Strip Tillage for Corn: New Developments for Successful Adoption. Indiana Tillage Data,

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1 Strip Tillage for Corn: New Developments for Successful Adoption Tony J. Vyn, with assistance from farmers, graduate students, technicians, and colleagues Indiana Tillage Data, (percent of total cropland for specific crop in a no-till system) Corn Soybean All Crops Source: Purdue University-Transect Data 1

2 2002 Indiana Cropland Tillage Map Percent of all Corn Fields planted using 2002 Indiana Average is 21% < > 60% No data available Source: Purdue University-Transect Data So What is Problem? Planting Date? Nutrient Availability? Pests? Yields? Maturity? 2

3 Poor Stand Establishment? Corn Response to Tillage and Rotation West Lafayette, IN, ( ) Tillage Plow Corn/Soybean Bu/ac 176 % of plow yield --- Continuous Corn Bu/ac 169 % of plow yield --- Yield Gain for Rotation % 5 Chisel Ridge*

4 250 Corn Yields Following Soybeans, Chisel Vs., West Lafayette, IN, Bushels/acre Chisel 5 per. Mov. Avg. (Chisel) 5 per. Mov. Avg. () Population densities of Soy. Cyst Nematode under different crop sequences and tillage 4

5 Long-term Tillage Effects on Soil Organic Matter ( , West Lafayette, IN) 0 to 2" 2 to 6" Soil Depth (in) 6 to 12" 12 to 20" 20-30" 30-40" Plow Organic Matter (%) Long-term Tillage Effects on Soil Available P & Exchangeable K with Broadcast Application (Soybean-Corn Rotation, , West Lafayette, IN) Soil Depth 0 to 2" Soil Depth 0 to 2" 2 to 6" 2 to 6" 6 to 12" 6 to 12" 12-20" Plow 12-20" Plow Soil P (ppm) Soil K (ppm) 5

6 Going Deeper?? Strip Tillage for Corn 6

7 Fall Strip-till Option? What are we after? Yields (relative to no-till; stability) Planting Timeliness (pre-plant soil conditions) Fertilizer Placement Efficiencies (systems approach) 7

8 Berm Heights in Spring after Successful Strip Tillage Soil Drying Pattern (0-6 ) after Wheat (ON, 1999) Moisture (%) Moldboard Strip-till 12" Strip-till 6" April 27 May 1 May 4 Wheat 8

9 Strip-till versus Corn after Wheat (Belmont, ON) Tillage Effects on Corn Yield After Wheat Centralia and Wyoming, ON ( ) Yield (bu/ac) Moldboard Chisel Fall Disk Strip-till No-Till (baled) 9

10 180 Wheat Residue Effect on Corn Yields Centralia & Wyoming ( ) Yield (bu/ac) Fall Strip-till (not baled) (baled) (bare) 80 Fall Strip-till (not baled) (baled) (bare) Opoku, Vyn & Swanton (Agron. J. 89:549) Tillage Effects on Corn Yields After Soybean (Hooker, Avg. of Alvinston and Fingal, ON, ) Yield (bu/ac )) a b a b Source: Dave Hooker, 2000 Plow Chisel Strip-till No-Till 10

11 Fall Strip-till 8 depth DMI 2500 with Mole Knife Fall Strip-till depth John Deere 955 Deep Ripper Rolling Basket 11

12 Accumulated Soil GDD Pre-Planting , IN 50 S o il G D D a a ab b 10 0 Fall Moldboard Strip-till 13" Strip-till 8" w/ Row Cleaners 1999 Soil Penetrometer Resistance Average Soil Moisture = 25% NS 12 Depth (cm) Fall Moldboard Fall Disk Only Strip-till 35cm Strip-till 20cm Penetrometer Resistance (MPa) NS NS LSD (.05) 12

13 2000 Soil Penetrometer Resistance Average Soil Moisture = 36% Depth (cm) Fall Moldboard Fall Disk Only Strip-till 35cm Strip-till 20cm Penetrometer Resistance (MPa) Lsmeans covariate from 8-20cm depth. NS NS NS NS LSD (.05) Corn yields in Indiana following soybeans in Indiana ( ) Moldboard Strip-till 13" Strip-till 8" Yield ( bu/ac ) Moldboard Strip-till 13" Strip-till 8" 13

