12 NO ONE WILL ever know what type of growing season is up ahead. Crop planning is important, but the reality is there are factors that can influence the crop growing season and require a change in the plan. There is a primary factor that causes this change - the growing environment. The 2023 planting season across Ontario started with a blast of heat followed by cooler conditions and then a minor amount of rain in some areas. From planting until mid-June (when this article was written), the weather featured a mix of hot and cool temperatures. Although the planting and early growing season weather was mixed, overall, the fields looked okay in terms of weed population, but there was a concern for lack of germination and emergence. THE GOOD AND NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS Good news: once the rain went through many areas, seed germination started, crops emerged, and overall, things looked good from the side of the road. The not-so-great news: when scouting, the side effects of the dry planting and early lack of rain started to show. Kristen Kelly and Kelsey Hill, sales agronomists at Harvex Agromart in Oxford Station, scouted fields across eastern Ontario in the early season. They noticed side effects of the dry planting and fluctuating weather that followed. Among their observations: Slow germination and emergence For seed to germinate and the plant to 2023 agronomy update EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON 2023 ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS Kelsey Banks SIGNS OF MANGANESE DEFICIENT CORN SEEN BY KELSEY HILL, HARVEX AGROMART JUNE 2023. PHOTO COURTESY OF KELSEY BANKS. emerge, the soil needs to be about 10 degrees Celsius for spring-seeded crops and good soil moisture and growing environment. Due to the lack of adequate moisture and cooler temperature during the normal time of emergence, the crop was slow to emerge. Residual herbicides had a very minimal effect One of the key factors for residual herbicides to activate is environmental conditions. In dry growing seasons the herbicide cannot be 'triggered' to activate without a key factor — soil moisture. Signs of macronutrient and micronutrient deficiencies There were some signs and symptoms of macronutrient and micronutrient deficiencies. Agronomy ARMYWORM.
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