Farm406

• 47 FARM 406 Ascochyta blight is a major threat to chickpea crops due to susceptible varieties, rapid and aggressive spread of the fungus, and resistance development in the pathogen to some fungicides. IPM is important for disease management. fields including seeders, spray equip- ment, four-wheelers and even your shoes! Many soilborne plant pathogens are difficult to control and can travel from field to field on soil contaminating equipment. Be particularly careful when purchasing or moving equipment from known contaminated areas. Diseases in Montana that we are particularly con- cerned with that move this way include Aphanomyces root rot of pulse crops (particularly peas) and alfalfa, clubroot and verticillium wilt of canola, and many diseases caused by nematodes. These diseases often show up first near the field entry, which can indicate that is where they first entered the field and established damaging populations. Another principle of IPM is to monitor for and identify pests. The importance of scouting and identifying pest problems early cannot be over-em- phasized. Early interventions including fungicide sprays or roguing of infected plants can help avoid costly levels of disease. But even before an interven- tion takes place, identification of the disorder is key to management. Many of what we call 'abiotic' problems mimic disease symptoms but are not caused by a pathogen, so use of pesticides for disease control will not be effective. Examples include nutrient deficiency, drought, herbicide, frost and heat dam- age. The key to identifying these abiotic problems includes a discussion of pos- sible causes, the pattern of symptoms in the field, and, when needed, bringing a sample to your local county extension agent or consultant to confirm the cause. In Montana, Extension offers identification of plant diseases, insects, and mushroom and plant identification services through the Schutter Diagnos- tic Laboratory. Submission instructions and forms are on the website (diagnos- tics.montana.edu). After you have identified a disease, but before making a management decision, think about how much damage can the crop tolerate before a yield or quality loss is not acceptable. For an answer to this question, take into account how much of the field is infected, how severe the infection is, if the variety has resistance to the disease, if the upcoming weather conditions are favorable for continued disease spread, ALL-NATURAL HONEY ENERGY DRINKS Made with raw SMOOT honey and natural ingredients- these honey drinks are delicious and full of natural energy! Now available at 2J's Fresh Market and Great Harvest Bread Company in Great Falls, Montana. smoothoney.com 406.463.2227 202 Central Ave. Power, MT NEED STORAGE? • MFS: Rugged corrugated bins in 284 sizes with on-farm storage for 1,000 to 55,000 bushels. • YORK: Grain handling equipment from 200 to 30,000 bushels per hour - plus all conveyors, spouting, valves and accessories. • STORMOR: Ezee Dry systems with original roof- top drying design that protects grain quality and reduces drying costs. Call Butch for details TODAY! HANKINS CONSTRUCTION SQUARE BUTTE, MONTANA W (406) 737-4244 • C (406) 799-4347 A Division of GLOBAL Industries, Inc., Grand Island, NE 68802 ANOTHER FINE JOB BY

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