Life Sciences Commons^™

Investigating The Use Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles And High-Resolution Multispectral Imagery To Characterize Grain Sorghum Senescence Patterns, I. H. Barnhart, L. Mayor, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Grain sorghum is important to producers around the world. In precipitation-limited environments, sorghum is the grain of choice because it is able to produce grain yields with limited precipitation. Plant breeders place a priority on breeding for a characterized form of post-flowering drought-tolerance, known as stay-green (SG). Assessing thousands of plots for this trait can be labor intensive and time consuming, so the goal of this study was to use unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) equipped with high resolution cameras to characterize and quantify senescence patterns in grain sorghum. A field experiment with 20 hybrids was planted in Manhattan, KS. The ...

Evaluation Of Selected Large Patch-Tolerant Zoysia Spp. For Performance In Kansas, Manoj Chhetri, Jack Fry, Megan Kennelly

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Turf quality characteristics and large patch incidence of ten selected experimental zoysiagrass genotypes were evaluated during the 2018–2019 growing season in Manhattan, KS, and establishment rate of the same ten was evaluated in Olathe, KS. Although plots were inoculated with Rhizoctonia solani (AG 2-2 LP) in September 2018 in Manhattan, no large patch occurred. However, the genotypes showed vari­ability in turf performance measured by turf quality, spring greenup, fall color reten­tion, and genetic color. In Olathe, KS, at Shadow Glen Golf Club, the ten genotypes were planted on June 17, 2019. The range in visual ground coverage ...

Early Postemergence And Sequential Herbicides For Weed Control In Corn, R. S. Currie, P. W. Geier

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

In this study, herbicides were tested to compare sequential and split rates for weed control in corn. Control of green foxtail, Russian thistle, and quinoa was excellent regardless of herbicide treatment, and most herbicides provided good kochia and Palmer amaranth control. Minor corn injury occurred with some herbicides applied early postemergence or postemergence, but did not persist. All herbicide treatments increased grain yield 56 to 78% compared to the weedy control, but yields did not differ between herbicide treatments.

Soil Microbial Seasonal Community Dynamics In Response To Cover Crop And Phosphorus Fertilizer Usage In A No-Till Corn-Soybean System In 2018, C. L. Stewart, L. M. Starr, N. O. Nelson, K. L. Roozeboom, G. J. Kluitenberg, D. R. Presley, P. J. Tomlinson

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

This study examined microorganism community composition in plots managed with and without cover crops and three contrasting phosphorous (P) fertilizer manage­ment techniques in a no-till corn-soybean system. This work was performed in the spring and fall of 2018 at the Kansas Agricultural Watershed Field Laboratory (KAW), Manhattan, KS. The study design was a 2 × 3 complete block factorial design with three replications, with cover crop presence or absence and three levels of P fertilizer management (control, fall broadcast, and spring injected). To examine microorganism community composition, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis was used. Only the main effect of cover ...

Wheat Variety-Specific Grain Yield Response To Plant Density Under Intensive Management Conditions In Western Kansas, R. P. Lollato, K. Mark, B. R. Jaenisch

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Seeding rate determines the first yield component of field crops, which is the plant population. However, wheat is less responsive to plant populations than other crops due to the high plasticity in tillering potential, and this responsiveness depends on resource availability. The objective of this project was to evaluate winter wheat popu­lation, grain yield, and grain test weight responses to seeding rate and its interaction with variety in a highly managed production system where manageable stresses were limited. Experiments evaluating the response of the wheat varieties ‘Joe,’ ‘WB-Grain­field,’ ‘Langin,’ and ‘LCS Revere’ to seeding rates ranging from 200 ...

Wheat And Grain Sorghum In Four-Year Rotations, A. Schlegel, J. Holman, A. Burnett

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

In 1996, an effort began to quantify soil water storage, crop water use, and crop pro­ductivity on dryland systems in western Kansas. Research on 4-year crop rotations with wheat and grain sorghum was initiated at the Southwest Research-Extension Center near Tribune, KS. Rotations were wheat-wheat-sorghum-fallow (WWSF), wheat-sorghum-sorghum-fallow (WSSF), and continuous wheat (WW). Soil water at wheat planting averaged about 9 in. following sorghum, which is about 3 in. more than the average for the second wheat crop in a WWSF rotation. Soil water at sorghum planting was only about 1.5 in. less for the second sorghum crop compared ...

