Now, new research from Chonnam National University in South Korea is shedding light on what’s happening inside plants during those sudden temperature drops — and how we might help crops cope better.

The research team, led by Professor Jungmook Kim, has uncovered a rapid molecular “switch” that helps plants survive freezing conditions by rewiring how their roots grow.

WHY IT MATTERS: Frost damage hits yield potential early, which can be an expensive hit on the bottom line. It’s a growing threat as extreme weather swings become more frequent.

For years, scientists have known that cold stress reduces plant growth. What wasn’t clear is how quickly plants sense the cold and what internal systems they activate to survive it. Understanding how plants respond at the molecular level to freezing temperatures could help researchers develop varieties that recover faster — or avoid damage in the first place.

Kim and his team found that cold temperatures don’t just put growth on pause. Instead, they trigger a fast breakdown of specific regulatory proteins known as Aux/IAA repressors.

Under normal conditions, these repressors act like brakes, preventing certain growth genes from turning on. But when temperatures drop, those repressors rapidly break down, releasing two key regulators that then activate a “master gene” called CRF3.

According to Kim, cold stress doesn’t simply slow plant growth, it actively rewires hormone signaling to adapt root development. The study showed that once CRF3 is activated, it reshapes root architecture.

In simple terms, the plant switches gears and instead of following its usual growth pattern, it reorganizes root development to better survive cold soil conditions. It’s a fast, coordinated reaction rather than a slow decline, which is why frost damage is visible almost immediately.

The work was done using tobacco plants as well as a small member of the mustard family called Arabidopsis thaliana, which is popular with plant scientists because of its short life cycle and prolific seed production. Both species are commonly used in plant science because their genetics are well understood, and Arabidopsis was the first-ever sequenced plant genome.

But according to Kim, the mechanism is likely broader. That’s because the proteins in question are found in all known land plants, including major, economically important crops like corn, soybeans, wheat and canola.

Fields for real

The next step for Kim’s team is to confirm how the switch behaves under real field conditions before they can look at implementable on-farm applications. If it pans out, it could mean new varieties capable of maintaining stable root growth in cold soils or better nutrient absorption and less fertilizer use.

The research also suggests the possibility of developing synthetic molecules or biostimulants that could protect seedlings during extreme cold spells, something that could interest both farmers and input suppliers.

According to the Weather Network, “spring in reverse” events, where cold arctic air hits after a warming trend, have been a reasonably frequent occurrence in southern Ontario in recent years.

In 2020, there was more snow in May than April, for example, and in 2021, May tied March for snowfall levels.

Longer-term, this discovery could even become a target for precision breeding or gene-editing approaches such as CRISPR. Rather than simply selecting for general cold tolerance, breeders could focus specifically on strengthening this molecular switch to improve how roots respond at the moment cold stress hits.

That could support earlier planting windows, particularly in northern areas where sub-zero temperatures can often last well into May, as well as lower replant risk and improve crop stability and even food security in marginal climates or more remote regions.

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Increasing concerns about damage from drought and frosts in Russia, the world’s biggest wheat supplier, drove Chicago board of Trade wheat futures to 10-month highs in May while EU wheat topped one-year highs.

CBOT wheat Wv1 pared losses after the USDA reduced its estimates in a monthly report.

The USDA pegged Russia’s 2024-25 wheat harvest at 83 million metric tons, down from 88 million tons last month, and its exports at 48 million tons, down from 52 million in May.

“Hot and dry weather lowered yield prospects following May frosts,” the USDA said.

The department projected global wheat ending stocks for 2024-25 at a nine-year low of 252.27 million metric tons, down from 253.61 million in May. Analysts expected 251.18 million, according to a Reuters survey.

May frosts in Russia’s breadbasket regions already caused agricultural consultancies IKAR and Sovecon to downgrade their crop forecasts for this year’s wheat crop.

For the United States, the USDA projected all-wheat production at 1.875 billion bushels, compared to 1.858 billion in May and analysts’ estimates for 1.88 billion.

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Advanced AgriScience was the runner-up in the recent national sustainability and innovation challenge powered by Dairy Farmers of Canada and Bioenterprise, Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine.

Why it matters: As climate extremes become more prevalent, the risk of frost damage to fruit crops rises, affecting food security and grower profitability.

Advanced AgriScience founder Collin Juurakko believes his innovation could be the solution the industry needs. He has developed what he says is the world’s first frost protection tool for plants made of naturally occurring micro-organisms and protective proteins.

