Back

On November 18, 2017

Hybrid (corn) or variety (soybean) selection is very important to successful crop production. Nonetheless, it can be challenging to review all of the seed guides produced annually, especially as they relate to making selections based on disease and stalk health ratings. Extension Specialists Alyssa Collins and Paul Esker provide some guidance related to three important concepts: (1) the key considerations related to selecting hybrids or varieties based on disease reaction, (2) understanding the different terminology that is used to describe disease resistance or susceptibility, and (3) understanding the different rating systems.

Above all, remember that the best approach starts with knowing your farm and fields and by asking excellent and direct questions of your local seed rep to identify the materials best suited for your farm based on your field history and disease issues. Furthermore, make sure that you select materials that are properly adapted for your production area.

Here are several key considerations when selecting hybrids or varieties based on disease ratings and issues. First understand the field history, including things like crop rotation, plant population and tillage: many seed catalogs now make recommendations based on factors like corn-following-corn, no tillage, etc., which may (or may not) correlate with disease-related issues.
Develop a database of the diseases that were noted in specific fields and check those against the hybrid or variety that was grown, as this way you will be able to understand how the rating system performed with your own observations.

In corn, problems with standability or stalk rots may require that you place greater emphasis on these factors when you select hybrids. It is important to note that not all seed guides may list specific stalk rot diseases, so make sure to discuss this with your seed rep if you have specific stalk rot issues. If a fungicide was used in the field, and there was a check strip, look to determine if there were yield or quality differences between the treated and untreated areas. Not all hybrids or varieties will perform the same in every field. Check University and other variety or hybrid results to see how different selections perform across different environments. Knowing this can help you make better decisions for different fields on your farm.

The different seed guides use different terms that may, or may not, mean the same thing. For example, several describe the disease reaction using words like “susceptible”, “moderately susceptible”, “moderately resistant”, “resistant”, which can tell you things about the relative performance across different environments (physical, geographical or climatological).
In other cases, the seed guide will make reference to “tolerance”, and this term may mean the same thing as “resistance”, but it can also mean something a little different. For example, in plant pathology, the term “tolerance” means that a plant can become infected, but without serious damage or impact on yield. It is a common way to describe a hybrid or variety when there is no resistant material. This is very common way to classify varieties in soybean for diseases like white mold.

In other situations, the terminology may be even simpler, ranging from “poor” to “excellent”, which we would interpret to mean “susceptible” to “resistant” or “tolerant”, depending on the disease.

Adding to the complexity is that different companies using different rating systems. Many companies use a 1 to 9 system, where 1 means susceptible or not recommended and 9 means resistant (or highly resistant, in some cases) or recommended, while others use the same numbering scheme, but in the opposite direction.
Furthermore, it is important to note that one companies “4” may not be the same as another’s since the “4” could mean something very different depending on how the company classifies the material, as many companies will combine several ratings into one of the broader classes described above to define resistance of susceptibility. Additionally, some companies use a simpler rating system that may range from 1 to 5 (or 1 to 4).

Finally, when a disease has no rating, there is often a note that will state something like the following, “not enough data or material has been evaluated for that trait or disease”.
In any of the cases, if you have any doubts about the numbering system, it is important to ask this question with your seed rep, since based on our experience, middle ratings can also imply that the reaction is dependent on location and environment (genotype x environment, or genotype x environment x management).

To Learn About The Pennsylvania Pollinator Protection Plan (P4)

The P4 was developed with input from 36 individuals representing 28 state- and national organizations and stakeholder groups. It summarizes the current state of pollinators in Pennsylvania, and provides recommendations for best practices and resources to support and expand pollinator populations.

Pennsylvania is home to hundreds of species of pollinators (bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles), with over 500 species of bees alone. Pennsylvania also has one of the most diverse cropping systems in the United States, producing an array of fruit and vegetable crops that benefit from the services of pollinators.

In total, these crops contribute $260 million to Pennsylvania annually. Pennsylvania also spans a diversity of landscapes, encompassing natural, agricultural, suburban and urban landscapes, as well as over 100,000 acres of roadsides. However, pollinator populations in Pennsylvania are experiencing several challenges, with beekeepers reporting 52% losses<http://www.pastatebeekeepers.org/pdf/temp/SurveySummary2017.pdf> of their colonies in the winter of 2016-2017, and 51 species of butterflies, 111 species of moths, and 3 species of bumble bees considered to be at risk<http://www.pgc.pa.gov/WILDLIFE/WILDLIFEACTIONPLAN/Pages/default.aspx>.

The Pennsylvania Pollinator Protection Plan (P4) is a living document that provides current information on the status of pollinators in Pennsylvania, state-specific practical recommendations for supporting and expanding these populations in the different types of landscapes in Pennsylvania, and describes the current programs and efforts of diverse institutions and stakeholder groups to support pollinators. More information can be found at: http://ento.psu.edu/pollinators/research/the-pennsylvania-pollinator-protection-plan-p4

The P4 will be continuously updated as new information, recommendations, and programs arise. We welcome your suggestions and comments on the P4 which can be provided at this link: http://ento.psu.edu/pollinators/p4-comments as well as recommendations for areas of research, outreach, education and policy. We are currently taking comments until December 15, 2017 for inclusion in the “recommendations” chapter, which will be released in January 2018.
To Learn About Strawberry And Raspberry Production In Protected Structures

Strawberries and raspberries are high value crops that are also perishable and fragile. For this reason, much of the world’s production is either in locations with optimum growing conditions and little rain during the harvest season such as California, or under protected structures such as high tunnels and greenhouses. Use of protective structures coupled with new varieties makes it possible to lengthen the harvest season and increase yields, quality and shelf-life tremendously even in areas with short growing seasons such as Pennsylvania. Beyond these benefits, it has also become apparent that the coverings used on protective structures not only affect plant growth, but also can affect insect behavior and disease incidence by blocking certain wavelengths of sunlight to which some pests are attuned. Researchers at Penn State are working together with colleagues at six other Universities in the U.S., the USDA, and in Europe to determine how to best optimize these effects.
Kathy Demchak, Sr. Extension Associate, in the Department of Plant Science is part of this large Specialty Crops Research Initiative project entitled “Optimizing Protected Culture Environments for Berry Crops. She will report on this on November 28, 2017, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM at The Village at Penn State, 260 Lion’s Hill Road, State College, PA. For more information call 814-865-2717

Quote Of The Week: “One might think that the money value of an invention constitutes its reward to the man who loves his work. But… I continue to find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.” Thomas A. Edison