Life Sciences Commons^™

Tillage And Nitrogen Placement Effects On Yields In A Short-Season Corn/Wheat/Double-Crop Soybean Rotation, D. W. Sweeney

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

In 2013, late planting resulted in corn yields that were less than 100 bu/a. Nitrogen (N) placement did not affect yields in the higher-yielding conventional tillage system, but knifing tended to result in greater yield in reduced and no-till systems.

Tillage And Nitrogen Placement Effects On Yields In A Short-Season Corn/Wheat/Double-Crop Soybean Rotation, D. W. Sweeney

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Overall in 2014, adding nitrogen (N) improved average wheat yields, but different N placement methods resulted in similar yields. Double-crop soybean yields were unaffected by tillage or the residual from N treatments that were applied to the previous wheat crop.

Identification Of Yield-Limiting Factors In Southeast Kansas Cropping Systems, G. F. Sassenrath, X. Lin, D. E. Shoup

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Crop performance and yield within production fields varies as a function of growing environment and soil properties within the field. Components contributing to yield in corn, wheat, and soybean production were examined through on-farm measurements of soil properties in southeast Kansas. Additional tests in research plots explored components contributing to yield in greater detail. Environmental variability between the 2013 and 2014 growing seasons contributed to differences in yield. Additional variability in soil parameters influenced crop performance, particularly for soils high in clay content.

Improving Yield Stability And Resiliency Of Agronomic Production Systems In Southeast Kansas, G. F. Sassenrath, J. K. Farney, Deann Presley, C. Davis

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Soil health is a critical determinant of crop performance. Soil physical, chemical, and biological properties can be modified through production practices such as tillage. Use of cover crops has been shown to benefit soil health and may improve productive capacity of soils. High rainfall and intense crop production practices limit the ability to implement cover crops in current production systems in southeast Kansas. This study explores potential management of cover crops and their contribution to soil health, crop productivity, and animal grazing.

Grain Sorghum Yield Response To Water Availability, J. P. Broeckelman, G. J. Kluitenberg, K. Roozeboom, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Yield effects of irrigation on sorghum and corn were compared, focusing only on the grain sorghum phase. Average water use for irrigation was 22 in., and dryland sorghum used 17 in. Average yields based on 12.5% grain moisture for dryland and irrigated sorghum were similar, with 138 bu/a for the irrigated and 142 bu/a for the dryland environment. Irrigated sorghum yields were similar, but in dryland, the Pioneer 84G62 hybrid yielded 149 bu/a, a 10 bu/a increase over Pioneer 84Y50 and DKS 53-67 hybrids, which yielded 139 bu/a and 138 bu/a, respectively. Although there was a difference in the yield …

Soybean Planting Date × Maturity Group: Eastern Kansas Summary, I. A. Ciampitti, D. E. Shoup, G. Sassenrath, J. Kimball, E. A. Adee

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Optimum planting time for soybean depends on the interaction between genotype and environment (G × E). Four field studies were conducted during the 2014 growing season across eastern Kansas (Manhattan, Topeka, Ottawa, and Parsons). This study explores the impact of planting date (early, mid, and late planting times) on yield for modern soybean cultivars from a range of maturity groups (early, medium, and late groups).

Late-Season Nitrogen Fertilizer Application In Soybean, G. R. Balboa, D. R. Hodgins, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Field experiments were conducted at the North Central Kansas Experiment Field near Scandia, KS, in the summer of 2014 to evaluate effect of late-season nitrogen (N) fertilizer application on modern soybean genotypes under dryland and irrigated environments. The main objective was to determine if the N application late in the season has an agronomical benefit to soybean producers. A unique fertilizer N source (urea) was applied at five N rates (0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 lb N/a) to soybean at the R3 growth stage. Overall soybean yields under dryland conditions ranged from 73 to 89 bu/a, whereas yield variation …

Corn Yield Response To Plant Populations, D. E. Shoup, E. A. Adee, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Corn hybrid development with a focus on drought tolerance has emerged in recent years, and producers have questions about their yield performance across a range of plant populations. A two-year study was conducted to determine the yield of corn hybrids across several plant populations. Corn hybrids responded differently in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, a lower yield environment occurred. The hybrid with drought tolerance had the greatest yield of 95 bu/a at a plant population of 21,500 plants/a, whereas the non-drought-tolerant hybrid’s greatest yield was 90 bu/a at a plant population of 13,500 plants/a. In 2014, the yield environment was …

Seeding Rates And Fertilizer Placement To Improve Strip-Till And No-Till Corn, D. W. Sweeney

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

In 2013, late planting resulted in corn yields that were less than 110 bu/a. Yields were not increased with seeding rates above 26,000/a, but a small increase in yield was obtained with knife applications of fertilizer nitrogen (N) compared with dribble.

