How rainfall affect crop health

Rain is usually seen as a benefit to crops and fields, but there is an “ideal” amount of rainfall in any given growing season for most crops. If the average rainfall is much lower or higher than the ideal, it can lead to significant problems, from drowned crops to lower yields.

Knowing when to water, as well as how much to water, is a skill backed by years of experienced for farmers. Too much watering could drown the crops, especially if there has been rainfall. However, a combination of not enough watering and no rainfall could also lead to dying crops. Underwatering “starves” the plant of water, which can lead to crop death or low yield. Conversely, overwatering can lead to browned tips of crop leaves and also possible root rot and other issues.

Disease, mold

If crops are too wet, they could also start to mold or catch fungus. The soil can also start to collect bacteria, mold, and fungus, which can then be absorbed by the plant. While this isn’t as common in crops as it is in indoor plants, poor drainage and irrigation systems can lead to these types of growths taking control over your crops.

Along with mold or fungus, disease can also spread amongst your crops. Rainfall is also a good indicator of predicting common crop disease, as it can affect the spread of disease. Rain can spread pathogens, pests, and other diseases to plants, leading to massive diseased crops. This could affect its yield or cause the entire field to become unusable.

Growth from seed

Besides disease, rainfall can also determine how fast a crop will grow from seed, including when it will be ready for harvesting. A good balance of rain and proper irrigation can lead to faster-growing plants, which can cut down on germination time and the length between seeding and harvest. The crops are dependent on water during their entire lifecycle in order to survive and thrive.

Soil health

Soil is also greatly affected by rainfall. If it is too wet or too dry, nutrients in the soil can run off and not make it to the plants’ roots, leading to poor growth and overall health. Additionally, as mentioned previously, overwatering or too much rain can also lead to bacteria, fungus, and mold growth in the soil.

Crop output

Knowing when to water, preventing disease and mold, and making sure the soil is kept at the right moisture level are all components of the overall goal of farmers and their crops: to have the highest crop yield possible. The right amount of rainfall can balance out these factors, which can lead to healthier, larger crops that can be harvested more fully. Balancing proper watering is key to the best crops possible. Sigfox-enabled sensors can help farmers better track and predict weather conditions and rainfall, thus leading to better crop health.

Cattle that are grazed on pasture are often exposed to high parasite loads. Typically, it is young cattle that are most affected by internal parasites. Mature cattle seem to develop immunity and do not show the same effects of a heavy parasite burden. In addition, cattle that are under stress will be more affected.

For example, cows in early lactation are more susceptible to internal parasites than in later stages. The signs of parasite infection can manifest as either clinical or subclinical.

Clinical cases show symptoms such as poor hair coat, diarrhoea, pot-bellied appearance, anaemia and oedema. Subclinical cases do not show overt signs, but instead cause a decrease in productivity and performance, such as decreased milk production, conception rate, feed efficiency, etc. Often these effects are felt economically, but not attributed to parasite infection.

There are three major types of internal parasites that cause problems in pastured cattle: roundworms (nematodes), lungworms and liver flukes. There are other parasites that infect cattle, but they tend to have minimal effects on animal performance.

Roundworms mature to the adult stage inside the intestines of the host animal.

Eggs are produced, which are passed through the faeces to contaminate the pasture. The eggs hatch and develop into larvae that cattle ingest as they graze.

The most common and damaging types are stomach worms. In the gastrointestinal tract, some of these worms can attach to the stomach wall and feed on blood. In heavy infestations, this can lead to serious anaemia.

Other stomach worms destroy the stomach lining and interfere with digestion. Other types simply consume digested nutrients, causing a decrease in feed efficiency.

Lungworms are mostly a problem in areas with warm/ humid climates. Lungworms live in the air passages to the lungs. Under a heavy parasite load, air passages can become blocked, making breathing difficult.

Young livestock tends to be particularly susceptible to this type of infection. In addition, outbreaks are heavily influenced by warm, wet climate conditions.

Liver flukes are a common problem in areas with wet marshy environments, especially in bottomlands along with river systems and in coastal areas. Unlike the previous two parasites, the fluke requires an intermediate host, the snail, as part of its life cycle. The infection mostly occurs during the late fall and spring.

Control of internal parasites is essential for grazing cattle. Pasture management and strategic deworming programs go hand-in-hand for accomplishing control.

Pasture management suggestions

- Allocate pastures according to susceptibility. If you have pastures that you know are likely to be contaminated, reserve those for mature cows that are dry or in late lactation.

- Reserve pastures that are less likely to be contaminated (i.e. have not been grazed for at least a year previous) for young stock and early lactation cows. Keep stocking rates under control. High stocking rates, as are common with rotational grazing schemes, can force cattle to consume contaminated pasture.

This will also occur with pastures that are overgrazed.

- Allow for pasture rest periods. Keeping fields rotated and allowing adequate rest time will let sunlight help kill exposed parasite larvae.

Dragging the field to spread the manure can also aid in the process of exposing the larvae to sunlight.

- Provide water sources. Cattle with direct access to ponds, streams or springs will contaminate those water sources.