SARDA Ag Research Newsletter - July, 2021

July Issue, 2021

SARDA Ag Research News

Table of Contents Message From The Chair

Page 3

2021 Field Tours

Page 4

SARDA Ag Research Summer Students

Page 6

Pre-Seed Herbicide Options Prior To Seeding Grass Seed Crops Directly Into Annual Crop Stubble

Page 9

The Evaluation Of Warm-Season Annual Grasses As Alternative Sources Of Forage Crops For Beef Cattle

Page 12

Herbicide Resistant Wild Oats

Page 14

Diamond Back Moth Monitoring Program

Page 15

Contact Information For Board And Staff

Page 16

A spring and summer update.

There are three major events planned to share our research and extension work.

Meet our summer students.

Pre-seed herbicide applications for weed control are necessary when seeding grasses into annual crop stubble.

Compares forage yield and nutritional value of annual forage-type cool and warm-season crops for the beef diet.

An identified issue that continues to be observed in growth in the Peace Region.

The annual pest monitoring program for Diamond Back Moths.

ON THE COVER One of the SARDA Ag Research summer staff, Sammi Siegle, enjoying seeding on a beautiful spring day Photo credit: SARDA Ag Research

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SARDA Ag Research News

Summer staff 2021

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Message from the Chair

he spring and summer are critical times for SARDA Ag Research. During this period, we hire and train summer students, and literally plant the seeds for future research. Our staff have been busy seeding, spraying and maintaining our plots as well as collecting and sorting data. It is always satisfying to witness the little seeds start to flourish and become our knowledge base, one test plot at a time. We can say the same of the students who learn so much while they are here.

This year, we had high hopes to once again host events and share our research and extension. With the current pandemic allowing for the reopening of places and events, we are so happy to be hosting Field Days on July 20th & 22nd. If you have ever wondered what we do, this is the best opportunity to find out! Guided plot walks will include a hands-on approach to explaining and demonstrating our research. We also have booked knowledgeable speakers for the benefit of both producers and industry. Our Field Days will focus on pulses, oilseeds, cereals as well as other topics relevant to the north.

In partnership with the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions, we are also so proud to bring WheatStalk to our area on August 5th. Many members of our Board of Directors had attended various WheatStalk events in the past and we thought it would be a perfect fit to showcase our work. It is going to be a fantastic day. I hope that you enjoy getting to know our summer staff in this issue.

We would like to thank all of our staff for their hard work, without which we wouldn’t be able to be as productive as we have been.

We hope to see you at the SARDA Ag Research events this summer.

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Sincerely, Simon Lavoie, Chair

SARDA Ag Research News

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TO REGISTER FOR ANY OF THESE EVENTS, GO TO WWW.SARDA.CA IN THE EVENTS SECTION Location: SW 8-77-20 W5 or 55.654097, -117.079592 M.D. of Smoky River No. 130, AB 9:00 am to 4:00 pm 9-10 Kristina Polziehn Wild Oat Resistance Calvin Yoder Demonstration 10:25-11:10 Lance Ouelette Flea Beetle Damage & Population Impacts on Canola

he SARDA Ag Research Team is so relieved and excited to be able to host events once again this summer! There are three major events planned to share our research and extension work.

PULSE AND OILSEEDS DAY July 20, 2021

11:55–12:40

Rebecca Newman David Sasseville

12:40–1:10

Megan Snell

11:10 11:55

The first of these events will be our Pulse and Oilseeds Field Day, in Falher. It is an opportunity to spend the day in the field, on a tour around our test plots and listen to speakers on a variety of topics. The topics include our Canola seed size and seeding depth trial, the Flea Beetle seeding rate trial and the micromix trial. Lunch will be included so participants don’t have to pack anything. There will be no fee to attend, however due to COVID-19, registration is mandatory.

Consult our schedule for speakers and topics.

BASF Canola Micro Mix (pending) Canola Seed Size & Depth Trial

1:10 pm – 1:55 pm LUNCH (provided) Kim Corteva Agriscience Schoorlemmer 2:40–3:25 Darcy Boisvert Industrial Hemp Industry In The Peace Region 3:25–3:55 Shelleen Gerbig SARDA Ag Research Variety Trials (SARVT) 1:55–2:40

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SARDA Ag Research News Variety trials at the WheatStalk site include: • 11 RVT malt barley varieties • 6 SARVT feed barley varieties • 13 SARVT wheat varieties • 3 SARVT oat varieties

CEREALS FIELD DAY July 22, 2021 The second event will be our Research Cereals Field Day, near Debolt. This half-day event offers participants a chance to catch up with our research on various crops and pests. We were very fortunate to have Crooked Creek Donuts agree to add a little icing on the top and will have fresh donuts on hand. Once again, there is no fee to attend, but registration is mandatory. The schedule and speakers for the day will be as follows below.

