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Heavy Downpours Causing Crop Disease Headaches

It has been a blessing overall, but sometimes heavy recent rainfall is creating new headaches for some Saskatchewan pulse growers.
 
Over the past couple of weeks, the province’s crop report has alluded to increasing reports of disease in pulse crops, including root rot in peas and lentils – something crops extension specialist Cory Jacob this week attributed to the prevalence of sudden, heavy downpours that have allowed water to pond in the low-lying areas of fields.
 
Storms a few weeks ago dumped as much a 3-4 inches in some areas of the province, with some pockets now having seen up to 10 inches in the past 2-3 weeks alone, he said. With drought impacting many Saskatchewan production areas for months or even years, the moisture has obviously been welcomed, but it has come too fast, too hard in some cases.
 
“Too much moisture. . . I don’t think there we’re quite there yet,” Jacob said. “It’s more a symptom of a lot of rain at once and the moisture can’t run off quick enough.”
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The Crop Science Podcast Show, Dr. Emerson Nafziger from the University of Illinois breaks down decades of nitrogen research. From the evolution of N rate guidelines to how soil health and hybrid genetics influence nitrogen use efficiency, this conversation unpacks the science behind smarter fertilization. Improving how we set nitrogen fertilizer rates for rainfed corn is a key focus. Discover why the MRTN model matters more than ever, and how shifting mindsets and better data can boost yields and environmental outcomes. Tune in now on all major platforms!

"The nitrogen that comes from soil mineralization is the first nitrogen the plant sees, and its role is underestimated."

Meet the guest:

Dr. Emerson Nafziger is Professor Emeritus of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with degrees in agronomy from Ohio State, Purdue, and Illinois. His research has focused on nitrogen rate strategies and crop productivity. He co-developed the Maximum Return to Nitrogen (MRTN) model, which is widely used across the Midwest. His research spans N response trials, hybrid interactions, crop rotation effects, and yield stability.