Vida Tank Mixtures For Postemergence Weed Control In Fallow, R. S. Currie, P. W. Geier

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

The objective of the study was to compare Vida (pyraflufen ethyl) with various tank mix partners for weed control in fallow. All herbicides controlled flixweed and tansymustard 96% or more by 16 days after treatment. Treatments containing Spartan provided faster and better kochia control compared to other herbicides, and these treatments were the only ones to control kochia 95% or more late in the season.

Saline Experimental Range Dormant Season Wildfire: Short-Term Effect On Forage Production And Plant Composition, Keith R. Harmoney

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Rangeland wildfires in the southern plains may occur any time of year, but the low hu­midity, increasing temperatures, and dry and abundant fuel load of late winter and early spring can result in greater wildfire occurrence and severity. Fires that occur before the growing season remove standing residual vegetation and greatly reduce litter cover, so the soil surface may be left bare for several weeks or months before the onset of new pas­ture growth. Exposure of plant buds to cold temperatures during dormancy, soil water evaporation, and soil crusting from the force of falling precipitation and puddling may ...

2019 Kansas State University Industrial Hemp Cbd Variety Trial, Jason Griffin, Michael J. Shelton, Clint Wilson, Tami Myers

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Hemp is a broad term used to describe the many varieties of Cannabis sativa L. that produce less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The crop is globally significant, but only recently allowed to be grown again in the United States. Varieties have been selected and are currently grown with a wide range of cannabinoid profiles. Cannabinoids are of interest for their putative medical and therapeutic role in humans and pets. Cannabidiol (CBD) and THC are the two cannabinoids of primary interest. THC is of interest because it determines whether the final product is considered hemp (0.3% THC). CBD is ...

2019 Kansas State University Industrial Hemp Dual-Purpose And Fiber Trial, Jason Griffin, Kraig Roozeboom, Lucas Haag, Michael Shelton, Clint Wilson, Tami Myers

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Hemp is a broad term used to describe the many varieties of Cannabis sativa L. that produce less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The crop is globally significant, but only recently allowed to be grown again in the United States. Varieties that have numerous industrial uses have been selected for improved fiber and grain production. However, there is no information available regarding adaptability or production of these varieties in Kansas.

In 2019, Kansans were allowed to apply for research licenses to grow industrial hemp. It was assumed the crop would grow well throughout Kansas since there are wild remnant populations ...

An Efficient Stocking Strategy For Grazing Replacement Heifers, Keith R. Harmoney, John R. Jaeger

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Even though Kansas native rangelands often have steep slopes or shallow soils not con­ducive to many other uses other than livestock grazing, native rangeland and perennial grassland acres in Kansas have been declining. Cropland acreage over this same time frame has increased, and rangelands have also become more fragmented by small ranch­ettes and urbanization. Producers may be looking to increase production efficiency on a shrinking forage land base. The use of intensive early stocking (IES) is one of the most efficient stocking strategies to produce beef on rangeland acres. The IES strategy has been widely used in eastern ...

Using Modified Intensive Early Stocking For Cow/Calf Production, Keith R. Harmoney, John R. Jaeger

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Intensive early stocking (IES) was introduced nearly a half century ago in eastern Kan­sas and has since been adopted as a major management tool to increase animal produc­tion, efficiency of production, and economic return on tallgrass rangelands. These in­creases have come almost exclusively by using IES with young stocker animals. Intensive early stocking and its gains have been proven effective repeatedly in published research. A similar modified IES (MIES) system has increased production efficiency of stocker animals on western Kansas rangelands. Perennial grassland acres for cattle produc­tion, as well as cattle numbers, are declining. Using management ...

Roundup 2020: Agricultural Research Center - Hays

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Roundup is the major beef cattle education and outreach event sponsored by the Agricultural Research Center - Hays. The 2020 program is the 106th staging of Roundup. The purpose is to communicate timely, applicable research information to producers and extension personnel.

Kansas Fertilizer Research 2020, D. A. Ruiz Diaz

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A summary of research conducted in 2018-2020 on fertilizer use and management practices for crops in Kansas. Published in 2020 from the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service https://www.ag.k-state.edu/.

