Brief Weather and Disease Update - June 23-29, 2009

Weather conditions last week were rather hot and humid early in the week, as temperatures were in the low 90s throughout many our research project areas. Late in the week, temperatures did fall back into the 80s and now into the 70s and 80s. Rainfall was light, in particular at our winter wheat variety trial locations. Weekly rainfall totals were:

• Arlington: 0.01 inches
• Chilton: 0.11 inches
• Janesville: 0.01 inches
• Lancaster: 0 inches

Winter wheat is past flowering for the state - the risk window for Fusarium head blight. To determine if FHB was a problem in your field, assess fields during the soft dough growth stage. We are currently taking field notes and will update you shortly on the preliminary results.

Soybean diseases to date have been low, primarily bacterial blight and brown spot. Remember though, this is an excellent time to scout for early season stress that may be caused by soilborne pathogens. Also, take advantage of the free SCN testing program, sponsored by the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board. For further information, please contact Colleen Smith at clsmith8@wisc.edu or 608-262-7702.