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“Sugarbeet Report” presented by NDSU Extension, features growing tips from NDSU sugar beet specialists and researchers.
This is the Sugar Beet Report, bringing you the latest information from NDSU throughout the sugar beet growing season. Today we're talking about early season treatments and planting with Joe Hastings, agronomist for the American Crystal Sugar Company. Joe, how is this year's planting season looking compared to the last couple years?
Joe Hastings:Well, actually, we're quite excited, Bruce. We look to be early planted than we have been the last few years, and that just means crop potential for us. Cause later we get, typically we see reduction in that crop potential. 22 and 23 we were planning probably mid to late May, which is not the best situation. But this year we're planted earlier where we had our first beats in the ground by April 11th by 18th we had 15% of the river valley planted.
Joe Hastings:Now we had some rain, which was welcome last week, but now we're ramping up again. And as of today, we're 27% planted, and it looks to be a good week going forward.
Bruce Sundeen:Besides good seed bed preparation and planting, what else should sugar beet growers be thinking about?
Joe Hastings:One thing you want to check out before you go to the field is to make sure you have the right variety selected for that particular field. What I mean by that is, Hey, is it going to be a field with some disease pressures and have the right varietal tolerances built in for that. What's your crop rotation or is this more pressure regarding the aphanomyces, Rhizoctonia, other diseases like that, fusarium as well? Also, is it gonna be a field that you're planning on for prepile? Should it be a high sugar variety, etcetera?
Joe Hastings:Also, growers should consider a spring cover crop that can really pay huge dividends, especially with protecting seedling sugar beets and preventing wind erosion. In our database, we're showing about a 340 pound sugar increase by using cover crop the last 5 years. So it is important to protect those beets. Also, tillage equipment. Don't let them get too far ahead of your planter. You don't want that soil to dry out and dry out that seed bed before you get planted.
Bruce Sundeen:What are some early season pest control measures that should happen now?
Joe Hastings:Well, now we're looking at resistant weeds. So the only really great tool we have for that is soil applied herbicides. So for kochia, you want to be looking at ethafumisate applied as a pre or pre emerge. Or for waterhemp, you can use dual magnum or ethyl fumiceate as well as a pre. Other things we're looking at is, hey, if you have emerged weeds out there that weren't taken care of by the tillage application, you might have to consider a burn down application of paraquat or gramoxone If the beats aren't up, if the beats are up, don't do that because they will be killed.
Joe Hastings:So it's only if they're still underneath the soil surface to get those emerged weeds. Also, what's your insecticide problems look like? Are you battling sugar beet, root, maggot, or springtails? Well, you gotta be considering possible, counter application for an insecticide. Also looking at Rhizoctonia, you might want to be putting up at plant Rhizoctonia fungicide in with your starter fertilizer to protect those seedlings from Rhizoctonia sitting in and do that based on your field history, your varietal tolerance you've selected, and just prior crop rotations.
Joe Hastings:We typically see more Rhizoctonia in soybean. Our previous years where soybeans and edible beans were planted. But with that, we know planting can be a busy time. We look to have a busy week with planting progression this week. Granted, we see there might be a little bit of rain coming in Friday, Saturday, but lack can get done in the next few days.
Joe Hastings:But just be safe out there on the road and in the field.
Bruce Sundeen:Joe, there's some history with early season planting. I mean, compared to last year, you'll be planting a month early.
Joe Hastings:Yeah. I look back. The last time we planted this early was probably pretty recently, 2015, 2016, 2017. And those years, 2016 was record crop prior to last year. So we had about a 30.4 ton crop in 16 and then 2017. Very similar planting date. We had a 30.2 ton crop. So that was 1 and 2 for tons per acre back to back. 15 was also a very nice crop. We were planning about the same.
Joe Hastings:Actually, we were probably a little bit ahead, but I think we're gonna catch up this week definitely to those average planting dates of probably being around maybe April 28th, 24th. So a lot of great potential. When I can check that box off where the majority of the beets are planted in April, that's just a box check for, yep, there's good crop potential for this coming year.
Bruce Sundeen:Thanks, Joe. Our guest has been Joe Hastings, agronomist for the American Crystal Sugar Company. This has been the Sugar Beet Report, bringing you the latest information from NDSU throughout the sugar beet growing season.