Be one of the first 50 to pre-register for the event and get the famous wheat socks upon check-in!

Location: SW 8-77-20 W5 or 55.654097, -117.079592 M.D. of Smoky River No. 130, AB 9:00 am to 4:00 pm 9:15-9:45 Sheri Strydhorst In-Crop and PGRs In Wheat 9:45-10:15 Jennifer Otani Wheat Midge Insects Trent Whiting And Stewardship 10:15-10:45 Nick Sekulic Varietal Class Comparisons 10:45-11:15 Kristina Polzhein In-Crop And PGRs In Oats And Barley 11:15-11:45 Megan Snell Wheat Ultra-Early Seeding

Location: NW 36-73-1 W6 or 55.370511, -118.019393 MD of Greenview No.16 *Please note that there is major construction on HWY 744, south of Girouxville*

9:30-10:00

9:00 am to 12:00 pm Registration DONUTS (provided

by Crooked Creek Donuts) Megan Snell Wheat Protein

10:00-10:30

Nick Sekulic

10:30-11:00

Shelley Barkley

11:00-11:30

Sandeep Nain Shelleen Gerbig

9-9:30

11:30-12:00

12:00-12:45 pm LUNCH (provided) 12:45-1:30 Nevin Rosaasen Seed Treatment Application On Pulse Crops 1:30-2:00 Mike Gretzinger Bio Stimulants 2:00-2:30 Jan Slaski Novelty Crop Sequencing 2:30-3:00 Darcy Boisvert Industrial Hemp Industry in the Peace Region 3:00-3:30 Shelleen Gerbig SARDA Ag Research Variety Trials (SARVT)

Regional Variety Trials (RVT) Pea Leaf Weevil GRO Oats SARDA Ag Research Variety Trials (SARVT)

WHEATSTALK AND FIELD DAY August 5, 2021 Last, but not least, is our event in partnership with Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions: WheatStalk!

The wheat-centric field day, WheatStalk, is heading north!

Join Alberta Wheat Commission and SARDA Ag Research for WheatStalk - a day full of agronomy learning and fun in the sun! This event features agronomy experts and entomologists. Learn about plant growth regulators, wheat variety classes and ultra early seeding of wheat. Immediately following the WheatStalk portion of the day, SARDA Ag Research will host guest speakers to highlight trials on seed treatments on pulses, biostimulants, crop rotations, industrial hemp and variety trials on site.

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SARDA Ag Research News

SARDA Ag Research Summer Students Mai Noosri- Bérubé

By SARDA Ag Research Staff

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he life of a summer student is never dull here at SARDA Ag Research. When we were hiring, we were looking for enthusiastic and motivated people to join our Research Team. The students this year did not disappoint. They dove right into their duties, which included conducting applied research, maintaining plots, learning how to operate equipment, to collecting, entering, reviewing and maintaining data integrity throughout the season.

We have had the chance to get to know them well and can say that they each bring a unique skill set – and personality – to our programs. We could go on all day about them, but instead we will introduce them to you in their own words. Our Research Team is grateful for all their hard work and dedication.

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Hi, my name is Mai Noosri- Bérubé and this will be my first year working at SARDA Ag Research. I am the oldest daughter of Victor and Ying Gauthier. I grew up on a farm south of Donnelly. I will be entering my first year of university at Athabasca University. I am enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts, with a double major in psychology and women and gender study. In my spare time, I like to read, journal, hangout with my family and friends, watch international films and television shows. I go camping with my husband, Brian Bérubé, and until Covid hit, we loved to travel. I am looking forward to

SARDA Ag Research News course), playing sports or hanging out at home. I am excited to work at SARDA Ag Research for the learning experience and the lingo that comes with ag research.

being outdoors and getting to know the other summer staff while working at SARDA Ag Research.

Sami Siegle

Catherine Brochu

Hi, my name is Sami Siegle. My parents are Glen and Beth Siegle, and I grew up on a farm

by Clyde. I am entering my third year of school at Augustana University in the Bachelor of Science program, majoring in Environmental Science.

I am looking forward to working outside and meeting new people. In my spare time, I enjoy horseback riding, hiking, spending time with my friends and family and playing with my nephews. I am looking forward to this summer!

Hello, my name is Catherine Brochu. I am the youngest daughter of Marc and Alex Brochu.