The product is a dry powder that’s mixed with water and spray-applied to prevent frost formation on plants, resulting in an up to 95 per cent cost savings per acre without emitting greenhouse gasses or using large quantities of water, says Juurakko.

“Current protection is expensive, ineffective and unsustainable. Ideally, I want to see a cheaper, better frost protection so growers can eliminate all the existing systems or use them in tandem with what we’re developing so they don’t need absurd amounts of water and can be more sustainable,” he says, adding the innovation stems from his graduate studies at Queen’s University in Kingston into how frost forms.

“Frost is caused by one bacterium and as we studied it, we found a protective protein that plants can use to interact with water molecules to prevent ice crystals from forming and growing,” he explains.

“Wind machines and irrigation focus on warming the plant but don’t address the molecular cause of frost.”

Following his graduation, Juurakko moved to British Columbia and is now working to translate his research into a cost-effective technology for growers.

The frost problem is a global one, affecting grape vines in France, coffee in Brazil and wheat in Australia, to name just a few. Growers now use a variety of tools to mitigate risk, from sprinklers and frost fans to heaters, wood fires and even helicopters to keep frost from forming on their young crops.

“Risk of frost happens every year, in different parts of the province and to varying degrees,” says Kelly Ciceran, general manager of the Ontario Apple Growers.

According to Agricorp statistics, frost/freeze damage is the biggest claim category in the Ontario apple crop insurance plan every year. The most devastating event in Ontario in recent years happened in 2012, when an early spring frost wiped out 85 per cent of the province’s apple crop, as well as significant acres of peaches, cherries and plums.

Another province-wide frost event in 2015 led to a 40 per cent loss in Ontario’s apple crop; 2021 and 2023 also saw frost damage.

Although his lab work has been successful, real-life trial data is the next step on Juurakko’s journey to commercialization. He is seeking regulatory approvals to move ahead with grower field trials, which he hopes to have in place by spring 2025. Although he plans to focus on high value Canadian horticultural crops, he believes his technology could also work on field crops.

“This is a microbial bioproduct, a seed treatment you spray on crops to colonize them and protect against frost,” he says.

“Ultimately, we want to provide a low cost, sustainable and effective solution that will help growers decarbonize and protect agriculture from the effects of climate change.”

Juurakko’s Green Pursuit win netted him $5,000 in prize money, as well as membership in Bioenterprise, which gives him access to that organization’s national innovation network.

Bioenterprise staff and advisors have already been helping him make horticulture sector connections and learn more about what growers need to address frost challenges, how his innovation could fit into existing farm operations and in what format.

The Green Pursuit was a $50,000 national business pitch competition for early-stage Canadian companies focused on sustainability in agriculture, food, and beverage production innovation. The challenge was won by Aruna Revolution of Nova Scotia for turning agricultural and food waste into compostable fibres.

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Corn, along with other warm-season crops, has been creeping its way into new regions of Canada previously thought unsuitable for the crop. That, according to researchers at the university, is the silver lining of climate change.

Why it matters: Development of more frost-resistant corn could provide resilience and stability for growers.

At the same time, climate change also means more volatile weather, and having longer-growing species in regions previously reserved for cooler-season crops still brings risk of frost and cool nights for vulnerable plants.

“With global climate change, we are realizing that you can push the corn belt northward, so we’re wondering how we can enable the production of that crop by expanding the season,” said Karen Tanino, professor of abiotic stress physiology in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources.

Tanino and her team are studying how the first frost impacts corn varieties. They hope to find new ways to maximize crop yields. The team is focusing on the cuticular layer of the plant, a defensive
barrier that acts like the plant’s skin.

“When you look at how plants were able to evolve from sea to land, a lot of those tools and strategies involve the avoidance of stress, and one of those avoidance strategies was the cuticular layer,” Tanino said.

Researchers are specifically looking at the hydrophobicity or waterproof nature of that cuticular layer.

The level is determined by its waxiness.

Corn is particularly sensitive to frost, Tanino noted.

“It’s actually worse than drought. With frost, there’s no recovery.”

But frost requires sub-zero temperatures, something to trigger the frost (often bacteria or dust), and water.

“If any one of those three is absent, then frost does not occur,” Tanino said, so if the waxy outer layer of the plant can keep moisture out, it could stop frost from forming.

With the help of composition analysis technology at the university’s Canadian Light Source facility, Tanino and her colleagues looked at whether cool temperatures leading up to the first frost influence composition and quantity of the cuticle layer, which would then make it more susceptible to freezing.

