cq perspectives nov 2010

8/4/2019 CQ Perspectives Nov 2010

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OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF CROP QUEST AGRONOMIC SERVICES, IN

C r o p Q u e s t P e r s p e c t i v e s

Volume 20 Issue 6 November 201

Continued on Page 2

Corn seed containingBacillus thuriengensis (Bt)

and other genetically modi-ed traits have played a big role in the con-

tinued increase in corn yields across the HighPlains.Bacillus thuriengensis use for insect control

goes back to 1938, when French farmers used it for control ofEuropean Corn Borer. Getting enough of the naturally occurring

oil bacterium on the plant and keeping it there proved to be too chal-enging for widespread use of Bt.

Then along came gene technology that allowed for splicing of sliversof protein genes from one organism and transplanting it into another.Genetically modied organisms, or GMOs, are products of biologicalengineering that allow the transfer of specic genes within the organismor genes from one organism to another. Bt-containing corn is one of themost popular GMO products in the world.

Although there are many advantages to GMOs, there continues to bechallenges when adopting the new technologies.

The slow decomposition of these GMO corn stalks after harvest hasbeen heralded by some as another good thing, because it may slowfeeding of insects and make laying eggs more difcult for other insectpecies and generally provides a less desirable environment for bothnsects and disease organisms.

However, research and plenty of farmer reports in recent yearsndicate these slow decaying corn stalks, which produce a high

yield and high volume of residue, ties up a lot of nitrogen in the soil,makes tillage and planting difcult, and has led to a nitrogen decitn some elds.

The time required for conventional or Bt corn stalks to decaydepend on the carbon-nitrogen ratio. This is simply the ratio ofcarbon-to-nitrogen in the corn stalk. Though the problems associated

with poor nitrogen performance in corn iscommonly attributed to thicker rind and slow

degradation of the stalk, the problem existed lobefore Bt corn hit the market.

Microorganisms that cause decay of corn stalks work best if thebon-to-nitrogen ratio are less than 30. Most corn hybrids, conventand Bt, have a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio much higher than 30, in mcases 60 or 80 to 1. That simply means that nitrogen will limit theof decomposition, unless the organisms can obtain additional N frthe soil, fertilizer or some other source. (Many farmers and agronalso want to maximize the conversion of residue to soil organic mter. Speeding up the process doesnt necessarily mean you reduceamount of organic matter produced). Adding extra nitrogen to spedecaying process is a natural solution, but the high cost of N and time and cost of application has left many farmers wondering hownitrogen to use and how and when to apply it. Plus the question exto potential environmental threat from the extra N.

Kansas State Agronomy Professor and Extension SpecialistDave Mengel says, There has been a lot of work over the years sing that adding 30 to 40 lbs. of N will speed up the decay processIdeally, this N is sprayed on in a UAN solution that gives more uncoverage. While the practice has been discussed in the past, most ers and Agronomists felt it wasnt cost effective.

If a grower decides to add N to corn stalks, they should do it asas possible after harvest. The whole idea is to get N into the syste

quickly, so that microbes will tie it up and utilize it to decomposeresidue rather than tie up fertilizer N added the following spring aof the corn crop. So, in this situation you want the nitrogen to be ltemporarily- because thats what gets the residue to break downquicker, Mengel explains.

Back in the 1980s a number of farmers added nitrogen to cornelds in the fall to break down the residue back then we did a loof deep tillage and by adding additional N, the stalks were brokendown more quickly which got them out of the way for springtillage and planting.

Now, no-till is so popular, and farmers just dont think the samabout corn residue as they did back then. However, plenty of highproducing farmers in Kansas, especially those who grow corn-aftare getting a tremendous buildup of residue, which can interfere w

EXTRA N SPEEDSSTALK DECAY IN NEWGMO CORN VARIETIES


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eld operations. Going back to some of thepractices we did in the 1980s, specicallyadding extra N to corn residue, could helpsolve that problem, and if managed effectively,could be safer for the environment than tillage

to reduce residue loads the Kansas Stateresearcher contends.

If a farmer leaves a lot of crop residue in theeld and tries to clean it up with shallow tillage or

leaves it on top of the soil, there will be a signicantamount of carbon remaining to decompose. Then,

the farmer is in a situation in which the carbon tiesup fertilizer N and reduces its availability to theintended crop.

Irregardless of if a farmer makes the determina-tion to apply some N in the fall to speed up residuedecompsoition, it is critical in high residue conditions

that they do everything they can to avoid letting thenitrogen they apply for the corn crop come in contactwith residue in the spring.

