Life Sciences Commons^™

Variability In Soil Testing, Kenneth L. Wells, Vern Case

Agronomy Notes

Many factors can influence the accuracy of soil test results, ranging from field sampling technique, sample preparation, and quality control in the laboratory. Many people expect that if a field is sampled more than once, the soil test results should be identical. When identical results are not obtained from successive sampling, much concern about soil test reliability is of ten expressed.

We have analyzed soil test results from some controlled field experimental sites which help provide an understanding of variability which can occur naturally in the field, how various field sampling techniques influence soil test readings obtained, and how laboratories …

Kentucky County Soil Sample Summaries, Vern Case

Agronomy Notes

The UK Soil Testing Labs at Lexington and Princeton, KY test 50,000 to 60,000 soil samples each year. Samples are submitted through the county Extension offices for agronomic (Ag) crops, commercial horticulture, home garden/lawn, greenhouse media, and surface mining reclamation. The Mehlich III extractant (M-3) is used for routine determination of phosphorus (P), potassium (K),calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn). Amounts of these nutrients extracted are determined by either ICP methodology or by color for P and atomic absorption for K, Ca, Mg and Zn. Soil pH is determined on a 1:1 soil:water mix using appropriate electrodes and pH …

An Evaluation Of Twelve Maturity Group Ii Soybean Varieties At Lexington, Kentucky, Larry J. Grabau, Colleen C. Steele

Agronomy Notes

In both 1993 and 1994, the Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board funded an on-farm test of a small set of Maturity Group (MG) II varieties. Those studies showed that several MG II varieties were competitive with a high-yielding MG IV variety. However, other MG II varieties did not perform as well in those tests, indicating that variety selection is an important management consideration if this early maturing cropping system is to be successful in Kentucky soybean producers' fields. MG II varieties used in past University of Kentucky tests have been chosen based on their performance in university variety trials where such …

Sodium In Pasture Species And Grazing Livestock, C. T. Dougherty, Kenneth L. Wells, G. E. Mitchell

Agronomy Notes

Concern among some dairy nutritionists has recently been expressed that "high potassium" content of hay and silage is reducing milk production in some high-producing dairy herds. Alfalfa and grass hay and com and grass silage, which have been heavily fertilized, are the objects of this concern. The nutritional question being considered in this article is whether an animal diet excessively high in potassium (1

Lime Source And Rate Effects On Corn Production On An Acid Soil, Kenneth L. Wells, James E. Dollarhide, V. W. Case

Agronomy Notes

Quality of lime available for use in neutralizing soil acidity can be quite variable in Kentucky. This sometimes raises questions of which locally available source is most effective. Information about the quality of individual lime sources is necessary to make such determinations.

On-Farm Testing Of Early Maturing Soybean, Colleen C. Steele, Larry J. Grabau, N. Gift

Agronomy Notes

Maturity Group (MG) II soybean varieties have performed well in University of Kentucky tests over the past several years. Early planted (late April/early May) tests in the relatively dry years of l986 through 1989 showed MG II yields to exceed those of MG III or MG lV. Over the generally wetter years 1990 through 1993, MG III and lV yields were slightly better than those of MG II varieties. Across eight years of data, MG II yield averages were virtually identical to those of MG III and lV. Perhaps growers could plant a portion of their soybean acreage to MG …

Planting Dates For Early Maturing Soybean, M. V. Kane, Colleen C. Steele, Larry J. Grabau

Agronomy Notes

Early maturing soybean cropping systems have been gaining in popularity with producers across the southeastern US, as well as in Kentucky. To our south, some producers in Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi are using varieties that are two or three Maturity Groups (MG) earlier than those traditionally grown. The main intent in those states has been to avoid late summer drought by using early maturing varieties coupled with early planting. Previous Kentucky research in this area has also emphasized early planting(late April). However, a number of Kentucky growers have had good success using later planting dates for early maturing varieties, particularly …

Crude Protein, And Other Chemical Constituents Of Corn Hybrids Evaluated In The 1994 Kentucky Hybrid Corn Performance Tests, C. G. Poneleit, K. O. Evans, Michael Collins

Agronomy Notes

Grain samples have been collected each year since 1990 from three locations of the Kentucky Hybrid Corn Performance Test and analyzed for crude protein (CP). The objective was to provide an unbiased comparative evaluation of the CP concentration of com hybrids sold in Kentucky. The results indicate that while management and environment at each test location may have significant influences, CP does differ among hybrid genotypes. The feeding value of specific hybrid genotypes based on their protein concentration may have significant influence in diet formulation for non-ruminant animals due to the amount of supplement needed to properly balance the diet, …

Grain Quality Of Early Maturing Soybean Grown In Kentucky, M. V. Kane, Colleen C. Steele, Larry J. Grabau, C. T. Mackown, David F. Hildebrand

Agronomy Notes

Interest in grain quality of US soybean has grown in recent years. For example, in 1990, there was much interest in "component pricing" of soybean grain, Under that plan, growers would be paid a price for their grain that reflected the value of the protein and oil it actually contained, rather than the common price paid to all growers, regardless of any variation in protein and oil content. However, the soybean processing industry is evidently not excited about the complexity of testing individual lots for protein and oil and keeping track of pricing structures depending on those results. As a …

Growth Of Early Maturing Soybean, M. V. Kane, Colleen C. Steele, Larry J. Grabau

Agronomy Notes

Production of early maturing soybean varieties has grown in popularity across the southeastern US in recent years. Many growers in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas have seen this system as a way to avoid late season drought. However, several Kentucky growers have had good success with the use of Maturity Group (MG) II soybeans in the recent seasons which had generally good rainfall patterns. Some growers are glad to get competitive yields from MGII soybean while gaining the opportunity to harvest some of their soybean acreage before corn is ready to harvest.