The Growing Point

Our goal with this newsletter is simple; to provide Alberta farmers and agronomists with timely, relevant and valuable agronomic knowledge sourced from science-based research and projects funded by Alberta Grains. You will also find a few opinion articles addressing management perspectives and other agronomic pointers to help you make informed agronomic decisions.

This monthly newsletter will include written articles, audio interviews and videos. Additionally, impromptu information may be released to address timely agronomic problems in Alberta. We hope the agronomic information from these newsletters brings value to your farm. 

To learn more about The Growing Point and our agronomy program e-mail our Agronomy and Extension Specialist

Email Ruoxi Xia
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June 2025

As we move into June, in-crop management is in full swing. Weed management, in-crop nitrogen applications, monitoring early-season crop issues, and timing plant growth regulator (PGR) are all top of mind. With cereals advancing through key growth stages, it's also a critical time to scout for insect pests and diseases. In this edition, we bring you practical updates and tools to help you navigate in-crop nutrient decisions, assess plant stress symptoms, and protect yield potential during this important window. 

Articles

Subscribe to the cereal rust risk forecast

Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network (PCDMN) publishes cereal rust risk reports weekly during the growing season. The model predicts the risks using wind trajectories. 

Insect pest update - June 2025

With the warm, mostly dry spring, most insect pests have been active early. Insect development and scouting for most pests is occurring 1-2 weeks earlier than average. Find the most recent pest update…

New Plant Growth Regulators 2025

Plant growth regulators (PGR) is a tool to manage lodging, especially in environments with abundant moisture and high levels of fertility.

Early-season crop issue diagnosis

As the crop emerges, some early-season crop issues may start to appear. Issues such as poor or uneven emergence, yellowing and stunted growth are among the most common issues. Each issue might be caus…

Managing In-crop nitrogen in cereals

n-crop nitrogen is a tool for many purposes. It can be used as a risk mitigation tool, when spring moisture condition is not ideal but got improved later on, the target yield increases and thus the re…

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