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USDA Crop Progress Report: 3% of Corn Planted.

USDA Crop Progress Report Was Released.

http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProg/CropProg-04-14-2014.pdf

Highlights:

USDA reports corn planting is underway.

As of Sunday, 3% of the crop is planted, compared to 2% a year ago and the five year average of 6%. Winter like conditions during the early part of this week will delay fieldwork in some areas, but the precipitation is helping recharge soil moisture levels.

Winter wheat ratings dipped over the past week with large portions of the Southern Plains remaining much drier than normal. 34% of the crop is called good to excellent, with 34% rated fair and 32% in poor to very poor shape. 5% of winter wheat has headed, compared to 4% this time last year.

6% of spring wheat is planted, compared to 5% a year ago.

 


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

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.