1” of accumulated rain in the last 4 weeks. Corn and soybean planting has been in rolling for 2.5 weeks now, with a very large majority of it within the last week to 10 days or so. Small grains generally look very good, pastures and hay fields have also enjoyed the cooler than normal March and April. Wheat is anywhere from boot to head emergence. After a soggy start to April, we could use some rain.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.
Upper and Mid Shore
The rains from early in the month are now just a memory, with clear skies and no significant rainfall since. Dust clouds swirling on the horizon are a clear sign that #Plant2024 is underway. Farmers are terminating their cover crops and tilling the soil, readying it for planting. This year, we’re running a week or two ahead of last year’s schedule, raising hopes for another bumper crop. Small grains are currently heading, with some currently flowering.—Dwayne Joseph, Kent Co.
Lower Shore
After a rainy stretch, we’ve gotten some dry weather this past week. About half or more of cover crop acreage has been terminated. Some ground is being tilled, while the majority will be planted no-till. Corn is currently being planted. Wheat is looking very good. If wheat varieties are susceptible to Fusarium Head Blight and if the wheat is flowering, fungicides should be considered. The first cutting of hay has started.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.
Southern Maryland
Field conditions are a mixed bag. Areas to the north have turned dry in the last week. Areas to the south received more rain delaying field operations. In drier areas, soil has become hard and compacted, aggravated by wet conditions over the winter. This is a year where big differences in soil conditions can be observed between no-till and tilled fields. Planters have been rolling for the last two weeks with conditions mostly ideal for planting. Corn emergence looks good so far. Slugs were a concern early, but drier weather has helped with that issue. We have many acres of early planted soybeans again this year. Burndown programs have been challenged this year with many escapes of annual ryegrass. Wheat is headed and beginning to flower now. We are observing some yellowing of the flag leaf and leaf below the flag leaf across many fields that showed up in the last 10 days. We are working to determine the exact cause, but believe it related to environmental conditions with perhaps some virus issues like BYDV as well. A lot of good dry hay has been made in the last two weeks. On the fruit and vegetable front, plasticulture strawberries look very good and are ripening now. All of our main season vegetable crops are preparing to go in the ground this week. High tunnel crops are coming off now.—Ben Beale, St. Mary’s Co.
Andrew Kness, Senior Agriculture Agent | akness@umd.edu and Nidhi Rawat, Small Grains Pathologist
University of Maryland
Over the past couple of weeks we have gotten several questions about yellowing flag leaves on wheat. Generally these symptoms are appearing widespread in fields. To the best of our knowledge we can attribute this to leaf burn or leaf tip necrosis (LTN) (Figure 1). This disorder is often a response to cold injury or wind, but can also manifest as a result of heat and drought stress. We have had widespread hot and dry conditions for several weeks across Maryland, which can trigger these symptoms, especially on lighter soils. These symptoms can also be intensified by specific leaf rust and stripe rust resistance genes and LTN severity can vary greatly between varieties. In any case, there is nothing you can do to remedy the situation.
Leaf tip necrosis may be confused with barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). BYDV is undoubtedly contributing to some of the symptoms in many of these fields, but it is probably not the sole factor causing these symptoms. LTN tends to cause death of the leaf tip resulting in necrotic brown tissue (Figure 1), whereas BYDV can cause a range of symptoms from yellowing of the leaf, which may or may not be accompanied with bronzing/purpling of the leaf tips (Figure 2). Notably with BYD, leaf tips do not die and become necrotic; whereas leaf tissue from LTN will become brown and dead starting at the leaf margins near the tip and work inward. Since BYDV is vectored by aphids, symptoms tend to be localized in hotspots in a field where aphids populations are high, whereas leaf burn and LTN more uniformly affect the entire field.
Andrew Kness, Senior Agriculture Agent | akness@umd.edu
University of Maryland Extension, Harford County
This article may come a little too late for some of you depending where you are in the state; but nevertheless, here is a review/reminder. As we get into May, wheat will begin flowering and we will have to consider fungicide applications to wheat to manage Fusarium head blight (FHB), also known as head scab. FHB is the most economically important disease of wheat, causing not only yield reductions, but more seriously, grain quality issues due to the production of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON), also called vomitoxin.