“What we found was that those preceding low temperatures, in fact, do have a significant effect on reducing the hydrophobicity (so) that the plants freeze at a warmer temperature, which is not good,” she said.

Their findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal, Physiologia Plantarum.

Variety implications

The good news is there is some genetic variability in corn that could be useful to breeders.

“The longer the carbon chain, the more hydrophobic the wax on the cuticular layer,” Tanino said. “We’re trying to see if we can shift the hydrophobicity of the particular wax to avoid frost going in.”

Hydrophobicity can also help a plant retain moisture during drought conditions.

“What we’re trying to do is look at multiple stresses, not just one stress, because when a plant is out in the field, it’s going to be combating not just frost, but also heat and drought,” Tanino said.

“By creating those tools and identifying those structures, hopefully we will be able to pass them on to breeders so they can select better-adapted genotypes more quickly and efficiently and ultimately release them to the farmer or grower.”

Her team hopes to find plants that are “all-rounders, that can get through multiple stresses and survive, and more stably produce yield year after year.”

– This article was originally published at the Manitoba Co-operator.

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Harvest progress was up from 81 per cent the previous week — and from the five-year average of 82 per cent.

While only trace amounts of rain were reported, heavy morning fogs and high humidity were causing delays in some areas with harvest activities pushed back to the afternoon. Grain moisture levels were higher than normal.

Harvest in the southwest and west-central regions was virtually complete with mostly flax waiting to be harvested, which will likely occur after the next heavy killing frost. The northwest has 94 per cent of its crop off, the northeast 87 per cent, southeast 86 per cent and east-central region 81 per cent.

The harvest of lentils and field peas was finished. Durum was 98 per cent combined, while 97 per cent of the chickpeas, 93 per cent of the spring wheat, 90 per cent of the barley, 82 per cent of canola and 66 per cent of the flax was harvested across the province.

All areas of the province were reporting that they were either extremely dry or becoming drier each week. This includes the southeast and east-central regions, which started the season with an abundance of moisture.

Cropland topsoil moisture was rated as 28 per cent adequate, 41 per cent short and 31 per cent very short. Hay and pastureland topsoil moisture was rated as 22 per cent adequate, 41 per cent short and 37 per cent very short.

The limited moisture throughout much of the harvest season has allowed crop quality to remain high, especially hard red spring wheat, which was being reported as 75 per cent No. 1 CW, 23 per cent No. 2 CW and two per cent No. 3 CW.

The majority of crop damage during the week was due to wind, waterfowl and wildlife. Wind continues to impact unharvested crops by blowing swaths around, as well as shelling out crops and causing lodging.

The post Saskatchewan’s harvest 90 per cent complete appeared first on Farmtario.

Purple seed stain

The amount of purple seed stain is increasing in some parts of southwestern Ontario. It can be a challenge for IP growers and fields grown for seed production. This fungal disease is seed-borne, so subsequent crops will be infected from diseased seed. The inoculum also overwinters in soybean residue so it’s more prevalent in fields with a poor crop rotation. Severely discoloured seed will have lower oil and protein content, but the main problem resulting from this disease are the purple stains left on the seed (see photo at top). Planting clean seed that is treated with a fungicide will greatly reduce the problem in subsequent crops. There are also varieties with greater tolerance, so proper variety selection can be important in the management of purple seed stain.

Phomopsis seed decay

Phomopsis seed decay is the most widespread seed quality issue in Ontario, especially if harvest is delayed. Symptoms include seed that is cracked, shriveled, lightweight, and has a chalky white appearance. This disease is favoured by warm, wet, and humid weather during the pod-fill and maturity stages.

Uneven maturity at harvest time

A field that has many green patches or individual green plants can delay harvest. Sometimes the cause is obvious, such as late emerging plants. This is a difficult problem to address, but planter units that place the seed at a more consistent depth will have more even emergence. Some growers report they can start harvest a few days earlier when using a planter compared to a drill because the crop matures more evenly.

When individual plants remain green, it’s usually a result of having fewer pods or pods with no seed. These abnormal pods are called parthenocarpic (seedless). Drought, herbicide drift, viruses, or in many cases a genetic mutation will cause plants to have little seed and remain green. When seedless pods are present, something has adversely affected normal pollen development. Stems and even leaves stay green because the plant has produced more carbohydrates than the number of seeds on that plant demands. This results in excess photosynthate in the fall so dry down is delayed.

If the whole plant has seedless pods from top to bottom, that usually means there was a genetic mutation in that plant (or in a previous generation that expressed itself this year). Those plants will show up as the odd plant here and there, but make up only a small percentage of the overall crop. This mutation is more prevalent in certain varieties and may only be evident in dry years. 

