October 17, 2012

Agronomists Notes

Hello Reader,

Fall spraying is just about wrapped up and fall NH3 application is mid-swing. I am seeing a lot of green out in the fields- foxtail barley, dandelions and even Canada thistle so you may still have time to clean up a few fields or troublesome areas. Just when you thought you could turn off the sprayer and call it a season...

I’m leaving for Kenya on Thursday and it’s been a little busy around here to say the least. The majority of my soil sampling should be done by the end of the week and then it will be right into VR soil sampling. Thankfully, I have good people beside me to pick up the slack while I go globe trotting.

In this week’s Beyond Agronomy News, we’ll start off with the second high yield trial looking at wheat, seeding rates and ESN. Next, we’ll look at how to improve harvest efficiencies without buying more iron. We’ll finish with technical grain market news.

Have a great week,

High yield wheat trial results

Lessons learned from 2013

One of the locations for the high yield wheat trial this past season was near Calgary in the thin black soil zone. The site was plagued by low spring soil moisture and received just four inches of rain by the end of July. Two more inches came during August as well as a smattering of hail. This trial focused on nitrogen and seeding rates with some interesting results and observations in the field. I analyzed the results yesterday and will share them below.

Details

Seeding
• Variety: Stettler, 47.4 tkw, 97% germ
• Seeding rate: 173 lbs/ac aiming for 35 plants/ft2
• Seed treatment: Raxil MD
• Fertility: 120 lbs/N/ac as NH3 plus 40-30-20-0 seedplaced using ESN at seeding.
• 12-inch row spacing, 3.5-inch paired row Dutch openers
• Seeding rate trial: 198 lbs/ac seed aiming for 40 plants/ft2
• Business as usual: 80 acres, 90-30-0-0 blend using NH3 one pass.

GS 23: Herbicide timing
• Axial 0.24 L/ac + Infinity 0.33 L/ac + Ammonium sulphate 0.5 L/ac + Tilt at 0.2 L/ac + MP Zinc 9%, MP Manganese 5% 0.7 L/ac

GS 30-31: 6 leaf 2 tiller
• Cycocel Extra 720 g/ai at 0.9L/ac @ 37.8 L/ac (10 gal/ac)

GS 39: Late flag leaf
• Twinline 0.2 L/ac + MP 5% Copper 0.34 L/ac + Axial 0.24 L/ac

Results
Business as usual: 47 bu/ac, 12.3% moisture
High yield trial: 59 bu/ac, 12.7% moisture
Low N: 42 bu/ac, 11.4% moisture
High seeding rate: 47 bu/ac, 11.8% moisture

Seeding rates & high plant densities
The seeding rate trial inside the 80-acre high yield plot provided some interesting results. First, our typical plant stand density target in wheat is 30 to 35 plants/ft2 and in this trial we aimed for 40 plants/ft2 to see if there was any benefit. With a really heavy seed lot at 47.4 g/tkw the seeding rate jumped from 173 lbs/ac to 198 lbs/ac. In the end, the 198 lb/ac seeding rate reduced yield by 20% (12 bu/ac).

Four inches of rain by the end of July and two inches during grain fill was not enough to support 40 plants/ft2. There was simply too much biomass produced to maintain a high plant density this year. On the flip side, 35 plants/ft2 resulted in a 59 bu/ac yield in spite of the low rainfall. This was great confirmation that our usual plant stand densities of 30 to 35 plants/ft2 do produce excellent yields and sacrifice little in dry years.

Another interesting observation was the poor seed distribution across the drill. In this situation pushing seeding rates up to 198 lbs/ac forced the seed to find the path of least resistance. This meant some rows received 50% more seed and measured 60 plants/ft2 while adjacent rows produced just 25 plants/ft2. This set off an investigative flurry by yours truly to measure the wind speed of hoses across every drill width for each of my clients. It turns out that most air delivery systems are very inaccurate and once the width stretches to 50 feet or wider, the difference in primary and secondary hose length increases. The wind speed variance can be up to 50%. So, if you max out the system by shoving 198 lbs/ac of seed down a one-inch hose some runs will have twice as many plants compared to others. This is very inefficient due to too much plant competition within the row and may have caused some of the 20% reduction in yield.