Effects Of An Experimental Seed Treatment From Dupont On Sudden Death Syndrome Symptoms And Soybean Yield, E. A. Adee

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Sudden death syndrome (SDS) is a soybean disease that perennially limits yields in the Kansas River Valley. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and saturated soils contribute to the severity of the disease. Selecting varieties with some degree of tolerance to SDS is the only cultural practice that can reduce the severity of SDS and improve yields. Variety selection alone, however, doesn’t necessarily make soybean production profitable; an added complication is managing irrigation scheduling to avoid saturated soils. A study with seed treatments applied to soybean was conducted at the Kansas River Valley Experiment Field in 2014, with treatments applied to two …

Corn Yield Response To Water Availability, T. Newell, K. Roozeboom, G. J. Kluitenberg, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Drought-tolerant technologies have become popular in hybrids for low-yielding corn environments across central and western Kansas and are marketed for their ability to produce higher grain yields with less water. The objective of this study was to compare water use, yield, and water use efficiency (WUE) of two types of drought-tolerant (DT) corn hybrids and a high-yielding non-DT hybrid. Water use and yield of two DT and one non-DT, high-yielding hybrid were compared in both dryland and irrigated situations. The average yield for the irrigated corn was 217 bu/a, and the average was 127 bu/a in dryland, representing a yield …

Response Of Wheat To Residual Fertilizer Nitrogen Applied To Previously Failed Corn, D. W. Sweeney, D. Ruiz Diaz

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

When drought conditions result in poor corn growth and yield, the potential exists for carryover of fertilizer nitrogen (N) to wheat. Soil sampling at the wheat jointing stage showed that NO₃-N levels increased slightly as previous N rate increased up to 240 lb/a N, but did not appear sufficient for the wheat yield increase to previous N rate. The relationship between wheat normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) measurements at jointing and wheat yield was linear. The use of crop active sensors such as the GreenSeeker (Trimble Navigation Ltd., Sunnyvale, CA) may provide plant response data to supplement soil …

Response Of Soybean Grown On A Claypan Soil In Southeastern Kansas To The Residual Of Different Plant Nutrient Sources And Tillage, D. W. Sweeney, P. Barnes, G. Pierzynski

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

The residual effects of turkey litter and fertilizer amendments applied in previous years had little effect on the yield, yield components, and dry matter production of the following soybean crop grown in 2014.

Tillage Study For Corn And Soybean: Comparing Vertical, Deep, And No-Till, E. A. Adee

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

The need for tillage in corn and soybean production in the Kansas River Valley continues to be debated. The soils of the Kansas River Valley are highly variable, with much of the soil sandy to silty loam in texture. These soils tend to be relatively low in organic matter (<2%) and susceptible to wind erosion. Although typically well drained, these soils can develop compaction layers under certain conditions. A tillage study was initiated in the fall of 2011 at the Kansas River Valley Experiment Field near Topeka to compare deep vs. shallow vs. no-till vs. deep tillage in alternate years. Corn and soybean crops are rotated annually. This is intended to be a long-term study to determine if soil characteristics and yields change in response to a history of each tillage system.

Late-Season Nitrogen Fertilizer Application In Soybean, D. R. Hodgins, E. A. Adee, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Field experiments were conducted at the Kansas River Valley Experiment Field, located near Rossville and Topeka, KS, in the summer of 2014 to evaluate effects of late-season nitrogen (N) fertilizer application on modern soybean genotypes. A unique fertilizer N source (urea) was applied at five N rates (0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 lb N/a) to soybean at the R3 growth stage. The main objective was to determine if late-season N application has an agronomical benefit to soybean producers. Overall soybean yields ranged from 43.7 to 57.5 bu/a considering both experimental fields. At Rossville, sudden death syndrome (SDS) affected the …

Grain Sorghum Yield Response To Water Availability, J. P. Broeckelman, E. A. Adee, G. J. Kluitenberg, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Yield effects of irrigation on sorghum and corn were compared, but this report is merely focused on the sorghum phase of the crop rotation. Mean yield for irrigated sorghum was 168 bu/a, whereas dryland yield was 145 bu/a. The latter represents a yield improvement of 24 bu/a, an increase of approximately 2 bu/a per unit (in.) of water applied (considering a total of 11 in. of water applied in the irrigation block).

