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AgAlerts 2009 From Griggs County
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Issue #2, May 5, 2009
The floods and high water tables this spring
has had an affect on well water quality. The following resources can
provide valuable information concerning testing, interpretation of water test
results and taking care of ground water resources.
Water Quality Interpretation Tool: The Northern
Plains and Mountains Regional Water Quality Team has developed an online
assessment tool that offers instant water quality interpretation. Once you
have your well tested and receive the test results, entering the results into
this tool is easy. You must indicate whether this is drinking water or
livestock water to determine if the water falls within the standards for human
drinking water. If the well is used for both livestock and the home, the
standards for human drinking water should be used since these standards are
higher than livestock standards. This tool also includes recommended
treatment processes to correct drinking water problems and links to information
resources. Soon this tool will include an irrigation water tool.
Click to access the Water
Quality Interpretation Tool.
Taking Care of Your Ground Water Resources: The
Northern Plains & Mountains Regional Water Program has developed a video to
illustrate the connection a homeowner has to the water cycle. The main
section is 17 minutes long; additional sections from run from 6 to 11
minutes. The NDSU Extension Service has recommended Section 6 to people
cleaning private wells following the past weeks' floods. The video is
available at your NDSU County Extension offices or online at: "Taking
Care of Your Ground Water Resources".
Private Water Systems Handbook: The Private
Water Systems Handbook was first published in 1968 and is now in the fifth
edition. It provides thorough information of how home and farms could be
assured of obtaining adequate water from wells, cistern, springs and
ponds. This is an excellent publication for anyone living in a rural
area. Copies can be obtained by contacting your local County Extension
office, go on line at www.mwps.org or by phone
at 800-562-3618. The cost is $32 plus S&H.
This spring we are seeing injured and killed
alfalfa stands due to the wet fall, in which case the crowns were not hardened
before freeze up, lack of snow cover in certain areas and standing water.
The question is "how do we deal with these stands"?
Winter injury is the result of only a partial
destruction or killing of the crown or root tissues. Winter-injured stands are
usually slow to begin growth in the spring. The plants may look normal but are
weak, stunted in growth, yellowish in color, and they may have a limited number
of stems developed per crown. If two to three plants/foot2 remain in most areas
of winter-injured stands, satisfactory yields probably will be obtained. If
small areas have as little as one plant/foot2, forage yields probably will be
adequate since stands established at one plant/foot2 had 78 to 84 percent of
yield of full stands. Injured stands should be delayed in harvest until
50% bloom to allow for recovery. Harvesting too early will further weaken
the stand.
Winter kill is the complete killing of the crown and
root tissue. These stands will not recover and be very open for weed
invasion. If a large percentage of the field has winter kill, these fields
should be abandoned, especially if they are two or more years old. Do not
replant alfalfa into these stands since alfalfa releases an autotoxic compound
which inhibits immediate re-establishment in the same field.
For more information on alfalfa management, visit the
following link "Alfalfa
Management in North Dakota".
Phone calls concerning injury to spruce trees and other evergreens are coming into the office. The white snow cover, sunny days combined with the fluctuating temperatures and windy conditions, made for ideal conditions for winter injury. The extent of the injury will be determined if there was any major bud damage. Once bud break occurs, the fate of the tree can be determined. The following pictures will show some of the damage.
Click on Photos to enlarge
Colorado spruce trees are being attacked by Rhizosphaera kahlkoffii and Cytospora canker. The wet conditions along with high humidity over the last few years has been an ideal environment for the development and spread of these diseases. The above links will provide more information and pictures concerning the specific disease. The following pictures are of Cytospora canker at the Cooperstown Country Club. If the disease progresses to this point, the trees should be removed due to their looks and they are a source of infection to other trees.
(click to enlarge)
Colorado spruce trees that have been affected by Rhizosphaera needlecast, the time for treatment is when the new growth is 1/2 to 2 inches long. Management for Rhizoshpaera needlecast requires two applications of either a Bordeaux mixture or a chlorothalonil fungicide. Timing of the fungicide application is important - the first should be made about the time the new shoots are approximately ½ inch expanded, or roughly when the lilacs are blooming. The second application should be made about 3-4 weeks later. It is critical to do both applications to get the disease under control in a tree. Good disease control will likely require two applications of the fungicide for two consecutive years.
NDSU is an equal opportunity institution
Please Contact Our Office For Additional Information
E-mail: john.swenson@ndsu.edu
Go to the 2008 AgAlert Index Page