In The Field with Randy

Randy Chlapecka is an agronomist with Farmers Supply Association. He is retired from the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture - Cooperative Extension Service where he served as a County Extension Agent for over 32 years. He is an avid ASU Red Wolves fan and has announced Newport Greyhound sporting events since 1996. He also enjoys vegetable gardening.

As I write for the September edition of Eye On magazine on August 18th, harvest has not yet begun. You never know until the combines hit the field, but I am fairly optimistic about the rice crop mainly due to the temperatures and amount of sunshine we have had during pollination and grain fill. Soybeans are a mixed bag with fields that water well looking good and others not so good.

With harvest getting underway, many will consider the use of a harvest aid. The primary harvest aids used are Sodium Chlorate for rice and Paraquat for soybeans. These harvest aids can make harvest easier and more efficient by drying down the green tissue on the crop itself or weeds that may be in the field. They also have the potential to negatively impact yield and quality if they are applied too early and/or if harvest is not timely.

Some rice producers apply harvest aids to most if not all of their acreage, some apply only in specific situations, and some never apply harvest aids. Sodium Chlorate should be applied when the average moisture is below 25 percent

for varieties and below 23 percent for the hybrids. Many times the hybrids have such large panicles and varying moisture on the same panicle that applications should be delayed just a little so that moisture can be a little more uniform. Sodium Chlorate usually should not be used after the moisture dips below 18 percent to prevent overdrying.

Milling quality reductions are potentially a problem if rice kernels get too dry, so it is important to harvest within 5 days of a Sodium Chlorate application to prevent overdrying and potential milling quality reductions. Aim is also labeled as a harvest aid for rice if morningglories are the primary reason a harvest aid is being used.

The use of harvest aids in soybeans has increased as we have shifted to more of an early soybean production system although we’re not that early in most places this year. Besides Paraquat, other products labeled include Sodium Chlorate, glyphosate, Aim, and Sharpen.

The University of Arkansas recommendation is to apply Paraquat when one-half of the soybean leaves have dropped and the other one-half are yellow on determinate soybeans. For indeterminate soybeans, apply when 65 percent of the pods are brown and remaining pods are turning yellow. Louisiana research has shown that as long as the seeds within the pod have separated from the white membrane in the pod, then harvest aids can safely be applied.

For more information, feel free to contact me through Farmers Supply Association by cell phone at 870-318-0739, my e-mail israndychlapecka@gmail.com. N

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