The irrigated sorghum used a mean of 7.8 in. more water than the dryland, which suggests that the dryland sorghum consumed 3.4 in. more water from the soil …

Breaking Corn Yield Barriers: A Cropping Systems Approach, G. R. Balboa, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A corn research trial was conducted at Scandia, KS, during the 2014 growing season. The objective was to study the contribution of different farming systems in developing efficient and high-yielding corn production systems. The experiment had five treatments: farmer practices, comprehensive fertilization, production intensity, ecological intensification, and advanced plus. Farmer practice was the lowest-yielding treatment, and ecological intensification and advanced plus treatment presented similar yields.

Balanced Nutrition And Crop Production Practices For Closing Grain Sorghum Yield Gaps, B. Mchenry, E. A. Adee, P. V. Vara Prasad, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A field experiment was conducted at the East Central Kansas Experiment Field near Ottawa, KS, and at the Kansas River Valley Experiment Field near Rossville, KS, in the summer of 2014 to evaluate diverse cropping systems approaches on closing sorghum yield gaps. Yield gaps can be understood as the difference between maximum yield and attainable on-farm yields. The factors that were tested include narrow row spacing; plant population; balanced nutrition practices, including various timings of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) and micronutrient applications; crop protection with fungicide and insecticide applications; plant growth regulator effects; and the use of precision ag …

Soybean Production: Planting Date × Variety, Southeast Kansas, G. F. Sassenrath, I. A. Ciampitti, D. E. Shoup

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Optimal soybean planting in southeast Kansas usually occurs from mid-May to mid- June for full-season or late June to early July for double-cropped soybean. Planting is timed to capture fall rains and cooler temperatures during critical periods of bean development and yield formation to avoid midsummer heat and drought.

Forage Sorghum Performance Trial, J. L. Moyer, E. A. Adee

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

In our sorghum trials, production of forage was greater (P<0.05) for ‘FS 4’ and ‘AF 7401’ than for ‘AF 7202,’ possibly related to differences in maturity. Estimated grain production was greater for ‘AF 7401’ than for all others, except for ‘AF 7102.’

Nitrogen And Sulfur Fertilization Effects On Camelina Sativa In West Central Kansas, E. Obeng, A. Obour

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Camelina sativais early maturing and possesses characteristics that make it a good fit as a rotation crop in dryland wheat cropping systems. Nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) play very important roles in oilseed production, including camelina. This study was undertaken in 2013 and 2014 to determine N and S rates necessary for optimum camelina production in West Central Kansas. The experiment was set up as randomized complete blocks with four replications in a split-plot arrangement. Treatments were two S rates (0 and 18 lb/a) as the main plots, and N rates (0, 20, 40, and 80 lb/a) were the …

Influence Of Different Seeding Dates On Fenugreek (Trigonella Foenum-Graecum L.) Forage Yield And Nutritive Value, A. Obour, E. Obeng, J. D. Holman

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) is used as medicinal plant in many Asian countries and has been reported to have forage quality similar to alfalfa. Fenugreek is an annual crop and may have the potential to diversify forage production systems in the central High Plains. This study evaluated forage dry matter (DM) production and the nutritive value of three fenugreek cultivars as influenced by planting date at Hays and Garden City, KS, in 2014. Results at Hays showed forage DM yield of fenugreek cultivars was not affected by planting date, but fenugreek cultivars differed significantly (P<0.05) in forage DM yield. Averaged across planting date, forage DM production was 760 lb/a for ‘Amber,’ 910 lb/a for ‘F96,’ and 672 lb/a for ‘Tristar.’ Forage crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), total digestible nutrient (TDN) concentrations, and relative feed value (RFV) did not differ (P>0.05) …

Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome Influenced By Macronutrient Fertility On Irrigated Soybean In A Corn/Soybean Rotation, E. A. Adee, D. Ruiz Diaz

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

The effects of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilization on a corn/ soybean cropping sequence were evaluated from 1983 to 2014, with corn planted in odd years. We observed a relationship between the P rate applied during the corn years and the severity of sudden death syndrome (SDS) in 2014 soybean.