Our family lives on a farm near Girouxville.

I am going to start my second, and final, year of Animal Sciences in Fairview. What excites me most about working at SARDA Ag Research is that it will expand my agricultural knowledge and working on the trials. I like spending time outdoors, camping and visiting family. I am looking forward to a great summer with a great group of people!

Nadia Sylvain Hi! My name is Nadia Sylvain and this will be my second summer working at SARDA Ag Research. My parents are Gilles and Simerjeet Sylvain and our family lives on a farm near Girouxville. In the fall, I will be starting my third year of a Bachelor of Sciences degree at the University of Alberta’s campus Saint-Jean. In my spare time, I enjoy playing the piano, spending time with friends and family and playing volleyball. I am looking forward to spending time outdoors and getting to know the new summer staff!

Émilie Aubin Hi, my name is Émilie Aubin and this will be my first year working for SARDA Ag Research.

My parents are Daniel and Christine Aubin and our family lives on a farm near Guy. In the fall, I will be going back to Edmonton to start my second year in the Bachelor of Sciences program at King’s University. I am excited to work at SARDA Ag Research and learn new things in a more hands-on environment. In my spare time, I like to spend time with friends and family, go to the lake and read. I am looking forward to a great summer!

Blake Lambert Hi, my name is Blake Lambert. I am the son of Mike and Karen Lambert.

I grew up in Falher and I am really looking forward to my first summer working at SARDA Ag Research. I am currently going into my 3rd year of nursing at GPRC, where I plan on finishing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and coming back to work in the region as a nurse. When I am not studying, I am either hanging out with friends (while minding social distance, of 7

SARDA Ag Research News

An example of how dedicated and hard working the summer staff are and the secret to SARDA Ag Research’s exceptional weed control.

No matter how hot it gets, the weeding must be done.

This photo was taken June 28th at 9:00 am in the MD of Smoky River.The summer students are hand weeding the plots. The forecast high is to reach 36C. The plan is to weed until lunch, then find other inside work to do in the afternoon.

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SARDA Ag Research News

Pre-Seed Herbicide Options Prior To Seeding Grass Seed Crops Directly Into Annual Crop Stubble Prepared by Calvin Yoder, Forage Seed Specialist, PRFSA/SARDA

spectrum, previous annual crop, how the grass seed crop will be established (seeding with or without an annual crop) and what herbicide you may use for weed control once the grass reaches the seedling stage.

April 15 2021 The following information is based on research results and should only be used as a guide for choosing the proper herbicide for controlling weeds in forage seed crops. Consult product labels for final detailed instruction before using any product.

Pre-seed herbicide applications for weed control are necessary when seeding grasses into annual crop stubble. The pre-seed herbicide application will always contain some glyphosate. The addition of a broadleaf herbicide is generally required particularly when direct seeding into glyphosate tolerant canola stubble. The herbicide and rates selected will depend on tolerance of the grasses to herbicides, weed

Rates of Glyphosate

Unless you are growing creeping red fescue this is the last chance to get some control on foxtail barley.

Increase the rate of glyphosate to a minimum of 0.667 litre/acre of a glyphosate (540 g/l) (Table 1).

Addition of Broadleaf Herbicide to Glyphosate

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2,4 D and MCPA ester alone or tank mixed with glyphosate are registered as pre-seed herbicides prior to seeding grasses. Both products do leave some residue but should not be an issue when applied prior to seeding grasses. MCPA ester would

SARDA Ag Research News TREATMENT L/ac

20 D-A-A

31 D-A-A

65 D-A-A

0.333

78

83

78

0.667

9

93

88

1.33

98

97

97

Table 1. Percent foxtail barley control on stubble following three different rates of pre-seed Roundup Transorb 540 g/l applications applied on May 16th , Rycroft 2012.

Figure 1. Establishing grasses directly into canola stubble. be the preferred choice over 2,4-D. Other active ingredients such as bromoxynil, pyraflufen–ethyl and carfentazone-ethyl alone or in mixes together would prove safe as there is no residual concerns for succeeding crops. These active ingredients would also be safe when tank mixed with MCPA or 2,4-D. These would include products such as Aim, Conquer, Conquer II, GoldWing and BlackHawk.

Considerable work has been done to evaluate the tolerance of a number of grasses to pre-seed herbicide applications. Table 2 shows an update on the status of various products applied prior to seeding a number of different forage grass species.

As shown in Table 2 there are some gaps where additional data would be good to collect, particularly on perennial ryegrass, tall fescue an annual ryegrass.

