UK Hosts Wheat Field Day Highlighting Agricultural Advances

Apr 23, 2024

By Jordan Strickler

This year’s University of Kentucky Wheat Field Day, occurring May 14 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. CT, is set at the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment’s Research and Education Center at Princeton. Wheat Field Day 2024, hosted by the UK Wheat Science Group, is open to farmers, agriculture professionals and students interested in the latest wheat trends, research and production developments.

"Wheat Field Day brings together Kentucky wheat stakeholders in acknowledgment of the importance of Kentucky wheat and to learn about UK’s latest research,” Department of Plant and Soil Science extension assistant professor Travis Legleiter said. “This event also highlights wheat’s significance in the commonwealth and is aimed at fostering the future growth and advancement of wheat production across Kentucky."

This year’s topics include evolution of carbon markets, wheat disease updates, wheat breeding methods, wheat fertilization techniques, residual herbicide timing control for ryegrass, trends affecting marketing decisions and a wheat variety trail walk through.

The 2024 Wheat Field Day also provides educational credits for Certified Crop Consultants and Kentucky Pesticide Applicator CEU credits: one hour pest management, 0.5-hour Crop Management and 0.5-hour professional development. Kentucky pesticide applicator CEU credits: one hour Category 1A, one hour Category 10.

Source : uky.edu

Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.