Crusting
County Agent News
Dan Folske
June 13th, 2011
Tractors and Pickups Needed
Have you got an old tractor you’re proud of? The Burke County Fair has an antique tractor pull and pickup pull scheduled for Sunday June 19th at 5:00pm.
We need more pullers! If you have an 806 or maybe an ‘R’, an ‘H’, ‘M’ or 930 you would like to give a workout to, bring them to the Burke County Fairgrounds north of Flaxton for a fun Father’s Day event. Tractor models 1967 or older are eligible to compete. An individual tractor may be newer as long as that model began production by 1967.
We need pickups too! Pickups must be street legal and have a hitch within 24 inches of the ground. Tractors will be split by weight classes with weigh in starting about 3:00 pm.
For more information call me at 339-1133.
Crusting
One or two day planting windows followed by heavy rains have caused some crusting problems almost everywhere in the state.
Heavy rains after planting followed by warm, dry weather are the perfect combination for the development of emergence problems due to crusting. What can be done to prevent stand losses and improve uniformity in emergence when crusting is a problem? This question is even more important given the lateness of the season as replanting is probably no longer a viable option. The first step in determining what action is needed to address a crusting problem is to examine the extent of crusting and the stage of the germinating seedling. The coleoptile of small grains is designed to penetrate through the surface of the soil, so if you find leaves that have been forced out of the side of the coleoptile before reaching the surface of the soil because of the crust, there is probably a need to help plants establish by breaking up this crust. Timing is critical in making a decision about dealing with crusting, as older seedlings are more easily damaged by crust breaking interventions. A range of implements have been used to break up crusts, with the rotary hoe the most commonly recommended. Harrows, culti packers, coulter carts, and press drills have also been used with some level of success. Whatever implement you decide to use, try it in a small area of the field first. Make sure that the benefit from breaking the crust will be greater than any losses associated with damage caused to emerged or emerging seedlings. Don't worry too much if the operation "roughens"or breaks the tip of the coleoptile, as the emerging leaves will likely be able to establish normally. If the operation leaves seedlings on the surface or excessively damages developed seedlings, then try something less aggressive. Less seedling breakage will occur when operations are done in the afternoon when crops are less turgid and are most pliable.