Pyroxasulfone is an active ingredient that can be purchased alone as Zidua or in packages such as Heat

Table 2. Pre-seed herbicides prior to seeding grasses.

PrePass XC

Express + Glyphosate

Heat + Glyphosate

HotShot + Glyphosate

GoldWing + Glyphosate

Creeping Red Fescue

X

X

X

XXX

XXX

Timothy

X

X

X

XXX

XXX

Meadow Bromegrass

X

X

X

XXX

XXX

Smooth Bromegrass

X

X

X

XXX

XXX

Crested Wheatgrass

XX

XX

XXX

XXX

Slender Wheatgrass

XX

XX

XXX

XXX

Meadow Fescue

XX

XXX

XXX

Hybrid Bromegrass

XX

Tall Fescue

XX

Perrennial Ryegrass Annuyal Ryegrass PrePass = glyphosate+florasulam; Express=tribenuron-methyl; Heat=saflufenacil; HotShot=florasulam+bromoxynil; GoldWing=pyraflufen-ethyl+MCPA ester X – User Request Minor Use Label Expansion (URMULE) XX-URMULE Submitted. Waiting for approval.

XXX- Data Collected and Potential for URMULE 10

SARDA Ag Research News Weed Control

Complete, Focus or Fierce. It is mainly used as a preseed or pre-emergent herbicide prior to seeding field peas, lentils, soyabeans, corn and spring wheat but requires ½ inch of rainfall to be activated in the soil.

It has control of a number of annual grassy weeds including barnyard grass, annual foxtails and Italian ryegrass. It has also shown good control of annual bluegrass and has some suppression of wildoats. In 2012 at the Beaverlodge Research Farm pyroxasulfone was applied prior to seeding creeping red fescue, smooth bromegrass and timothy. Emergence of all three grasses was drastically reduced. Pyroxasulfone alone or herbicides containing pyroxasulfone has no potential for use prior to seeding forage grasses.

All products applied pre-seed and tank mixed with glyphosate will provide satisfactory control of most broadleaved weeds. Products containing the active ingredients florasulam (PrePass) saflufenacil (Heat) and tribenuron-methyl will provide some residual control for broadleaved weeds particularly volunteer canola Figure 1. If seeding a grass directly into annual crop stubble alone without an annual crop products that provide some residual control of weeds are likely better choices than those that do not leave any residue as seedling grasses are very sensitive to early weed completion.

Figure 2. Visual percent control of Roundup Ready canola following the application of pre-seed herbicides prior to seeding smooth bromegrass directly into canola stubble, Falher 2018.

If you would like more information on this please contact me at 780 864 7663 or by email at calvinyoder123@gmail.com.

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SARDA Ag Research News

The Evaluation Of Warm-Season Annual Grasses As Alternative Sources Of Forage Crops For Beef Cattle Diets Under Northwestern Alberta Conditions oat and CDC barley) and ten warm-season (C4, i.e.

Siberian red foxtail millet, Golden German foxtail millet, Japanese foxtail millet, Pearl millet, White proso crown millet, Red proso crown millet, Forage sorghum hybrid, Sorghum Sudangrass variety BMR, Sorghum Sudangrass variety Grazex III, and Teff) forages. In 2017 and 2018, near Fairview (56° 04’ 53 N, 118° 26’ 05 W; 670 m) in northwestern Alberta, Canada, we conducted field experiments.

By Akim Omokanye, Guillermo Hernandez, Herbert Lardner, Kabal S. Gill, Buthaina Al-Maqtari & Alan Lee

Summary Winter feeding costs could account for more than two-thirds of the total feeding and management expenses for beef cow-calf production in western Canada’s cool-season climates. Balancing the animal’s nutrient needs with forage resource’s nutritional opportunities leads to sustainable beef cattle management by reducing winter feed supplementation requirements. This investigation compared forage yield and nutritional value of annual forage-type cool and warm-season crops for the beef diet. It compared two cool-season (C3,.i.e. CDC Haymaker

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Forage yield was higher for the two cool-season crops (C3), but the warm-season crops (C4) generally had higher crude protein (CP) and total digestible nutrient (TDN) values. The warm-season (C4) crops also had higher Ca, P, K, Mg, Fe, and Zn. Both cool-season (C3) and warm-season (C4) crops met the CP and

SARDA Ag Research News minerals requirements for dry gestating beef cattle, and all the crops met the TDN requirements of dry and pregnant cows. Barley and seven of the ten warm-season crops also met the TDN required by lactating cows. The warm-season crops (C4) exceeded protein requirements, reducing the need for protein supplementation during winter feeding.