Large-Scale Dryland Cropping Systems, A. Schlegel, L. Haag, A. Burnett

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

This study was conducted from 2008–2019 at the Kansas State University Southwest Research- Extension Center near Tribune, KS. The purpose of the study was to identify whether more intensive cropping systems can enhance and stabilize production in rainfed cropping systems to optimize economic crop production, more efficiently capture and utilize scarce precipitation, and maintain or enhance soil resources and environmental quality. The crop rotations evaluated were continuous grain sorghum (SS), wheat-fallow (WF), wheat-corn-fallow (WCF), wheat-sorghum-fallow (WSF), wheat-corn-sorghum-fallow (WCSF), and wheat-sorghum-corn-fallow (WSCF). All rotations were grown using no-tillage practices except for WF, which was grown using reduced-tillage. The efficiency of ...

Tillage Intensity In A Long-Term Wheat-Sorghum-Fallow Rotation, A. Schlegel, A. Burnett

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

This study was initiated in 1991 at the Kansas State University Southwest Research- Extension Center near Tribune, KS. The purpose of the study was to identify the effects of tillage intensity on precipitation capture, soil water storage, and grain yield in a wheat-sorghum-fallow rotation. Grain yields of wheat and grain sorghum increased with decreased tillage intensity in a wheat-sorghum-fallow (WSF) rotation. In 2019, available soil water at sorghum planting was greater for no-tillage (NT) than reduced tillage (RT) which was greater than conventional tillage (CT). For wheat there was a similar pattern as sorghum, with available soil water at wheat ...

Alternative Cropping Systems With Limited Irrigation, A. Schlegel, H. D. Bond

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A limited irrigation study involving four cropping systems and evaluating four crop rotations was initiated in 2012 at the Southwest Research-Extension Center near Tribune, KS. The cropping systems were two annual systems (continuous corn [C-C] and continuous grain sorghum [GS-GS]) and two 2-year systems (corn-grain sorghum [C-GS] and corn-winter wheat [C-W]). In 2019, corn yields were similar for all rotations, although averaged across the past 7 years, corn yields were greater following wheat than following corn. There were no significant differences in grain sorghum yields in 2019, which was similar to the multi-year average. Wheat yields were greater than the ...

Occasional Tillage In A Wheat-Sorghum-Fallow Rotation, A. Schlegel, J. Holman

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Beginning in 2012, research was conducted in Garden City and Tribune, KS, to de­termine the effect of a single tillage operation every 3 years on grain yields in a wheat-sorghum-fallow (WSF) rotation. Grain yields of wheat and grain sorghum were generally not affected by a single tillage operation every 3 years in a WSF rotation. Grain yield varied greatly by year from 2014 to 2019. Wheat yields ranged across years from mid-20s to 90 bu/a at Tribune and less than 10 to near 100 bu/a at Garden City. Grain sorghum yields ranged from 40 to greater than ...

Wheat Stubble Height On Subsequent Corn And Grain Sorghum Crops, A. Schlegel, A. Burnett, L. Haag

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A field study initiated in 2006 at the Southwest Research-Extension Center near Tribune, KS, was designed to evaluate the effects of three wheat stubble heights on subsequent grain yields of corn and grain sorghum. Corn and sorghum yields in 2019 were greater than the long-term average. When averaged from 2007 through 2019, corn grain yields were 8–9 bu/a greater when planted into either high or strip-cut stubble than into low-cut stubble. Average grain sorghum yields were 5 bu/a greater in high-cut stubble than low-cut stubble. Similarly, water use efficiency was greater for high or strip-cut stubble for ...

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 2019, N applied alone increased yields by 71 bu/a, whereas P applied alone increased yields 10 bu/a. Nitrogen and P applied together increased yields up to 131 bu/a, which is 10 bu/a less than the 10-year average of 141 bu/a. Application of 120 lb N/a (with highest P rate) produced 97% of maximum yield in 2019, which is slightly greater than the 10-year average. Application of 80 instead of 40 lb ...

Long-Term Nitrogen, Phosphorus, And Potassium Fertilization Of Irrigated Grain Sorghum, 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 grain sorghum in western Kansas. In 2019, N applied alone increased yields 66 bu/a, whereas N and P applied together increased yields up to 85 bu/a. Averaged across the past 10 years, N and P fertilization increased sorghum yields up to 78 bu/a. Application of 160 lb/a N (with P) produced the maxi­mum yield in 2019, which is slightly more than the 10-year average. Application of potassium (K) has had no effect on sorghum yield throughout the ...