If there are specific areas in a field that remain green, that often means an environmental factor was the cause, not a genetic mutation. Herbicide drift or drought may have impacted normal development, resulting in fewer pods per plant. Insect feeding and viral infection may also cause plants to remain green. In those cases, field edges are more impacted. Fields with low levels of P and K will not mature as quickly or evenly as fields with good fertility. This difference in senescence in the fall is also due to a lack of pods and seeds per plant in the low fertility areas. Fields with uneven maturity at harvest should be soil tested to see if additional fertilizer is needed in future years.

– Click here to read the Sept. 21 field crop report at the Field Crop News website.

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The southern half of the country is now faced with wet conditions, while the north is forced to contend with widespread dryness.

“The Brazil national weather service today declared that the dry season has started. There are areas of central Brazil that have been dry for 20 to 30 days, some even longer than that,” Cordonnier said Monday from his Hinsdale, Ill. office.

He estimated about 30 to 40 per cent of Brazil’s safrinha (or second) corn crop is at various stages of dryness. As for the soybean crop, he said it has been “disappointing from the get-go and isn’t going to change much going forward” being 85 to 90 per cent harvested.

Coupled with that dryness, Cordonnier pointed to the growing threat of frost. He said there have been three overnight frosts so far in the higher elevations of southern Brazil.

“If it keeps staying cold like this, with the frost coming and going, the possibility is a frost could impact the safrinha corn,” Cordonnier warned, noting such a situation occurred last year.

In CONAB’s monthly outlook released April 7, the agency pegged total corn production in Brazil at 115.6 million tonnes, for a 2.9 per cent increase from its March report. Also, in supply and demand estimates issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on April 8, it estimated total Brazil corn production at 116 million tonnes. That was a 1.75 per cent increase from its March report.

With the reversal of conditions in Brazil and cold, wet conditions in North America, Cordonnier said there could be a lot of movement in the commodities market.

“Any hiccup in Brazil or in the U.S. could make the markets more volatile,” he said.

— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.

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Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk said the amount of flooding will depend on weather conditions from now until spring melt.

The HFC advised that, while there is a risk of major flooding along the Red River and its tributaries, including the Roseau, Rat and Pembina rivers, water levels are expected to remain below community flood protection levels at all locations.

There’s also a risk of moderate flooding for most other southern Manitoba basins, including the Assiniboine and Souris rivers and the Whiteshell lakes area, the centre said, while the risk of spring flooding is low for the Interlake region and northern Manitoba regions.

The HFC also said the operation of the Red River Floodway is expected this spring in order to reduce water levels within Winnipeg — and some operation of the Portage Diversion is anticipated to prevent ice jamming on the Assiniboine River.

Prior to this winter, normal to below-normal summer and fall precipitation resulted in a below-normal soil moisture freeze-up for most Manitoba basins, according to the HFC. However, snowfall throughout much of Manitoba has been above normal, except for the province’s southwest region which has been near normal.

The centre also noted that soil frost depth has been generally deeper than normal, meaning the soil is likely to absorb less water, and that could contribute to greater amounts of runoff.

The province also said its annual ice-cutting program got underway Friday — the main portion being a 28-kilometre long by 100-metre wide stretch on the Red, from Selkirk northward to Netley Marsh. The cutting helps to reduce the chances of ice jams between Selkirk and Lake Winnipeg.

Other cutting sites will be along the Icelandic River at Riverton and at the outlet of the Portage Diversion.

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Frost damage

Freezing temperatures in late May caused frost damage in northern counties and in low-lying fields in southern Ontario. Plants damaged below the cotyledons by early-season frost or hail will not recover. If frost damages the growing point of the seedling but not the stem portion below, the plant will send out new shoots from the base of the cotyledons. The only way to determine if the seedling is dead is to wait 5 days, and watch for new growth to emerge from the point where the cotyledons or leaves attach to the stem (leaf axils). Research trials have show that leaf loss at early growth stages has little impact on final yield or maturity.  So if the plants survive, they still have excellent yield potential.  Sometimes a light frost will actually increase yield because plants branch more.