Based on the ease of establishment and forage yield, only four of the ten warm-season crops (two crown millet varieties (red and white proso millets) and two sorghum Sudangrass varieties (BMR and Grazex III)] would be a fit for swath grazing or pasture.

Access the full report:

Journal of Crop Improvement (https://doi.org/10.1080/15427528.2020.1847226)

SW 8-77-20 W5 or 55.654097, -117.079592 M.D. of Smoky River No. 130, AB 9:00 am – 12:00 pm WheatStalk portion of the day Sheri Strydhorst – In-Crop and PGRs In Wheat Jennifer Otani/Trent Whiting – Wheat Midge Insects And Stewardship Nick Sekulic – Varietal Class Comparisons Kristina Polzhein – In-Crop And PGRs In Oats And Barley

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm LUNCH (provided) 12:45 pm – 4:00 pm SARDA AG RESEARCH portion of the day Nevin Rosaasen – Seed Treatment Application on Pulse Crops Mike Gretzinger – Bio stimulants Jan Slaski – Novelty Crop Sequencing Darcy Boisvert - Industrial Hemp Industry in the Peace Region Megan Snell – Ultra Early Wheat Shelleen Gerbig – SARDA Ag Research Variety Trials (SARVT) 13

SARDA Ag Research News

Herbicide Resistant Wild Oats

Prepared by Calvin Yoder, Forage Seed Specialist, PRFSA/SARDA

G

roup 1 and 2 herbicide resistant wild oats are an identified issue that continues to be found in Peace Region crops. It is important that growers are aware of it. In 2020 SARDA Ag Research staff observed an area in a field which the wild oats showed resistance to the Group 1 herbicide, Assure II. Wild oat seed was collected and submitted to a lab to identify which herbicides the wild oat plants would be resistant to. In n the spring of 2021, SARDA Ag Research sprayed a number of different pre-seed and in-crop herbicides to show different herbicide options for managing Group 1 and 2 resistant wild oats in wheat.

You can learn more about these trials during the SARDA Ag Research Pulse and Oilseeds Field Day on July 20th. Kristina Polzhein from Axoim Agronomy and Calvin Yoder, Forage Seed Specialist for SARDA Ag Research and the Peace Region Forage Seed Commission, will discuss the demonstration trial. They will also cover management practices to reduce the impact of herbicide resistant wild oats in annual cropping rotations.

Another great source of information can be found at the Canadian Weed Science Society webpage under the Resistant Wild Oat Action Committee link. https://weedscience.ca/wild-oat-actioncommittee/

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SARDA Ag Research News

The Diamond Back Moth Monitoring Program

By Shelleen Gerbig, P.Ag, BSA, SARDA Ag Research

The annual pest monitoring program began in May with trapping the Diamond Back Moth that may arrive on favorable winds from southern USA. These hanging little tents contain a specific lure to attract the moth and a sticky card to trap them. The traps are checked weekly and new sticky cards are installed.

The moths are counted and the results entered into the live data site managed by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Diamond Back Moths are able to grow through 3-4 lifecycles in a season with the number of moths increasing exponentially each generation.

Unfortunately the last generation of caterpillars are the ones that do the damage to canola by eating the seeds inside the pods. When the counts are high in the spring, this indicates that Diamond Back Moth caterpillars may be an issue in canola fields later in the season. We did not see any Diamond Back Moths in 2021.

Thank you to our program sponsors

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2020 Board of Directors

Simon Lavoie -Chair

St. Isidore

Leonard Desharnais - Vice Chair

Falher

Audrey Gall - Secretary

Northern Sunrise County

Mathieu Bergeron

St. Isidore

Kenny Stewart

High Prairie

Lionel Gauthier

McLennan

Alain Anctil

Girouxville

Jesse Meyer

Grande Prairie

Whitney Boisvert

Giroxville

Dale Smith

MD of Greenview

Neil Maisonneuve

Valleyview

Donald Bissell

Big Lakes County

Peter Harris

County of Grande Prairie

Luc Levesque

MD of Smoky River

Staff

Vance Yaremko

Executive Director

manager@sarda.ca

Shelleen Gerbig, P.Ag.

Extension Coordinator

extension@sarda.ca

Calvin Yoder, P.Ag.

Forage Seed Specialist

calvinyoder123@gmail.com 780-864-7663

Megan Snell, ATT

Research Coordinator

research2@sarda.ca

Victor Gauthier

Field Technician

field@sarda.ca

Amber Fennell-Drouin

Administrative Assistant

admin@sarda.ca

Contact Us

780-837-2900 or www.sarda.ca

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