Manitoba crops continued to be stressed by wet, and at times stormy, weather this past week, with many areas in need of warmer and drier conditions.
According to the latest weekly crop report on Tuesday, precipitation for the past eight days across the province ranged from 10 mm to nearly 100 mm. The Southwest, Central, and Eastern regions accumulated the most precipitation. Winkler, at 99.7 mm, saw the heaviest amounts.
Spring cereals continue to advance with the earliest planted fields having moved into the flag leaf/head emergence stage. Soybean and dry bean crops are progressing at a slower pace given the cooler conditions, the report said.
Canola growth stage ranges from the rosette to flowering stage, while sunflowers are at the V8 to V12 growth stage and flax crops range from growth stage 4 to 5.
Field peas are at the eight to ten node stage, with some fungicide application occurring in the Southwest region. Dry beans are in first to second trifoliate stage.
Southwest:
More rain has resulted in excess moisture in many areas. Unseasonably cool temperatures persist due to stormy weather. Windy conditions are making herbicide spraying difficult. Some fields only aerial application is possible. Small creeks are flowing, and some of the lower, deeper spots have standing water. Cool-season crops are currently showing the best results so far, including winter cereals and canola. Early spring cereals appear healthy, but later crops are behind in growth stage and require more heat. Warm season crops such as soybean, dry bean, and corn are progressing very slowly this year. However, corn has shown improvement this week and is now mostly about 12 inches tall. Wind-whipped cereal leaf tips are noticeable from last week's windstorm.
Northwest:
A mixed week of weather conditions again with excess moisture in some areas. Localized areas saw large amounts of precipitation in a short time. Field peas are continuing in the vegetative stage, and most advanced fields are starting to flower. They are looking good for the most part, depending on the region. Majority of spring wheat is in the late tiller stage. Some areas are looking good, while other areas are moisture stressed.
Canola crops continue to be quite varied. Some of the earliest seeded fields have bolted and are close to flowering, while some crops are still at seedling stage.
Central:
The week was cool, at times windy, and had several rainfall events. Windspeeds in excess of 100 km/hr were reported on Monday morning, causing damage to tree rows and localized lodging of cereal crops. Water is pooling in low spots, with crops undergoing visible water stress. The cooler temperatures are slowing crop growth, and many crops are more advanced developmentally than they may at first appear given their height. Warm season crops including soybean, edible beans, and corn are the most affected.
Eastern:
Rainfall amounts across the Eastern region during the reporting period were highly variable and ranged from 18 mm to 62mm. Field access issues and windy conditions continue to challenge spraying progress, but calmer periods did allow producers to make some herbicide application progress. Standing water is evident in many fields. Spring cereals along with field peas, flax, soybeans, and corn continue to display yellowing with lower areas and field drains showing plant death.
Interlake:
Precipitation across the region was variable with strong winds and thunderstorms. Rainfall accumulation across the region ranged from 10 to 28.8 mm. The South Interlake area including Woodlands, Stonewall, Selkirk, and Petersfield received rainfall amounts ranging from 20 to 28 mm. The North Interlake area such as Arborg, Fisherton, Gimli, and Moosehorn had less than 20 mm of rainfall. Excess moisture remains a concern in some areas withstanding water visible in some fields. Crops are behind due to wet and cool weather and some plants are yellowing due to excess moisture.
