Lodging in cereal crops can result in yield loss and harvesting difficulties for growers. Application of plant growth regulator (PGR) has been an indispensable management practice to reduce lodging problems that are often exacerbated during high wind growing conditions and/or high nitrogen (N)/water environments, but the data is limited in the Columbia Basin of Oregon. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of two PGR products (chlormequat chloride-CC, trinexapac-ethyl-TE) at different rates and application timings on two soft white winter wheat varieties (ORCH-102 and SY Ovation). Crop growth (stem height and thickness), yield-related (spike density as ears m−2, seeds per spike, grain weight) and quality parameters (test weight, protein) were measured for two cropping seasons from October 2017 to July 2019 following the application of the two PGR products at tillering (GS21-26), stem elongation (GS30-32), and/or flag leaf (GS37-39) stages under a high-N fertilizer scenario. In both growing seasons, no lodging problems were recorded for any treatments. The plant height was reduced after PGR application, but the impact on stem thickness was limited. PGR application slightly affected wheat yield, yield components, testing weight, and protein level in both growing seasons. Our results suggested that the effect of PGR application is relatively limited if no lodging problem occurred.

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Stand establishment is the most difficult aspect of winter canola production in the Pacific Northwest. A method that has been tried by innovative producers is to plant canola using row spacings much wider than used for winter wheat. This allows wide shovel openers to move dry soil to the areas between the rows and creates a seed row that is shallow to moist soil, allowing the seed to be placed relatively shallow with a minimum of soil cover. Earn 1 CEU in Crop Management by reading this article and taking the quiz at https://www.certifiedcropadviser.org/education/classroom/classes/695.

Organic debris, including wood residues, provides parent materials for development and function of organic mantles on forest soils. Along with providing a storehouse of nutrients and moisture, organic materials provide either the environment or the energy source for microorganisms critical to both the nutritional quality of forest soils and the ability of conifers to extract nutrients and moisture from the soil. The role and relative importance of specific organic components can vary substantially with site and conifer species. Age of the trees appears to have less of an effect on importance of organic matter than site or species. Of the many organic materials incorporated in a forest soil, the woody component is in many ways the most important. To protect productive potential of forest soils, a continuous supply of organic materials must be provided, parti

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