Using a source like anhydrous ammonia and kningfertilizers below the soil surface is the best way to keepN from coming in contact with corn residue left on thesurface of the soil.

We have done a lot of work on nitrogen manage-

ment in both irrigated and non-irrigated no-till corn. Weare nding that in general when we surface apply liquidUAN sources, whether broadcast or surface banded, wesignicantly lower utilization even more than placingurea on top of the soil.

The buildup of residue in a lot of the no-till elds wework with today is very active lots of microbial activity

going on decomposing crop residue and they are rapidlytying up a fair amount of N. As a result, we get poor

performance from surface applied N, Mengel points oIf we knife the liquid N below the soil, we get muc

better results, comparable to kning in ammonia. Thera sink for nitrogen that has accumulated in many no-elds, and the farmer really needs to be in a position toage that, Mengel concludes.

What about the environmental issues? Is there a riskincreasing N in the ground water? Not necessarily, Msays. We hear a great deal about sequestering carbon asorganic matter in no-till production systems. But we alsequester N with that carbon, since soil organic matter a C:N ratio of about 10:1. So a portion of the added N w

likely be incorporated into soil organic matter in the lonEventually as residue decomposition nears completionof the N will likely be released back to the soil and be able for use by crops. By utilizing spring soil N tests ortools such as crop sensors, this increased mineralizatiobe accounted for and crop fertilizer N rates can be reduSo over time, the total N fertilizer applied may not chanjust when it is applied.

Plus, if speeding decomposition of residue with Ncan reduce the need for tillage, the resulting reduction erosion and increase in inltration of water from theadditional organic matter and residue cover can be a bienvironmental plus.

A high percentage of the corn grown in the Plains co

tains the Bt gene and subsequently has a carbon-to-nitrratio above 30. Combine this reality with the ever-increpopularity of no-till systems, and its easy to explain thof nitrogen performance in the past few years.

Though applying 30 to 40 lbs. of N in the fall may selike a cost at the time, in the long run the farmer may abe making money by producing more corn. At $5.00 a for corn, the extra yield will quickly offset the extra cofall nitrogen.

Extra N Speeds ... Continued from Page 1

Having a tabletop smooth cotton eld is nice from an esthetic point ofview, but keeping all those cotton plants fruiting at maximum capacity ismuch more important to the bottom line.

Thanks to application of some relatively new technology to existingsoftware programs, Crop Quest agronomists in Texas and Oklahomaare helping their growers have both a uniform looking and a uniformproducing cotton crop.

Crop Quest Precision Agriculture Specialist Nathan Woydziak says,Over the past couple of years weve worked with both satellite imageryand ground-driven GreenSeeker equipment to get NDVI ratings. Theseratings were fed into our software program to generate zone maps for

variable rate application of plant growth regulators (PGR) on cotton.The GreenSeeker was easier to use, but the problem is getting across

enough acres to make it economically feasible for growers. The satelliteimagery worked better in our early work and thats likely what we willuse in the future, Woydziak says.

The satellite imagery is probably not quite as accurate as the Greens-eeker, but for our use, the data from the satellite imagery will be suf-cient, he adds.

Kyle Aljoe, Crop Quest agronomist in the Texas Panhandle usedsatellite imagery to generate his zone maps for variable rate applicationof PGRs in cotton.

We actually got started with variable rate application of PGRs on cot -ton because a local crop pilot got a variable rate rig on his plane. He waslooking for something to spray, and with Nathans help, we were able to

gure out a way to apply growth regulators oncotton using zone maps generated from infraredsatellite imagery, Aljoe says.

In our area, we have a lot of elds that havelow areas in which the cotton tends to getgrowthy, while other areas are growing alongjust ne. Traditionally, we would decide thebest rate of Pix or whatever PGR the growerwould use and apply it uniformly across the cottoneld, Aljoe adds.

As you would expect, some areas got too much

and never set as many fruiting bolls as some ofthe faster growing plants. So, we were getting toomuch PGR on some parts of the eld and not enough on other par

Overall, we probably used about the same amount of materialwith the variable rate application, but we got much better use of thPGR, Aljoe explains.

The trick was to get the satellite image when we needed it thawas the hardest part of guring out how to best use these zone maand aerial application. We could get an image every two weeks froa 100 square mile area, and we bought the images of the elds wewanted.

