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Role Of Soil Management In Control Of Soil-Borne Diseases, Gretchen F. Sassenrath, Christopher R. Little, Xiaomao Lin

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Soil-borne diseases are a significant cause of crop yield reduction. Alternative soilmanagement methods can enhance the soil’s natural disease-controlling organisms. This study explores the effect of alternative production methods on a primary soybean disease, charcoal rot, caused by the fungus Macrophomina phaseolina. Treatments that could potentially enhance or reduce the disease pressure were implemented, and soil tests were conducted for nutrients, soil properties, and disease presence. Manure increased the nutrient levels in the soil, as expected, but did not influence disease control. Solarization increased the temperature within the plots and increased the number of colony-forming units (CFUs) of M. …

Southeast Kansas Climate Summary For 2023, Matthew Sittel

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Temperature and rainfall are important factors influencing agricultural performance. This report summarizes weather conditions in southeast Kansas. Comparisons to long-term records are used to indicate deviations from historical averages. Overall, in 2023 the southeast region had below average precipitation and above normal temperatures.

Long-Term Effects Of April, August, Or October Prescribed Fire On Yearling Stocker Cattle Performance And Native Rangeland Plant Composition In The Kansas Flint Hills, Zachary M. Duncan, Alan J. Tajchman, Jack Lemmon, William R. Hollenbeck, Dale A. Blasi, K. C. Olson

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Objective:The objective of our experiment was to determine if prescribed fire applied in April, August, or October influenced stocker growth performance or plant community characteristics in the Kansas Flint Hills over a 6-year period.

Study Description:A total of 1,939 yearling stocker cattle were assigned to one of three prescribed-burn treatments: spring (April 11 ± 5.7 days), summer (August 25 ± 6.2 days or fall (October 2 ± 9.0 days) over a 5-year period. Calves were grazed from May to August for 90 days. Individual body weights were recorded at the start and end of the grazing season. Native …

The Effects Of Seasonal Prescribed Burning On Flint Hills Dung Beetle (Scarabaeinae) Populations, Herman Griese, Andrea Salazar, Victoria Pickens, Cassandra Olds

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Objective:This study aimed to determine if the season of prescribed burning impacted dung beetle communities on pastures grazed by cattle in the Flint Hills.

Study Description:Dung beetle populations at the Kansas State University Beef Stocker unit were sampled biweekly for three months over the summer grazing period to determine if beetle populations varied between spring, summer, or fall burned pastures.

Results:At least eight species of dung beetles were identified with a total of 8,646 dung beetles collected. Dung beetle populations were not different (P>0.05) between spring, summer, and fall burned pastures although peak beetle populations …

Reducing Tick Populations Through Prescribed Burning, Andrea Salazar, Herman Griese, Victoria Pickens, Cassandra Olds

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Objective:Explore the effect of prescribed fire on tick population dynamics in the Kansas Flint Hills.

Study Description:Ticks were collected from spring (April), summer (August), or fall (September) burned pastures as well as control, unburned areas. Burning had been carried out for four consecutive years prior to this study. Tick populations were sampled every other week from March to August using material dragging and dry ice bait sampling methods. Tick species, sex, and life stage were identified morphologically and the total numbers for each burn treatment were calculated.

The Bottom Line:Consecutive burning of grazing pasture could be considered …

Evaluation Of Grazing Options During Summer For Growing Heifers – Year 3, Jaymelynn K. Farney, Kloey Rash, Noelle Collins, Emily Black, Hailey Gillespie

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Developing methods to provide high quality forage through most of the year is important for cattle operations. The purpose of this study was to determine forage management options to offset the summer “slump” with fescue. Three grass pasture treatments (8 pastures total; 4 acres each) were used in a completely randomized design and stocked with growing heifers (n = 32; initial weight 559 ± 20 lb). Pasture treatments consisted of crabgrass (CRAB), bermudagrass (BERM), and sorghum-sudan interseeded into novel fescue (SS-FES). Novel fescue is fescue variety that has endophyte organism but does not produce toxin. Heifers were weighed and grazed …

Corn And Soybean Production – 2023 Summary, Gretchen F. Sassenrath, Jane Lingenfelser, Xiaomao Lin

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Soybean and corn varieties were tested in replicated field trials at the Southeast Research and Extension Center in Parsons through the Kansas State University variety testing program. In total, 21 corn varieties and full-, mid-, and short-season maturity checks were tested. Fifteen full-season and nine double-cropped soybean varieties were tested, with three maturity checks ranging in maturity from 3.1 to 5.2. Fourteen sunflower varieties were also tested. The 2023 summer crop growing season was nearly average for both temperature and rainfall. Yields from the variety tests were slightly lower than the 13-year average.

Hard Red And Soft Red Winter Wheat Variety Testing - 2023, Gretchen F. Sassenrath, Jane Lingenfelser, Xiaomao Lin

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

This is a summary of the winter wheat production conditions in Kansas, with particular emphasis on the variety trial results from southeast Kansas in 2023. After the dry conditions of 2022, adequate rain for wheat establishment and growth in the fall in southeast Kansas was received, although drought conditions were observed in central and western Kansas. The growing season had slightly below average rainfall, with adequate soil moisture in the fall for good stand establishment. Overall yields of hard and soft red wheat varieties were above multi-year averages, but slightly below the yields from 2022. As in previous years, soft …

Variety Trial And Fertility Of Fescue Cultivars In Southeast Kansas, Dale Helwig, Bruno Pedreira, Junior Yasuoka

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

In fall 2021, five varieties of fescue were planted at the K-State Research station outside of Columbus, Kansas. The varieties included two endophyte free (E-) varieties, two novel endophyte (NE) varieties, and one endophyte (E+) variety. The varieties were Atlas (E-), Cajun (E-), Bar Optima (NE), Estancia (NE), and K-31 (E+). Three rates of nitrogen were applied in the spring to each variety; 0, 50, and 100 units and each treatment was replicated three times. Due to the drought, measurements were not taken in 2022 but samples were obtained in 2023. The only stress the plots received was lack of …

Southeast Research And Extension Center Agricultural Research 2024

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

The 2024 Southeast Research and Extension Center Agricultural Research report includes research conducted in the areas of beef cattle management, cropping systems, and forage crops.