Estimating Annual Forage Yields With Plant Available Water And Growing Season Precipitation, J. Holman, A. Obour, A. Schlegel, T. Roberts, S. Maxwell

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Forage production is important for the western Kansas region’s livestock and dairy industries and has become increasingly important as irrigation-well capacity declines. Forages require less water than grain crops and may allow for increased cropping intensity and opportunistic cropping. Being able to estimate forage production is important for determining forage availability versus forage needs. Data from several studies were used to quantify annual forage yield response to plant available water (PAW) at planting and growing season precipitation (GSP). In addition, water use efficiency was quantified. Forages evaluated included winter triticale, spring triticale, and forage sorghum.

Residual Weed Control With Preemergence Herbicides In Grain Sorghum, R. S. Currie, P. W. Geier

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

In this study, herbicides were tested to compare preemergence (PRE) application for weed control in grain herbicides. All herbicides controlled quinoa and crabgrass similarly, as well as Russian thistle late in the season. Halex GT at either rate with atrazine as well as Bicep Lite II Magnum controlled Palmer amaranth less than 90% late in the season. Similarly, these herbicides along with Degree Xtra provided less than 90% kochia control late. Grain yields did not differ between herbicide-treated and non-treated sorghum.

Single And Sequential Herbicide Treatments For Efficacy In Corn, R. S. Currie, P. W. Geier

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

In this study, herbicides were tested to compare application of single and sequential treatments for weed control in corn. Quinoa and Russian thistle control was 95% or more regardless of herbicide treatment. Anthem Maxx, Resicore, and Corvus followed by Harness Max provided good control of Palmer amaranth. Acuron applied preemergence and Anthem Maxx plus Callisto and atrazine early postemergence were less effective on kochia than other herbicides, whereas Anthem Maxx plus Callisto and atrazine applied preemergence and Halex GT applied early postemergence were less effective on green foxtail. Grain yields from all herbicide-treated corn were substantially greater than for the ...

Efficacy Of Kfd-365-02 Rates And Mixtures In Imidazolinone-Tolerant Grain Sorghum, R. S. Currie, P. W. Geier

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

This study compared various tank mixes of generic S-metolachlor/mesotrione and imazamox for weed control in imidazolinone-tolerant grain sorghum. All herbicides provided more than 90% control of Russian thistle, velvetleaf, and green foxtail, and kochia control late in the season was 85% or more. Puncturevine control late in the season was 80 to 90% with all herbicides except Coyote followed by KFD-365-02 and by KFD-365-02 at 6 oz/a plus atrazine followed by 2,4-D. Only Coyote followed by KFD-365-02 plus atrazine or 2,4-D controlled Palmer amaranth more than 78% late.

Comparison Of Terbuthylazine And Atrazine Preemergence In Grain Sorghum, R. S. Currie, P. W. Geier

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Terbuthylazine is an atrazine analog that is used in Europe as a replacement for atra­zine. This study compares terbuthylazine with common herbicide tank mixes for weed control in this region. All herbicides controlled quinoa and crabgrass 95% or more, whereas Bicep II Magnum controlled kochia, Palmer amaranth, and Russian thistle the best late in the season. No herbicide visibly injured grain sorghum in this experiment. Grain yields increased 18 to 32 bu/a when herbicides were applied compared to the nontreated controls except with atrazine at 24 oz/a.

Southwest Research-Extension Center Field Day 2020

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Report of agricultural research from southwest Kansas, published 2020.

2018–2019 Precipitation Data, Mary Knapp

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Precipitation data for Kansas Agricultural Experiment Stations and fields, 2018-2019.

Long-Term Nitrogen, Phosphorus, And Potassium Fertilization Of Irrigated Grain Sorghum, Alan J. Schlegel, H. Dewayne 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 grain sorghum in western Kansas. In 2019, N applied alone increased yields by 66 bu/a, whereas N and P applied together increased yields up to 85 bu/a. Averaged across the past 10 years, N and P fertilization increased sorghum yields up to 78 bu/a. Application of 160 lb/a N (with P) produced the maxi­mum yield in 2019, which is slightly more than the 10-year average. Application of potassium (K) has had no effect on sorghum yield ...

Long-Term Nitrogen And Phosphorus Fertilization Of Irrigated Corn, Alan J. Schlegel, H. Dewayne 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 2019, N applied alone increased yields by 71 bu/a, whereas P applied alone increased yields by 10 bu/a. Nitrogen and P applied together increased yields up to 131 bu/a, which is 10 bu/a less than the 10-year average of 141 bu/a. Application of 120 lb/a N (with highest P rate) produced 97% of maximum yield in 2019, which is slightly greater than the 10-year average. Application of 80 instead of 40 ...