On the elds we used the zone maps (generated from the satelliimagery) our PGR rate ranged from six ounces per acre up to 20 oper acre. Going from the low rate to high rate can be a challenge,

Variable Rate PGR ApplicationWorks for Crop Quest Farmers

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t is not uncommon to have dry soil conditions prior to wheat plantingmewhere across the High Plains every year. What makes this year a littleferent is the larger area (western Oklahoma, western Kansas, eastern

lorado) being affected and the continued lack of rainfall or precipitation.ot of wheat planting had been delayed throughout this area in hopes ofns to settle the soil and have moisture to germinate the wheat seeds, butally decisions had to be made to meet the deadlines for crop insurancerposes and the optimum range of planting dates.n a recent online Kansas State Newsletter, Jim Shroyer, Kansas Stateiversity Extension Agronomist, discusses planting decisions, planting intosoil conditions and evaluating the resulting wheat stand to make further

cisions. I want to summarize his article as he has some very good pointsdiscussion, but I mainly want to focus on evaluating the resulting wheatnd after the crop has been planted since much of the wheat will have beennted across this area by the time this newsletter is received.Shroyer writes that producers in the dry areas have three main options fornting wheat:

1. Plant into dry soil dust in at a normal seeding depth and hope fora rain.2. Plant deeper-than-normal hoping to get into some soil moisture.3. Wait for a rain, then plant.

All three of these options have both pros and cons depending on whatsubsequent weather does.

When the wheat emerges and where the stand is uneven or poor, the pro-cer will have to decide whether to replant.The rst step is to determine what a normal stand is and how much below

normal is the current wheat stand. Jim writesIf a producer uses a drill with 12-inch rowspacings, plants at a 60-pounds-per acre seed-

ing rate with a variety that has 15,000 seeds perpound, and expects a germination and emer-gence rate of 75 to 80 percent, there should be675,000 to 720,000 plants per acre. This amounts toabout 15.5 to 16.5 plants per foot of row. For 7.5-inch rowsthat would be about 9 plants per foot of row.

The next step is to evaluate the current stand and determine an avenumber of plants per foot of row across the eld assuming the stand isomewhat uniform throughout the eld, hopefully without large gapsthe average number of plants is about 50 percent or more of normal, recommends keeping the stand. If the stand is less than 40 percent omal, he recommends the eld be replanted. It is when the stand is bet40 and 50 percent of normal that the decision is more difcult. A thinleaves the eld susceptible to wind erosion, the potential for weed inftion and a lower yield expectation; although research shows a stand o

7 plants per foot of row can still produce within 90 percent of normalplants are able to tiller well.

When replanting in November, the seeding rates on non-irrigated in Western Kansas should not be higher than 90 pounds per acre andshould never exceed 150 lbs/acre under irrigation.

Your Crop Quest agronomist is trained in evaluating plant stands acan assist you in making decisions regarding replanting the whole ecross drilling the eld or just touching up areas. Until the rain begins fall, decisions are somewhat in limbo.

Member, National Allia

of Independent CroConsultants, CPCC-

Certied

By: Ron OHanPresident

WHEAT PLANTINGDECISIONS IN DRY SOILS

otes. We tried shutting the plane off in a eld with reallyw need for a PGR, and we learned real quickly we couldnt

o that, the Crop Quest agronomist laughs.

All we were really doing was raising and lowering pumpressure to regulate the amount of water used in the sprayer.eeping the pressure regulated is the biggest challenge in go-g from low to high rates of PGR, the agronomist notes.We found the best time to use the variable rate applica -

tion in our area is July. If we got the application right, wefound that we only needed the variable rate one time. We

may go back and use a uniform rate to level off thewhole eld, but that didnt require variable rateapplication, Aljoe adds.

In Oklahoma, Crop Quest AgronomistTim Reh says his growers are not likely to payfor the extra time and cost it takes to go across

a cotton eld with a Greenseeker. Wedid that last season, using a four-

wheeler, and it worked, but the timerequirement just isnt going to be

feasible for growers in Oklahoma,Reh says.

Next year, he says, they plan touse satellite imagery to map elds.

The key he says is to be able go onlineand look at the available satellite imagery,

determine how old it is and which partsare best for us, and just purchase the ones

we need. If we can do that, I think moregrowers will be interested in going to variable rate PGRpplication, Reh adds.The actual maps are generated after the Crop Quest

agronomist sends the NDVI reading to Woydziak. Nathanruns the data through Crop Quest software and sends that datathrough a program that puts points on a surface map. Reh then

matches up the points to his surface map and manipulates themap to match up zones based on what he sees in the eld.After he generates the surface NDVI map, he converts that

into a recommendation that includes rates and exports thedata into the applicators card that he puts into his controller.

Reh gives the applicator a mix sheet that tells the applicatorhow the load should be mixed. With multiple rates they needto know how many gallons they are running total and howmany pounds of product to put in that water, Reh explains.

