Manitoba Planting Estimated at 83% Complete

Jun 05, 2024

Manitoba producers managed to make good progress between showers this past week, but the overall planting pace continues to lag.

The latest weekly crop report on Tuesday pegged overall planting across the province at 83% complete, up from 64% a week earlier but 5 points behind the five-year average and 4 points behind last year.

Precipitation was variable last week, ranging from 0.3 mm at Rorketon to 39 mm at Brunkild. Heavy rainfall occurred in several regions over the weekend, the report said.

Canola and soybean planting advanced, with canola now at 71% complete, and soybeans at 82%. Spring cereals are estimated to be 87 to 94% complete, peas are 97% complete, and grain corn is 95% complete. Flax is at 64% completion across the province, with sunflowers at 53% and dry beans at 66%.

“Planting order has been changed on some farms, and fields are getting planted as soil conditions permit,” the report said.

Fall rye and winter wheat fields range from stem elongation to booting, with the earliest fall rye heading. The most advanced spring wheat has three to four leaves and two tillers, with the earliest corn at V3 stage. Canola ranges from cotyledon to two true leaves. The earliest sunflowers are at the cotyledon to first true leaf stage.

Most cattle are on pasture, remaining animals will be moved as soon as conditions permit. In areas with heavy rainfall, pastures are saturated or have standing water, and cattle are being moved to higher ground in areas where they may cause damage on waterlogged soils.

Southwest:

Showers last week in most areas of the region affected seeding progress. Higher temperatures compared to the previous week helped fields dry down faster, and producers were able to make progress with seeding. Warm temperatures are needed to facilitate rapid growth in most crops. Seeding is 80 to 85% complete in the southwest region, with most producers working on canola, dry bean, and soybean acres.

Cereals are 90 to 95% complete, with the early seeded cereals at the three to four leaf stage and later seeded cereals emerging well. Canola is 70 to 75% complete and ranges from emerging to the cotyledon stage. Peas are 95 to 100% complete and are at the 4 to 5 node stage. Flax is 80 to 85% complete and sunflowers are 85 to 90% complete. Soybeans are 85 to 90% complete and are emerging. Grain and silage corn are 90% complete, and ranges from emerging to the V2 stage. Winter cereals are progressing well, fall rye is at the boot stage.

Northwest:

A mix of sunshine, rain and strong winds this week. Some seeding progress was made, but some areas were once again held up by rain. Full activity resumed midweek only to be interrupted by rain again across the region on Thursday. Warmer temperatures and very strong winds allowed progress to resume on the weekend. The entire Northwest region has received over 100% of normal rainfall to date, with some areas receiving over 200% of normal rainfall. Crops are still requiring heat to get a jump on growth. Some standing water in low areas of fields, with some fields being slow to germinate with the cool, wet conditions. Soil crusting has also been noted as an issue in some fields.

Field pea seeding is complete. Most fields have emerged, and earliest seeded fields are V2-V3 stage. Spring wheat seeding is 90% complete. Earliest seeded wheat is approaching tillering stage and looks good. Canola seeding was able to progress across some of the region in between rains. Progress is approximately 75% complete, with further progress in Roblin and Swan River areas.

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Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Understanding how a plant responds to stress is one thing.

Using that knowledge to make better management decisions is another.

Systemic acquired resistance, or SAR, is the plant's more direct defense response. When stress or infection occurs, the plant begins signaling throughout its system and preparing defensive compounds.

But if we know that response exists, can we help prepare the plant before the stress arrives?

The answer starts with understanding what triggers the response and what the plant needs to carry it out.

The Trigger and the Fuel

Salicylic acid plays an important role in triggering the SAR pathway.

Think of it as turning the truck on.

The engine may be running, but it still needs fuel to do the work.

In this case, manganese plays an important role in supporting the enzyme systems involved in the plant's defensive response.

This makes manganese status an important part of the conversation. Whether a producer is using tissue testing, sap analysis, or simply scouting for visible deficiency symptoms, the goal is to make sure the plant has adequate manganese available.

Manganese is required in relatively small amounts, but that does not make its role small.

If the plant receives a signal to defend itself but lacks the nutrition needed to support that response, it may struggle to carry out the process efficiently.

The trigger matters.

The fuel matters too.

Prepare Before the Stress Arrives

The best time to think about stress management is before the plant is overwhelmed.

Once a crop is already struggling, management can quickly turn into a game of catch-up.

This is similar to nitrogen management. Once a plant becomes severely deficient, correcting the problem does not necessarily erase the time and yield potential already lost.

Plant defense can work the same way.

Low-rate, targeted approaches designed to support the SAR pathway may fit best ahead of an expected stress event rather than after significant damage has already occurred.

That requires producers to think about predictable stress.

We may not know exactly what the weather will do tomorrow, but we generally know summer heat is coming. We know certain field conditions increase disease pressure. We know a herbicide application can temporarily stress a crop as the plant processes the chemistry.

Even a properly timed and labeled herbicide application can create a temporary response in the plant.

That does not mean the herbicide is bad.

Weeds can create significantly more yield loss than the temporary stress caused by controlling them.

The question is not whether we should eliminate every stressor.

The question is whether we can better prepare the plant to manage necessary and predictable stress.

Not All Stress Is Bad

Stress is a normal part of plant growth.

A perfectly stress-free environment does not exist in the field.

In fact, some stress is necessary for normal plant development. A plant responds to wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, and countless other environmental signals throughout the season.

The environment is stress.

The plant's job is to manage it.

Problems begin when the stress load becomes greater than the plant's ability to respond.

Extreme heat, drought, high salt concentrations, disease pressure, and even certain management practices can add to that load.

This is where understanding SAR becomes useful.

Instead of waiting until the plant is visibly struggling, producers can begin identifying periods when stress is likely and make management decisions around those windows.

ISR Starts With the Soil

While SAR is a more direct defense response, induced systemic resistance, or ISR, brings the conversation back to soil health.

The longevity of a farm is closely connected to the health of its soil.

Carbon plays a major role because it supports biological life within the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and other organisms interact with plant roots and influence how the plant grows, accesses nutrients, and prepares for stress.

This is why soil health cannot be reduced to one product or one application.

It is a system.

Keeping living plants in the field longer can support biological activity. Cover crops may fit some operations. Better water management can improve soil conditions.