14 Photo Credit: Greg Stewart Strip Tillage for Corn after Corn? 14

15 Strip Tillage for Corn in N. Indiana, Loam ( ) 225 Yield (bu./ac) a a b Fall Chisel Strip-till 100 Soybean Corn Previous Crop Planting Date Effects in Indiana, Strip-Till No-Till Chisel Early Optimum? Early Optimum? W. Lafayette Pinney-PAC 15

16 Recent Strip Tillage Options 1. Automatic Guidance Systems for Planting Ease 2. Berm Building Alternatives (disk, rolling basket) 3. Residue Clearance options 4. Fertilizer Banding Options Strip Tillage with Fertilizer Banding 16

17 High Yield Corn Response to Placement Sponsor: PPI-FAR Hybrids: 1. Pioneer 34B24 2. Pioneer 34M95 Populations: 1. 32, ,000 P&K Fertilizer Placements: 1. Control 2. Broadcast 3. Shallow Band (6 ) 4. Deep Band (12 ) 5. Shallow + Deep (6 and 12 ) Note: P 2 O 5 rate was 88 pounds/acre, and K 2 O rate was 115 pounds/acre All plots received a uniform 2 x 2 starter of (N,P,K). Strip Tillage with Nutrient Banding in Small-plot Research 17

18 Fertility Placement and Corn Leaf Area (LAI) for Pion. 34B24 from LAI (m 3 /m 3 ) Control Broadcast Band 6" Band 12" Band ,000 ppa 42,000 ppa Placement Effects of P plus K on Leaf K % for Pion. 34M95 in K % Control Broadcast Band 6" Band 12" Band 6" & 12" 0 32,000 42,000 Plants/acre 18

19 Corn Yield Response of Pion. 34M95 to Alternate P plus K Placements in 2003 Corn Yield (bu/acre) a a b ab ab 32,000 ppa 42,000 ppa Control Broadcast Band 6" Band 12" Band 6+12 Corn Yield Response to Fertility Placement, West Lafayette, IN, ( ). (Mean of 2 hybrids and 2 populations) 220 Yield (bu/acre) ab a a ab b B A AAA Control Broadcast Band 6" Band 12" 120 Band 6" and 12" 100 CONTROL Soil-test P (0-4 ): (4-8 ): Soil-test K (0-4 ): (4-8 ):

20 Six inch Band Placement Effects on Strip-till Corn Yield (mean of 2 hybrids, ) Yield (bushels/acre) b aaa Soil-test P (0-4 ): (4-8 ): Soil-test K (0-4 ): (4-8 ): b A B B B B Control Broadcast P & K Band P & K Band P Band K Conclusions 1. corn adoption lower than for soybean; reservations on increased adoption similar in most Mid-west farming areas. 2. Technology changes have improved success rate of and Strip-till. 3. Strip tillage permits increased planting flexibility and opportunity for fertility placement. 20

21 Conclusions (continued): Fall strip-till provides warmer and drier soil conditions, relative to undisturbed no-till, in the spring before planting. These improved conditions may allow 2-3 days earlier planting in comparison to no-till. Fall strip-till resulted in lower penetrometer resistance in comparison to no-till at certain depth intervals. Deeper depths of fall strip tillage resulted in a yield advantage when no-till yields were below conventional-till yields. Conclusions (continued): Deep banding of K increased plant K uptake through the R-1 stage (especially at high populations), but did not generally increase final corn yields, relative to broadcast K fertilizer, in our high yield trials at ACRE. Deep-banded K may still be more beneficial than broadcast K with certain corn hybrids, and certain environments (e.g. high corn plant populations, and highly stratified soils with moisture deficits during June-July). Relative corn yield advantages for deep banding versus broadcast K may be more likely when no starter fertilizer K is applied, and when total K application rates are lower than those we used. Does deep banding improve efficiency? 21

22 Thanks! home page: // Acknowledgements Case-NH (DMI) Goodfield, IL John Deere (Columbus, OH and Des Moines, IA) Pioneer Hi-Bred International Ltd. Remlinger (Kalida, OH) Purdue Research Foundation Potash and Phosphate Institute Foundation for Agronomic Research OCPA, OMAFRA, AAFC. 22