Replants

Poor plant stands should be inspected carefully before making the decision to replant. Normal seeding rates include a margin of safety to ensure emergence of an adequate crop. Keeping an existing stand is often more profitable than replanting. The uniformity of the existing crop is more important than having a high population. Soybeans have an impressive ability to compensate for thin stands under good growing conditions. Soybean plants can fill spaces up to 30 cm (12 inches) within or between rows with relatively little yield reduction. Research has shown that a final stand of 90 000 plants per acre in 7.5-inch rows provides a yield potential of 90%. Plants must be healthy, evenly distributed and weed free for low populations to flourish. Field experience has shown that more plants per acre are needed on clay soils. A minimum stand of about 110 000 plants/acre on heavy clay soils is required to achieve good yields. Thickening a poor stand rarely improves final yield unless populations are below 90 000 plants per acre. If a poor stand must be thickened, use the same variety. These later planted seeds will usually mature within 7 to 10 days of the original stand even though they may have been seeded a month later in the spring.

Double cropping soybeans

A number of growers’ double crop soybeans after forage harvest in June, or after winter wheat harvest in July. The success of double cropping soybeans largely depends on having adequate moisture during the summer and having an open fall. When planting is delayed past the end of June, full season soybean varieties may not mature before a killing frost in the fall. To minimize this risk, shorter season varieties (approximately 1.0 maturity group) should be seeded when double cropping. Late planting shortens the vegetative growth period, resulting in smaller plants with pods closer to the ground. Choosing a taller variety, planting in narrow rows, and increasing the seeding rate will improve yields with late planted soybeans. Double cropping is usually unsuccessful if seeding cannot be completed by July 10th. It’s also important to recognize that by mid-July half the growing season is over. A realistic yield goal of 20-30 bu/ac is all that can be expected from double cropping, even if the growing season is perfect.

Weed control

When deciding post-emergent herbicide timing, apply herbicides according to the leaf stage of the weeds. Smaller weeds are much more susceptible to herbicides. Waiting for the crop to reach the right stage may result in weeds growing past the optimum time for treatment. Weeds that emerge at the same time as the crop cause the greatest amount of competition and yield reduction.  Later emerging weeds have much less of an impact on final yield. The critical weed free period for soybeans is from the first trifoliate to the third trifoliate leaf stages.  In hot, humid weather soybean plants shut down and cannot metabolize herbicides quickly.  Evening herbicide applications allows the crop to metabolize herbicide overnight during cooler temperatures and reduces herbicide stress.

Read the full Ontario Field Crop Report for June 2 at fieldcropnews.com.

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Wheat futures in the U.S. rose due to spillover from soybeans. However, a stronger Canadian dollar tempered Prairie wheat prices.

Manitoba and Saskatchewan, as well as Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota, all received varying amounts of snow during the week, but not enough to fully alleviate dry conditions across the region. The southern Plains also encountered colder-than-normal temperatures, which threatened frost damage to the winter wheat crop.

CWRS (Canada Western Red Spring, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices increased by $4.60-$9.60 per tonne, according to price quotes from a cross-section of delivery points compiled by PDQ (Price and Data Quotes). Average prices were between $283.50 in southeastern Saskatchewan and $304.30 in northern Alberta.

Quoted basis levels ranged between $39.80 and $60.60 above the futures when using the grain company methodology of quoting the basis as the difference between U.S. dollar-denominated futures and Canadian dollar cash bids.

Accounting for exchange rates and adjusting Canadian prices to U.S. dollars, CWRS bids ranged from US$226.30 to US$242.90 per tonne. Currency-adjusted basis levels ranged from 80 U.S. cents to US$17.40 below the futures. If the futures were converted to Canadian dollars, basis levels would be 70 cents to $13.90 below the futures.

Average CPSR (Canada Prairie Spring Red, 11.5 per cent protein) wheat prices followed CWRS’s lead, moving up $12.20-$14.40 per tonne. The lowest average bid was $268.40 in southeastern Saskatchewan, while the highest average bid was $287.90 in northern Alberta.

Average CWAD (Canada Western Amber Durum) prices gained $1-$3.25 per tonne with bids ranging from $309.40 in northeastern Saskatchewan to $316.25 in southern Alberta.

The May spring wheat contract in Minneapolis, off of which most CWRS contracts in Canada are based, was quoted Thursday at US$6.6325 per bushel, 23 U.S. cents higher than the previous week.

Kansas City hard red winter wheat futures, traded in Chicago, are more closely linked to CPSR in Canada. The May K.C. wheat contract was quoted at US6.0775, up 31.25 U.S. cents.

The May Chicago Board of Trade wheat contract was up 25 U.S. cents from the previous week at US$6.5375.

The Canadian dollar gained 0.31 U.S. cent on the week, to close Thursday at 79.81 U.S. cents.

— Adam Peleshaty reports for MarketsFarm from Stonewall, Man.

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