The pathogen that causes FHB, Fusarium graminearum, persists in wheat, small grain, and corn residue. It infects the wheat plant through the open flower, which is why flowering is such an important management timing for quality wheat production. Fusarium graminearum requires moist conditions and moderate temperatures (59-86 °F) to initiate infection. If these conditions are met during flowering, the pathogen will infect susceptible wheat varieties and cause disease.
Management of FHB requires a layered approach of IPM practices, with the major management practices being the selection of a good wheat variety and subsequent good planting and fertility practices, plus the use of a fungicide at flowering should the environmental conditions be conducive for FHB development. The wheatscab.psu.edu map can be helpful in predicting FHB risk to wheat around flowering. Historically, this model has been over 70% effective at predicting FHB outbreaks and should be consulted when making fungicide decisions. If you decide to apply a fungicide to manage FHB, there are three important factors to consider: 1.) Timing, 2.) Application method, and 3.) Active ingredient.
As mentioned earlier, the pathogen can only infect wheat through the open flower, so you need to time your fungicide application as close to flowering, or Feekes Growth Stage 10.5.1, as possible (Figure 1). This growth stage is defined by the appearance of yellow anthers in the center of the wheat spike on at least 50% of the plants. Once this stage is reached, the application window is about 5-7 days. Some fungicide products are labelled for application as early as Feekes 10.3 (half head emergence); however, this timing is not as optimal as 10.5.1—so wait if you can.
The second factor is application method. Most of our fungicides on wheat go on with a ground sprayer. For ground applications it is important to achieve good coverage of the wheat heads, not the foliage. To do this, spray volumes should be at least 15-20 gallons/acre and you should use bi-directional spray nozzles angled forward and backwards. This combination of spray volume and angled nozzles results in thorough coverage of the wheat heads. Aerial applications should be done at 5 gallons/acre for maximum coverage.
The final consideration is fungicide active ingredient. Triazole and HDMI fungicides work best on FHB. Products include: Prosaro Pro, Prosaro, Miravis Ace, Saphaerex, Proline, and Caramba; Folicur has less efficacy than the others and Tilt is no longer effective on FHB. An added benefit is that these products will also do a good job of keeping other fungal diseases at bay during grain fill. Do not apply any group 11 (Qoi/strobilurin) fungicides such as Aproach, Headline, or Quadris after heading as these products can actually increase DON levels in the grain.
Nidhi Rawat, Small Grains Pathologist
University of Maryland, College Park
Wheat is currently flowering or will soon flower across the state of Maryland. Flowering is when yellow anthers emerge out of the wheat spikes. This is again that year, in which if you planted a resistant variety, you would be okay without spraying fungicides for controlling Fusarium head Blight (FHB risk map: top picture). However, if your planted variety is not FHB resistant, you should consider application of FHB fungicides (FHB risk map: lower picture). If you are planning to apply fungicides for FHB, remember that triazole-containing fungicides (Miravis-Ace, Prosaro, Prosaro-Pro, and Sphaerex) should be used for controlling FHB. They can control other fungal pathogens like powdery mildew, rusts, in addition to scab. Strobilurin-containing fungicides should not be used at this stage. These fungicides do not need to be tank mixed with another product for spraying. The fungicide products should be applied at the full rate recommended by the manufacturers. Aerial application at a rate of 5 gallons per acre or ground application at 15 gallons per acre with 300-350 um droplet size is recommended. Spray nozzles should be angled at 30°-45° down from horizontal, toward the grain heads, using forward- and backward-mounted nozzles or nozzles with a two directional spray, such as Twinjet nozzles.
Nidhi Rawat, Small Grains Pathologist
University of Maryland, College Park
Wheat on the Eastern shore of Maryland is heading and should start flowering within a week or so. Wheat in the north-western part (Frederick, Carroll, Hartford counties) is also close to heading or has started heading. The FHB fungal pathogen infects the wheat plants at the flowering stage (when the yellow anthers emerge from the heads), which is the stage at which the application of fungicides is conducted in wheat. The FHB map currently does not show high risk, especially for a genetically resistant variety. However, keeping an eye on the forecasts and weather patterns over the next few days as your wheat flowers is recommended. If you are planning to apply fungicides for FHB, remember that triazole-containing fungicides (Miravis-Ace, Prosaro, Prosaro-Pro, and Sphaerex) should be used for controlling FHB. They can control other fungal pathogens like powdery mildew as well, in addition to scab. Strobilurin-containing fungicides should not be used at this stage.
