By: Wendy McDonald – MPSG Production Agronomist – West
Pulse and Soybean Crop Update for Western Manitoba field conditions up to July 5, 2026
Monday, June 22
These peas near Dauphin measured about a foot tall and were at the 10 node stage ( not yet flowering). The field had a yellowy green appearance due to moisture stress and recent cool conditions. The Dauphin area had received 81 mm of rain from April 15 to June 22.
In the same pea field near Dauphin, this volunteer wheat plant was showing symptoms of being controlled by group 2 herbicide application. (yellowing of the newest leaf)
Colour differences along diagonal lines could be seen in a repeating pattern across this pea field. A previous field operation which had been completed on an angle must be the reason.
Most pea plants were showing very few signs of pea disease. Many of the white spots with brown outlines, on these leaves, could likely be from surfactant burn. There are a few very small brownish freckles that could be Mycospharella blight (Ascochyta). On the bottom right leaf, we do see signs of pea leaf miner activity. (not disease)
We used the MPSG Bean app and pea fungicide decision worksheet function to enter in information and determine the disease risk factor score for this pea field, at the time. My pants didn’t get wet and I was in the field in the early afternoon. The app calculated the field score as 45, which meant that on that particular day the field conditions didn’t exceed the disease risk threshold for but it would be important to reassess in 3 to 5 days.
Wednesday, June 24
This dry bean field, near Foxwarren, was looking really nice. We did notice silt on lower leaves, likely due to plant leaves being forced into the muddy ground during the rain.
There were some lower areas of that dry bean field that were experiencing moisture stress and plants were drowned out.
Monday, June 29
The fields had finally dried up enough, after the intense heavy rains of 101 mm between June 6 and June 8, in the Swan River area, that this ground rig could spray next to MPSG plots, that New Era Ag Technologies puts in near Minitonas.
Faba beans in the MPSG plots. near Minitonas. thrived during the wet weather and flooding. You can see pea leaf weevils have been nibbling and notching these faba beans too, but not nearly as severely as we saw in 2025.
Wendy in front of peas at the MPSG plots near Minitonas. It is finally short sleeve weather!
The peas at these Minitonas plots also look good,considering they were only seeded at the very end of May due to wet soil conditions earlier in May.
Some pea leaf weevil notching, but mostly starting on the fourth node.
The white crispy edges we saw on some of these peas were due to environmental damage which could have been wind.
Other things crawling, in the Minitonas area plots, were stinkbugs.
Anand Aneja, Agronomist in Residence for Brandon’s Assiniboine College, was digging roots for nodule assessments and collecting plant samples for notch counting, in the research trials with different insecticide seed treatment to study effect on pea leaf weevils which MPSG is funding.
We saw strange discoloration on the top of the leaves on some of the dry bean plants in the variety trials near Minitonas. This may be the start of bacterial blight or may be environmentally caused symptoms.
The strange discoloration of dry bean plants is also visible when the leaves are flipped over and the underside of the leaf is viewed.
ln the MPSG variety trials, Lady’s thumb and volunteer canola out were competing with the dry beans.
The dry beans really struggled with the excess moisture and flooding. There were several dry bean seeding rate trials that were adversely affected and no data will be available from them for 2026.
The soybeans were at first trifoliate stage in the MPSG variety plots.
Urgh! We found a few small grasshoppers already too.
We also saw some odd mottling (different colours) symptoms on some soybeans.
Across the highway to the south of the MPSG plots, the severe water erosion the field has experienced was unbelievable in this soybean field. The LP Building Solutions building can be seen in background.
Another view of the severe field erosion and a few surviving soybean plants. Swan River had received 239 mm of rain from April 15, 2026 to June 28, 2026.
A close up view, shows how much top soil the over land flooding took with it and what was left behind.
These pictures were taken the afternoon before the Parkland area including Minitonas received record breaking rainfall. The evening of Monday, June 29 and through the night of Tuesday, June 30 Minitonas received another 51 mm of rain.
During that same night, Elm Creek had 63 mm, Ashville 73.6 mm, Neepawa 101.4 mm, Rivers 100.7 mm, Deloraine 130,2 mm, and Boissevain 153.8 mm!
Tuesday, June 30
This is a field of soybeans under 3 feet of water on the west side of Highway #10 south of Ethelbert. Ethelbert had received 204 mm of rain since April 15 to July 1, 97 mm of which came during the night on June 29.
Wednesday, July 1
All roads, in and out, of Gilbert Plains (and throughout the Parkland) were closed on July 1, 2026 due to over land flooding and bridge/ road washouts.
Thursday , July 2
East of Ste Rose, on Highway #68, looking north, dry beans, on 30 spacing, in standing water.
East of Ste Rose, on Highway #68, looking south, soybeans in standing water.
Friday, July 3
Soybeans in standing water and starting to turn black, north of Elm Creek.
Soybeans in standing water, south of Elm Creek, looking west.
Pea field yellowing from excessive moisture stress, south of Elm Creek, looking east.
Nice looking paired row seeded soybeans on higher par of field, north of Elm Creek, east side of Highway #13.
Great looking soybeans, north of MacGregor on PR # 350 (the Katrime road).
…and they are flowering! But if you continued traveling north on #350, there was dramatic overland flooding at Woodside.
These soybeans in standing water were just south of Gladstone on highway #34. The P&H Elevator can be seen in the background. Water levels had gone down here compared to 2 days earlier, as seen in the video below.
The same soybean field is on the left hand side, near the end of this video. These were the flooding conditions as you travelled south out of Gladstone, on Highway #34, on July1, 2026. video credit: Kathy Stewart
Saturday, July 4
The sun was shining but the overland water was still flooding at Roblin. Viterra Elevator can be seen in the background.
Extreme flooding near Bield.
Pea field near Shortdale with standing water.
So nice to see these peas flowering, near Shortdale.
Not much for pea disease symptoms on the leaves yet either.
The waterlogged low spots are yellowing due to moisture stress and possibly root rot.
The swollen Valley River is flooding soybeans at Grandview.
This plant is showing browning along the edges of the pea leaf weevil notches, west of Grandview.
I was wearing shorts (and rubber boots) when I walked into the pea field near Grandview, and look what I found crawling on my leg…
This is a zoomed in/close up picture of an alfalfa or clover looper larvae found in pea field west of Grandview. Notice the black spots on the body, stubbly black hairs, and legs only at the front and back but not in the middle.