Lightning in fields can be a source of nitrogen but at times can result in crop damage which, at a glance, resembles a very localized disease outbreak, plant pathologist Ieuan Evans writes.
Tag Archives fires
Lightning gives and takes in Prairie fields
Practical Research: Certain types of storms provide almost 15 per cent of the world’s fixed nitrogen fertilizer
Powdery mildew can be combine fire risk
Dust from the disease can ignite to cause combine fires; producers advised to frequently clean their equipment
Depending on the crop, powdery mildew may not be much of a yield killer for grain growers — but dust from the fungal disease can build up to cause fires in combines.
Hazy conditions, clear decisions: How wildfire smoke affects spraying and crops on the Prairies
No direct research has yet been done on how wildfire smoke affects herbicide application
As wildfire smoke becomes more common on the Prairies, understanding its effects on herbicide performance and crop development can help farmers make better-informed spraying decisions and avoid costly delays.
What we know about how wildfire smoke affects Prairie crops
Impacts depend on smoke quantity, plant progress, surrounding weather conditions
With nearly 100 active wildfires across the three Prairie provinces at this writing, farmers don’t have to go far to see and feel the effects of smoke in the atmosphere — but what this year’s crops will experience is a more complicated matter. If you’ve got time for some reading right now, here we’ve gathered […] Read more
Farm building code updates will drive insurance increases
Added costs such as fire separation areas and bracing affect replacement value
Glacier FarmMedia — An unintended consequence of planned upgrades to Canada’s National Farm Building Code (NFBC) may be higher farm insurance rates. That’s because, regardless of how the insured structure is built, if destroyed it will have to be rebuilt to the new and more complex code. An Ontario member of the Canadian Farm Building […] Read more
How do smoky skies affect corn crops?
Obscured sunlight and poorer air quality offer benefits as well as drawbacks for the plants
Occasional plumes of smoke from distant wildfires may affect human comfort — but how does a smoke-obscured sun and poor air quality affect crops? “This has been a big topic of conversation where I work in the state of Indiana,” says Dan Quinn, an assistant professor of agronomy and extension corn specialist at Purdue University. […] Read more
Brazil tells landowners to stop setting fires in Amazon ‘climate emergency’
Properties could be embargoed, agency says
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s government told ranchers and farmers on Friday to stop setting fire to the Amazon rainforest as clouds of dense gray smoke make the air increasingly unbreathable in the northern city of Manaus, threatening sanctions if they do burn areas of land. “Fire is not natural in the Amazon, it […] Read more
Climate change made Quebec wildfires twice as likely, scientists say
Early snow disappearance led to earlier fires
London | Reuters — The fires that tore through the province of Quebec between May and July were made at least twice as likely by climate change, scientists said on Tuesday. Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, also made the fires as much as 50 per cent more intense, according to the […] Read more
International help rolls in to fight unyielding Canadian wildfires
Almost 80 of Quebec's fires currently out of control
Ottawa | Reuters — Allies around the world are promising to boost support for Canada’s fight against hundreds of blazes amid the country’s worst-ever start to wildfire season, which is fueling concerns about the worsening consequences of climate change. Forest fires continued to burn across Canada on Thursday, forcing thousands of people from their homes […] Read more
Air quality deteriorates as wildfires rage in Western Canada
Evacuations continue in Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan
Reuters — Calgary received a special weather alert on Tuesday, warning residents of poor air quality and reduced visibility as tinder-dry weather and shifting winds elevated the risk of spreading wildfires in Alberta’s north and west. As of Tuesday evening 89 wildfires are active in Alberta, with 25 out of control, according to the provincial […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