Balanced Nutrition And Crop Production Practices For Closing Grain Sorghum Yield Gaps, B. Mchenry, P. V. Vara Prasad, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A field experiment was conducted at the North Central Kansas Experiment Field near Scandia, KS, in the summer of 2014 to evaluate diverse cropping systems approaches to closing sorghum yield gaps. Yield gaps can be understood as the difference between maximum and attainable on-farm yields. The approach taken in this project is system wide, rather than focusing on one factor and its interaction. The factors that were tested include narrow row spacing; plant population; balanced nutrition practices, including various timings of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) and micronutrient applications; crop protection with fungicide and insecticide applications; plant growth regulator effects; …

Cover Crop Impacts On Soil Water Status, M. Kuykendall, K. Roozeboom, G. J. Kluitenberg, P. V. Vara Prasad

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Water is a primary concern for producers in the Great Plains; as such, research is warranted to quantify how much cover crops affect the amount of soil water available to subsequent cash crops. Cover crop mixes have been marketed as a means to conserve water in no-till cropping systems following winter wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) harvest. The objectives of this study are to quantify changes in soil profile water content in the presence of different cover crops and mixtures of increasing species complexity, to quantify their biomass productivity and quality, and to quantify the impact of cover crops on …

Evaluation Of Secondary And Micronutrients For Soybean Production In Kansas, M. N. Gutierrez, D. A. Ruiz Diaz

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Study of secondary and micronutrients is growing because of their potential contribution to yield increases. The objective of this study was to evaluate soybean response to secondary and micronutrient fertilizer application to maximize yields. A randomized complete block design was employed with four replications at five locations during 2013 and five locations in 2014. Treatments consisted of an unfertilized control; micronutrient fertilizer as individual nutrients for boron, copper, manganese, sulfur, and zinc; and a mix of these nutrients using two different placements (dry broadcast and liquid band). Soil samples were collected prior to planting and after harvest. Soybean trifoliates were …

Fertilizer Placement And Tillage Interaction In Corn And Soybean Production, A. T. Rosa, D. A. Ruiz Diaz

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Different tillage systems can affect the availability of phosphorus (P) by changing the soil environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects and interaction of fertilizer placement, tillage, and varieties for soybean and corn. The experiment was established at two locations in Kansas in 2014. The experimental design was a factorial in a randomized complete block with four replications. Three fertilizer treatments were combined with two tillage systems and two varieties of soybean and corn selected based on contrasting root systems. Plant tissue samples were collected during the vegetative and reproductive stages to evaluate P concentration, P …

Kansas River Valley Experiment Field Introduction, E. A. Adee

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

The Kansas River Valley (KRV) Experiment Field was established to study management and effective use of irrigation resources for crop production in the KRV. The Paramore Unit consists of 80 acres located 3.5 miles east of Silver Lake on U.S. Highway 24, then 1 mile south of Kiro, and 1.5 miles east on 17th street. The Rossville Unit consists of 80 acres located 1 mile east of Rossville or 4 miles west of Silver Lake on U.S. Highway 24.

Nitrogen, Phosphorus, And Potassium Fertilization For Newly Established Tall Fescue, D. W. Sweeney, J. L. Moyer

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

First-year spring yields of tall fescue in 2013 responded to phosphorus (P) fertilization, but lodging at the R5 growth stage in the spring with higher P fertilization rates may have influenced subsequent fall harvest yields, which declined with increasing P rates. As N rates increased, R5 yields declined but fall harvest yields increased.

Long-Term Nitrogen And Phosphorus Fertilization Of Irrigated Corn, A. Schlegel, H. D. Bond

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Long-term research shows that phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) fertilizer must be applied to optimize production of irrigated corn in western Kansas. In 2014, N applied alone increased yields 58 bu/a, whereas P applied alone increased yields only 12 bu/a. Nitrogen and P applied together increased yields up to 152 bu/a. This is slightly above the 10-year average, where N and P fertilization increased corn yields up to 146 bu/a. Application of 120 lb/a N (with P) produced about 91% of maximum yield in 2014, which was similar to the 10-year average. Application of 80 instead of 40 lb P2O5/a …