What's New in 1999
by Pat Lynch, Consulting Agronomist
Hybrids
There are a significant number of new hybrids for 1999. The Ontario Corn Performance Trials do not contain all
of the hybrids that are licensed and will be for sale. This is part of the ongoing change as to how we do business
in Ontario. For 1999, Dekalb will have seven Roundup Ready (RR) hybrids registered for sale. In 1998 there was
a research permit that allowed for Roundup to be applied one or two times at 1.0 L/ac on RR corn hybrids. Grower
side-by-side comparisons run by Dekalb in 1998 indicated that when growers compared yields of spraying RR corn
with Roundup versus using their own program, there was a 3.35 bu/ac increase for the part sprayed with Roundup.
There is an increase in new hybrids with specialty traits such as corn borer or herbicide resistance. When you
are choosing your hybrids be sure the trait you are selecting is appropriate for the conditions you are putting
it in. You can not accept an economic loss just to be working with a hybrid that has unique genetics. You are paying
a price for this unique characteristics and sometimes working with traditional genetics can return you more.
One of the challenges will be to put good non-Bt hybrids in the same field (as a ‘corn borer refuge’) where you
feel that you need a Bt hybrid. There is a difference among non-Bt hybrids’ natural ability to resist corn borer.
Generally, the isoline of a Bt hybrid (identical genetic composition but without the Bt gene) will not be a good
fit to plant in the same field, because of difference in maturity. And the isoline may be very susceptible to corn
borer.
Herbicides
The biggest news here is that Publication 75 Guide to Weed Control will finally have rates per acre. This change
came as a result of the relentless efforts of Jack Rigby (representing the Innovative Farmers of Ontario), and
other farmers such as Leigh Cohoe and other farm organization’s representatives on the Ontario Weed Committee.
The Ontario Corn Producers’ Association had a lead role in getting more farmer representatives on this committee,
and the usefulness of this is starting to show.
Major additions appear in Publication 75. For example, Dual II will be replaced by Dual II Magnum. Dual II Magnum
contains the main active isomer of the original Dual. Dual II Magnum will give the same weed control as the original
Dual but you will be using lower rates of product per acre. Similarly, Primextra Light will be replaced with the
lower rate of Primextra II Magnum.
New registrations include Fieldstar + Primextra II Magnum as preplant, pre-emerge and post-emerge treatments; Fieldstar
+ Eradicane preplant incorporated; and Banvel II alone pre-emergent. Liberty is registered post-emergent with atrazine,
Marksman or Banvel. Liberty is also registered as a directed post-emergent spray. Ultimax is a new registration
of Ultim + Max (Max is the same as Striker). You will be hearing a lot more about Ultimax this winter. Peak + Banvel
are registered as a tankmix post-emerge. Patriot is registered for use on Pursuit-tolerant corn.
Some of the subtle changes occur in the rating tables (the 1998 ratings are shown here in brackets). Frontier is
rated good (?) for nutsedge, Fieldstar is rated excellent (?) for cocklebur, ladysthumb, mustard and rated excellent
(G) for crop tolerance. Fieldstar is rated poor (?) for bindweed, horsetail, milkweed, and quackgrass.
There will be more new herbicides and tank mixes registered by spring. The list here only includes changes that
were current as of the Ontario Weed Committee meetings in November. More of the crop protection companies are not
releasing new registrations until later this winter as part of their marketing strategy to gain market share.
For the first time there will be two post-emergent weed tables in Publication 75 that will give some guidance about
the relationship between weed size and control with many of the post-emergent products.
Precision Agriculture
Probably the most interesting area in this field in 1998 was
the use of remote-sensed images. There were a number of fields where remote-sensed images were taken comparing
images captured from planes versus satellites. When these images were compared to final yield maps there was a
strong corelation to the remote-sensed image compared to the final yield map. For growers who do not have access
to yield monitors this gives a good picture of what is going on in a field. In Western Canada there is some use
of these images to do variable rate nitrogen application.
Soil sampling and analysis has become more intensive to help producers get higher returns on the dollars invested
in fertilizer. The increased use of sampling by zones and topography is giving a better reading on soil nutrient
levels. Variable rate fertilizer acres have increased. More growers will be doing more variable rate application
(VRA) of nitrogen based on manure application and/or yield zones. Using VRA equipment to broadcast high rates of
zinc in the low areas where it is needed is more economical than applying a low rate in the starter fertilizer.
The cost of application is higher than with regular Air-Flow equipment, so the total cost of fertilizer plus application
should be equal when comparing the two systems.
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