This year I had one grower who planted his cotton andpart of the eld came up and some had to wait for rain. I hadtwo different growth stages of cotton that obviously didntneed the same rate. Normally, I would have to split the appli -cation right down the middle and I like to err on the light sideso I dont shut down the short cotton. So, the faster growing

cotton would get too tall.Typically, we would have to come back and put another

application of a PGR. Getting a custom applicator to comeback and do another application based on plant height is not agood thing, Reh explains.

The rst year we used variable rate application of PGRs oncotton, I was too concerned about getting a tabletop-smootheld of cotton. I learned I needed to be more concerned aboutcontrolling a particular zone in the eld and allow thoseplants the optimum opportunity reach full yield potential, Rehstresses.

This is new technology that has potential. To learnmore, contact your Crop Quest agronomist.

Nathan Woy

Kyle Aljoe

Tim Reh PIX is registered trademark of Microo GreenSeeker is a registered trademark of NTech Industries

C r o p Q u e s t P e r s p e c t i v e s


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Mission StatementCrop Quest is an employee-owned company dedicated to providing the highest quality agricultural services for each customer. The quest of our network

professionals is to practice integrity and innovation to ensure our services are economically and environmentally sound.

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Employee-Owned & Customer Driven

Crop Quest Agronomic Services, Inc.

Main Ofce: Phone 620.225.2233

Fax 620.225.3199Internet: www.cropquest.com

[email protected]

Crop Quest Board of Directors President: Ron OHanlon

Director: Jim Gleason

Director: Dwight Koops

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Director: Chris McInteer

Director: Rob Benyshek

The phrase Start Clean, Stay Clean is used quite often in theherbicide world when it comes to preparing ground for the upcomingplanting season.

It is a common practice in the spring to apply a burndown treatmenton no till and strip till elds. Many times, these treatments are actuallyapplied too late. Mustards, bromes, prickly lettuce, marestail, russianthistle, and kochia are some of the most common species that caneasily get out of hand if treatment is delayed prior to planting. Toomuch early weed growth will use valuable soil moisture, especially

top moisture which is needed for even germination. And then we haveto deal with the problem of trying to kill large weeds and risk achiev-ing only partial control.

Fall and very early spring applications with relatively short residualherbicides, and even a few longer residual products, can keep stubbleelds clean all the way to planting time. This obviously makes

planting a much easier process, and itallows excellent exibility for follow uptreatments in season.

At this time of year, we tend to ignore,or avoid making weed control decisions,mostly because of our out of sight, out ofmind attitude. But, how many times do wefollow that statement up in the spring withI wish I would have.

I encourage you to have your agronomist helpevaluate your stubble elds, and make a plan to stay way ahead ogame, when it comes to weed control. They will be able to select best weed management plan for your operation, and may encourayou to try some of those off season applications.

As harvest season rolls on, the com-mon question that farmers ask theirfriends, neighbors, and agronomists is how are your yields this year? Theobvious answer is good or not so

good, but there can be many reasons forthe answer provided.Weather is the major risk factor that

cannot be controlled, and many times it is the

cause of good and not so good. Freak storms,winds and hail can all cause obvious damage, but

there are other weather factors to consider. Nighttemperatures 80 degrees and above do not allow theplant to respire and rest which results in smaller seedsize and reduced plant vigor. Hot temperature spellsat critical growth stages of the plant (during the dayand night) can do the same thing. Extended coolperiods early in the season that slows growth may af-fect crop and root development which may also affect

the yield. Of course, these same types of conditions, at other opportunetimes of the growing season, can greatly improve our end results.

The barometer that I have used over theyears is that if the yields are poor (or good)over a large area or region, then weather wasthe biggest contributor to the success or fail-ure. If the yield is poor (or good) in a particu-lar eld, or very small area, then one may needto look at cultural practices. Experience andlong term trends in weather help determinehow to proceed in planning for the crop year.

Remember that farming is all about manag-ing risk. We try to control as much as wecan like varieties, fertility strategy, population, etc. Not being abcontrol the environment is what makes crop production the riskiebusiness of all.

As professionals and with our producers, our job is to create thenvironment for crop growth as possible, and then stand back anhow Mother Nature is going to treat us for the remainder of the cyear. Thats the exciting challenge that farming presents for all oWe pit our years of experience and knowledge against the weathethe variable challenges that it brings to produce the best crop pos

Ulysses, Kan

By: Dwight KRegional Vice Pre

HOW WERE YOUR CORN YIELDS THIS YEA

John Hech

It May Still BeHerbicide Season

cq perspectives nov 2010

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