Soybeans reaching full maturity

Sep 09, 2022

The outlook for the province's soybean crop remains positive.

"We're into the late R6 to R7 growth stage right now," said Dennis Lange, pulse specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. "We've have had some good rainfall this summer and the potential for the soybeans look pretty good in most areas of the province."

He's hoping the frost stays away for at least the first half of September.

"The forecast for the next couple weeks sounds pretty good. The biggest thing to really focus on with the soybeans is once we hit R7, so that would be where you start to see some pod colour change, at least one brown pod on the plant, we start to see the leaf drop, by then a frost won't really do any serious damage to yield. If we get a frost earlier than that, if we're still in full R6, that's where the yield losses can start but even at R6, it's not as severe yield losses as what it would be as if it was earlier. I think if we get past the 15th of September, most of the soybeans should be in good shape to take a frost and we'll see what happens after that."

Lange also touched on the field pea harvest.

"We're starting to see peas come off. We're hearing some good numbers so far. Anywhere 50 to 60 bushels [per acre] seems to be pretty common and then you get the other numbers, that maybe a little bit further north, we're in the 70 to 80 and maybe even a little higher than that. Overall, quality is looking pretty good so far. We haven't had any rains through the harvest period to deteriorate the quality and for the most part everything's coming off in pretty good shape."

Manitoba Agriculture is reporting the field pea harvest at 55 per cent complete across the province.

Lange notes the dry bean harvest is just getting underway.

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Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Understanding how a plant responds to stress is one thing.

Using that knowledge to make better management decisions is another.

Systemic acquired resistance, or SAR, is the plant's more direct defense response. When stress or infection occurs, the plant begins signaling throughout its system and preparing defensive compounds.

But if we know that response exists, can we help prepare the plant before the stress arrives?

The answer starts with understanding what triggers the response and what the plant needs to carry it out.

The Trigger and the Fuel

Salicylic acid plays an important role in triggering the SAR pathway.

Think of it as turning the truck on.

The engine may be running, but it still needs fuel to do the work.

In this case, manganese plays an important role in supporting the enzyme systems involved in the plant's defensive response.

This makes manganese status an important part of the conversation. Whether a producer is using tissue testing, sap analysis, or simply scouting for visible deficiency symptoms, the goal is to make sure the plant has adequate manganese available.

Manganese is required in relatively small amounts, but that does not make its role small.

If the plant receives a signal to defend itself but lacks the nutrition needed to support that response, it may struggle to carry out the process efficiently.

The trigger matters.

The fuel matters too.

Prepare Before the Stress Arrives

The best time to think about stress management is before the plant is overwhelmed.

Once a crop is already struggling, management can quickly turn into a game of catch-up.

This is similar to nitrogen management. Once a plant becomes severely deficient, correcting the problem does not necessarily erase the time and yield potential already lost.

Plant defense can work the same way.

Low-rate, targeted approaches designed to support the SAR pathway may fit best ahead of an expected stress event rather than after significant damage has already occurred.

That requires producers to think about predictable stress.

We may not know exactly what the weather will do tomorrow, but we generally know summer heat is coming. We know certain field conditions increase disease pressure. We know a herbicide application can temporarily stress a crop as the plant processes the chemistry.

Even a properly timed and labeled herbicide application can create a temporary response in the plant.

That does not mean the herbicide is bad.

Weeds can create significantly more yield loss than the temporary stress caused by controlling them.

The question is not whether we should eliminate every stressor.

The question is whether we can better prepare the plant to manage necessary and predictable stress.

Not All Stress Is Bad

Stress is a normal part of plant growth.

A perfectly stress-free environment does not exist in the field.

In fact, some stress is necessary for normal plant development. A plant responds to wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, and countless other environmental signals throughout the season.

The environment is stress.

The plant's job is to manage it.

Problems begin when the stress load becomes greater than the plant's ability to respond.

Extreme heat, drought, high salt concentrations, disease pressure, and even certain management practices can add to that load.

This is where understanding SAR becomes useful.

Instead of waiting until the plant is visibly struggling, producers can begin identifying periods when stress is likely and make management decisions around those windows.

ISR Starts With the Soil

While SAR is a more direct defense response, induced systemic resistance, or ISR, brings the conversation back to soil health.

The longevity of a farm is closely connected to the health of its soil.

Carbon plays a major role because it supports biological life within the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and other organisms interact with plant roots and influence how the plant grows, accesses nutrients, and prepares for stress.

This is why soil health cannot be reduced to one product or one application.

It is a system.

Keeping living plants in the field longer can support biological activity. Cover crops may fit some operations. Better water management can improve soil conditions.