Manitoba crops are advancing rapidly, but crop quality varies widely by region. Southern areas of the province are in better condition than areas further north, according to the latest weekly crop report.
For cereals, most provincial spring wheat fields have completed flowering and kernel development is underway. The majority of the later-seeded wheat has finished flowering. The spring wheat crop is rated mostly good to excellent, with some exceptions due to extreme moisture.
Barley crops range from flowering to head filling (milky dough) stages, with malt crops most advanced, and greenfeed or very late-seeded fields further behind.
Oat crops have finished flowering and are becoming heavier, with grain fill developing.
Winter wheat has mostly reached the hard dough stage and the crop is starting to turn colour. Pre-harvest aid application could start this week in the eastern region.
Meanwhile, the corn crop is developing but remains late, ranging from tasselling to blister stage. Rapid dry matter accumulation is beginning, and nutrient demand will be highest in the next 30 to 40 days. Corn crops in the Red River Valley are most advanced, followed by corn in the southwest and eastern regions.
For the oilseeds, canola crops are variable across Manitoba, with some in excellent condition and others in poor condition, with thin stands. Flowering ranges from the start of blooming to completely finished blooming and fully podded. Canola crop ratings are broadly estimated as 15% excellent, 60% good, and 25% fair condition. Early crops have podded up well, with limited heat blast and flower abortion this year. Producers are watching crop development closely.
Flax crops are nearly done flowering, boll development looks good and disease issues are limited. Flowering appeared to be somewhat extended after rainfall encouraged more blooms following a week of very high temperatures.
Sunflowers are starting to open this past week on the most advanced fields. Fungicide application on sunflowers will start towards the end of this week.
Soybeans are growing rapidly, with many crops planted in 30” rows closing canopy. Crop development has moved very quickly, almost at “normal” for the time of year.
As for pulses, the majority of field peas range from flowering to podding. Later-seeded fields are further behind, while some well-developed crops continue to flower amid favourable growing conditions. Excess rainfall has led to root rot in poorly drained fields or sections of fields. Yellow areas are evident in low spots and drains.
Dry bean stage ranges from R2 and R3. The earliest dry bean crops in the Southwest region are approximately 3 weeks away from harvest.
Below are some regional comments from the provincial crop report.
Southwest:
In general, crops look good with above-average yield potential at this point, but remain two to three weeks behind normal in most areas and will need good weather conditions in next month or two for maximum yield and to reduce the risk of frost damage.
Northwest:
Heavy rain and wind over the weekend have caused some lodging in cereal crops. Some fields have been entirely flattened while, some have had portions of the field flattened. This may affect spring wheat quality and yield. Haying operations have been delayed multiple times and are just resuming now in the Ethelbert and Pine River areas.
Central:
Hot, humid days drove rapid crop development across the region, punctuated by rainfall. Corn and soybean crops have advanced the most quickly, and are rapidly silking and developing pods, respectively. Spring wheat is just beginning to turn colour, and winter cereals await a pre-harvest aid in the next one to two weeks. Lodged crops have recovered somewhat, with cereals bouncing back better than lodged canola. Adequate rain will mean much-improved yields over 2021, but thunderstorm systems spur lodging events that might limit crop quality and make harvest pickup a little more difficult.
Eastern:
Temperatures have been highly variable, with both above and below-seasonal daytime highs. Humidity has remained very high. Weather has worked to delay both spraying and haymaking and producers have had to make the most of any opportunity. Aerial application of fungicides and insecticides has been much more common this year.
Interlake:
Heavy rainfall again soaked the Interlake region the past week. Standing water is present in fields. Despite excessive rain, crops that have not drowned out and those sitting in drier spots of the fields have advanced well.
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