ESN & low nitrogen
The low nitrogen trial was set up by reducing the NH3 to 80 lbs/N actual plus the 40 lbs/N using ESN versus 120 lbs/N as NH3 plus 40 lbs/N using ESN. The results of this strip trial showed a 15 bu/ac or 25% yield increase from the additional nitrogen. Given the dry year, the 15 bu/ac increase was most likely from the additional 40 lbs/N from the NH3 and not the ESN. It is unlikely that the ESN released much nitrogen during such a dry start. Also, if you divide 40 lbs/N by 15 bu/ac it works out to 2.6 lbs/N/bu which is right on the mark for nitrogen use efficiency on wheat in our area.

Based on the results I will continue to apply all of the nitrogen up front with a combination of NH3 and urea. There is the option of split applying NH3 in the fall with sideband nitrogen in the spring or top dress UAN. The top dress UAN is possible but the sprayer is already busy at tillering so for some it is very difficult to do that extra pass.

Field notes & lessons
• Plant densities of 40 plants ft2 in wheat can be a liability in a dry year in loam soil. A target density of 35 plants ft2 is still optimum.
• Applying ESN is not a great strategy due to its dependence on heat and moisture to become available.
• Applying 0.34L/ac of foliar 5% copper mixed with Axial in the heat of the day at flag leaf will cause leaf speckling and bronzing from the heavy surfactant load.
• Twinline fungicide did not provide lasting disease protection. An application of fungicide at late tillering followed by early heading is my preferred strategy. This helps extend disease protection and prevent leaves from senescing.
• Cycocel Extra offers a nice wide window of application from tillering up through stem elongation. The earlier the better to shorten the crop but if applied later with thicken the stem walls without the shortening. SL

How do you improve combine efficiency without buying more iron?

There are a number of ways to improve harvest efficiencies mechanically, like the use of grain carts, larger augers, larger bins, higher capacity machines or wider straight-cut headers just to name a few. These options can increase efficiencies to some extent, but I think we really need to look outside of iron to find the solution. Iron costs money and if we can find a solution that minimizes costs, well, I think we'll find an answer.

If you heard about the Lexion 770 and New Holland CR9090 breaking harvest records, there were a few small facts that had me thinking. For example, the CR9090 was able to combine an impressive 2,500 bushels per hour. The grain loss was only 0.5% on a 154-bushel winter wheat crop taken off with a 35-foot straight-cut header. This is all very impressive but what intrigues me the most is the crop height relative to the yield. Let me expand on that.

The height of the crop on the record breaking harvest in Northumberland, England ranged from 23 to 25 inches tall with an average yield of 154 bushels an acre. In our area (Drumheller to Calgary) we produce a spring wheat crop that yields 65% less on straw that is 9 to 11 inches taller. That being the case, it's little wonder we're disappointed in the amount of grain we lose behind the combine and the lack of capacity our machines have when we move to wider headers. All we're really doing is pushing more straw through the machine, more than any of them are designed to handle. If we want speed and efficiency, we need to thrash more heads and less straw.

If the average spike of wheat is 3.5 inches long and our straw is 32 to 36 inches tall, then a little quick math tells me that 90% of what we put through the combine is straw. The simplest solution: reduce the amount of straw we produce relative to the yield we harvest. As I see it, we have six options. We either a) choose shorter wheat varieties or b) manipulate wheat to grow shorter c) cut stubble higher d) use plant growth regulators e) seed early and heavy or f) split apply nitrogen. Let's look at the options available today.

1. Choose a variety with shorter height relative to grain yield: The two shortest HRS varieties on the market are Muchmore and Carberry, two relatively new varieties to W Canada. The new Clearfield variety WR859 CL is also in the top three for shortest varieties. All three yield very well. CPS wheat varieties tend to be shorter than HRS. For example, 5700PR and Foremost are 30 inches tall compared to AC Harvest and CDC Go at 32 inches. It may seem small but that’s about 7% less material running through the combine.

2. Increase seeding rates. This is a tricky proposition because the amount of seed it takes to shorten crop height varies from region to region and by seeding tool. In my experience, there seems to be a point where crops continue to grow taller but then begin to shorten as seeding rates increase. For example, if you use a narrow 1-inch opener on 12-inch row spacing, you're forcing more inter-row plant competition, causing plants to grow taller as they compete for sunlight. With respect to different regions, some areas produce more straw than others because the climate and fertility programs are well suited to producing taller plants. I suggest you experiment with seeding rates on your own farm with your own seeding tool to fine tune what seeding rate works best.

