Southwest Missouri Field Crop Report for Oct. 23, 2013

Contact: Jill Scheidt, agronomy specialist
Headquartered at Barton County Extension Center
Tel: (417) 682-3579
E-mail: scheidtjk@missouri.edu

LAMAR, Mo. –Jill Scheidt, agronomy specialist with University of Missouri Extension in Barton County, scouted area fields in southwest Missouri on Oct. 22 to prepare this week’s field scouting report.

This will be the last field crop scouting report for the season.

“With temperatures nearing freezing, insects and disease are no longer a concern,” said Scheidt. “When temperatures fall below 40 degrees, little growth occurs. Photosynthesis slows and then stops with low temperatures and reduced day length. Plants can survive frost at 32 degrees, but a hard freeze at 28 degrees kills most plants.”

Green soybeans don't mature in the bin after harvest; if death occurs late in seed-filling, the green color is confined to the seed coat.  If death occurs early to mid-fill, the green color remains throughout the interior of the seed.

Farmers can check their soybean seed by splitting them with a knife. If only the seed coat is green, the beans should be classified as yellow beans and not docked.  However, if less than 90 percent of the seed interior is yellow, the beans will be classified as "soybeans of other color."

A load of beans containing more than 10 percent seed of other color will be graded "standard" and can receive substantial dockage.

MORE INFORMATION

Sponsors of this weekly field scouting report are University of Missouri Extension and Barton County Extension. For more information on this scouting report, or to learn how to receive it a week earlier by telephone, contact the MU Extension Center in Barton County, (417) 682-3579.