3. Cut stubble higher and practice inter-row seeding. With today’s guidance options, you could easily start cutting stubble taller and seed between the rows each year. This strategy should be used by everyone. Not only does it help with residue flow at seeding it allows you to reduce the amount of straw you put through the combine.

4. Use growth regulators. There are growth regulating products in Western Canada like Cycocel Extra and Ethrel that effectively reduce plant height. The trouble with them is gaining acces to them. But, having used PGR’s the last number of years, I’ve seen crop height shortened by 4 to 10 inches. PGR’s when managed properly provide us with a great opportunity to shorten crop height and reduce the amount of material we put through the combine.

5. Seed early. I realize that everything should be seeded early, but seeding wheat early may be the best the choice when trying to shorten plant height because you force stem elongation to occur during the cooler part of the year in June. The goal is to time stem elongation with cooler temperatures in June which effectively shortens plant height. Hot temperatures with adequate nitrogen and moisture increases straw length so seed early and avoid the heat to help reduce plant height.

6. Split apply nitrogen. Reducing the amount of available nitrogen during stem elongation can be done through split applications of nitrogen. For example, applying 70 lbs of N at seeding with a 30 or 40 lbs top dress can be very effective in shortening plant height. I'm all for split applying nitrogen in sandy or sandy loam soils but not so much in heavy textured clay soils. The window of application to split apply nitrogen is narrow, and on clay soils, one rainfall event could force you to lose your window and with it, yield potential.

Looking back on my records, we seeded CDC Go at 30 plants/ft2 or 145 lbs/ac and the straw was no more than 25 inches tall. We were able to harvest 60-bushel wheat at 5 miles an hour with an N7 Gleaner on steroids using a 30-foot straight-cut header. Not too shabby for an old girl! With a crop height of 25 inches and an average head length of 3 inches, we left 12 inches of stubble and put 13 inches of material through the machine. That was roughly 40% less than the surrounding fields in our area. Improving harvest efficiencies is not easy, but I believe with the right kind of management, we can maintain or increase yields, reduce straw and improve efficiencies without buying another piece of iron. It's food for thought anyways. SL

Advanced Agronomy Conference 2012

Our 5th annual Advanced Agronomy Conference will be held in Edmonton on November 19 and 20, 2012. We have a great line-up of local and international speakers including our keynotes Clay Mitchell from Iowa. Roberto Peiretti had to withdraw do to health reasons and we wish him all the best. We have put together some of the most leading edge topics and concepts you won’t find at a typical agronomy conference. Be sure to register today!

Topics & Speakers

Keynote: Telemetry and mobile device interconnectivity on the farm - Clay Mitchell, Mitchell Farm, Iowa

Keynote: CTF, intercropping, strip tillage and other benefits of aligned farming systems - Clay Mitchell, Mitchell Farm, Iowa

Optimizing crop production with precision planters - Brian Sieker, Monosem Inc., Kansas

Optimizing tires for traction, weight bearing and reducing the impact on soils - Ken Brodbeck, Firestone Ag, Iowa

Soil Compaction: What you can't see can hurt you - Jodi Dejong-Hughes, University of Minnesota

Field of dreams: high yield agronomy - Dan Owen, Hudye Soil Services, Saskatchewan

Late season foliar nutrition and nutrient densities - Jarrett Chambers, ATP Nutrition Ltd., Manitoba

On farm trials: High yield wheat and barley production, CTF and canola row spacing - Steve Larocque, Beyond Agronomy, Alberta

To register go to: http://www.areca.ab.ca/aac-home.html

Beyond Agronomy Apple and Android Apps

I’m excited to announce the launch of our new smartphone apps for Apple and Android!

The seeding rate calculator app allows you to enter your desired plant density, thousand kernel weight, germination, seedling mortality and instantly provides the correct seeding rate in lbs/ac.

The herbicide tank mix and rainfast guide app tells you what order to mix each herbicide and how long you have until it rains. This quick and easy to use app is tailored to Western Canadian farmers.

These apps will make your life easier and who doesn’t need a little ease? Hop on over to www.beyondagronomy.com to get yours today. Then tell your friends!