Agronomy Notes

December, 2001 and January, 2002

Contents:

RICE
SOYBEANS
WEED CONTROL
COTTON
CORN
SOIL TESTING
FORAGES AND PASTURES
NUTRIENT AND SOIL MANAGEMENT



RICE

Dr. Joe Street

Variety selection will be a key decision for the upcoming crop. Yields in 2001 were at record levels, and all the new varieties performed well. In the on-farm variety trials conducted by Dr. Dwight Kanter, rice breeder, Priscilla was the highest yielding commercial variety followed by Wells, Cocodrie, Saber, Ahrent, and Lemont. The variety trial bulletin has been printed and should be available in your county Extension office. The average lodging for Wells was 25 percent while Cocodrie and Priscilla lodged 5 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Priscilla and Lemont lodged more in commercial fields in 2001 than expected because of their wide leaves and the extended rainy weather in late August. Using a worst-case scenario for diseases and considering average yield, Wells has the most profit potential followed by Priscilla, Cocodrie, and Lemont, but I expect Cocodrie to be the most popular variety in 2002. Cocodrie is susceptible to sheath blight, smut, and straighthead, but it is easier to harvest than Priscilla and lodges less than Wells. Priscilla performs well for growers with stripper headers because the straw remains green during harvest. Milling yields with Cocodrie are more consistent than with Priscilla or Wells. As this is written, Canada has not approved the Clearfield varieties, but approval is expected before the 2002 planting season. These lines yielded about the same as Lemont but offer great potential for controlling red rice in commercial rice.

I know it is early, but this is a reminder for those who want to use Icon seed treatment for rice water weevil control. You should be booking seed in January so the seed dealer can apply the Icon seed treatment. Icon has not been extensively used in Mississippi but it is an effective treatment for water weevil control and reduces grape colaspis populations, which can reduce rice stand. Icon also offers partial control of chinch bugs, which can be a problem especially in reduced tillage fields. I have been evaluating the efficacy of Icon on the cattail billbug, which is causing severe damage on levees. Icon appears to be suppressing the activity of billbugs by about 50 percent and evaluations will continue in 2002. For those who prefer to control the adult water weevils with foliar sprays, Fury is now labeled and has been added to the arsenal along with Karate and Dimilin. Research with Fury shows that it is an effective treatment for water weevil control and is very similar to Karate in activity. The rate of Fury is 3.4 to 4.3 ounces of product per acre for water weevil control.

Fall weather was favorable for land preparation, and most of the land to be planted in rice is in good condition for planting. About one-third of the rice land in Mississippi is planted with no spring tillage or planted into a stale seedbed following early spring tillage. Planting no-till or into a stale seedbed allows the potential for timely planting, which can improve yields and reduce production costs. Grain drills have improved to the extent that no-till/stale seedbed planting is much more efficient than with older drills. In a stale seedbed situation, early-season weed control is one of the primary keys to a successful crop. Late winter application of 2,4-D makes weed control at planting much easier with burndown herbicides. The key to a successful burndown treatment is to match the herbicide with the weed spectrum in the field. For those with a large acreage or for those who plant very early, adding a residual herbicide to the burndown mixture at planting may be a good management tool to extend the window of opportunity for application of postemergence herbicides.

SOYBEANS

Dr. Alan Blaine

Copies of the statewide soybean variety trials are available in your county extension office. The trials may also be accessed on the internet at http://www.msucares.com/pubs/.

As you begin to look at the trials, look for consistency in performance. Consistency is an important factor in varietal selection. There is no perfect soybean variety, but as you make your decision and try to incorporate very many traits, other characteristics such as yield may suffer.

As you look at the trials, you will see that some of the varieties that experienced widespread problems in 2001 are still top yielders. Keep this in mind as you make decisions for this coming year. There are only a couple of varieties that were widely planted in 2001 that I feel do not warrant our attention this coming season.

I know my comments are of no consolation, but do not make too hasty a decision about varieties based on the 2001 growing season.

Two-thousand and one was a perfect year for some and a disastrous year for others. The Agricultural Statistics Service has Mississippi projected at a state average yield of 34 bushels per acre. We had the potential for a much higher yield than this, but even so, this yield number does not reflect the damage discounts many experienced. We have tried to communicate this to the various farm organizations and our representatives in Washington D.C. It is unfortunate, however, that the state projected yield does not reflect last season's problems.

As I have said before, 80 percent of the varieties available for sale have nothing to offer you, they are "me-too" varieties. Take some time in evaluating varieties.

I hope the following steps will prove beneficial when making varietal decisions:

1) Select from the top 5 to 10 percent.

2) Do not plant large acreage of untested or unadapted varieties.

3) Do not take anybody's word about performance; make a variety prove it to you.

4) Try new varieties (with 1-year data), but on a limited acreage. (This will allow you to evaluate new varieties on a small scale. If they are that good, I promise you they will be around for a while. In addition, many of the newest lines will not be available in quantities greater than 10,000-50,000 units, covering a large geographical sales area.)

5) The best variety trial ever conducted will be the one on your farm. However, don't be an experiment station; stay with the ones you know are proven performers.

6) Select for yield first and address specified concerns second.

7) Use early maturity groups (IV-V and some VIs).

9) Obtain additional seed tests to accurately assess the quality of your seed.

10) Maintain accurate records for future use.

Variety selection is a monumental task, and I must confess that I learn something new every year. Several good high-yielding varieties are available, but you will need to be selective to stay on top of the best varieties. Nothing has changed regarding variety selection.

WEED CONTROL

Dr. John Byrd

Forage Weed Control Update-Having just returned from a 2 1/2-day meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, with BASF and weed scientists from across the Southeast, imazapic will be a good topic for discussion. BASF will not bring Oasis (imazapic plus 2,4-D ester) to the market for forage bermudagrass weed control. Instead, they plan to market Plateau (imazapic). They seem to think EPA will grant the label by the end of this year, which could be as late as early March 2002. Use rates will be identical to those on the Oasis section 18 Mississippi used this year (4 to 6 fluid oz/A). Nonionic surfactant or methylated seed oil (preferred) must be added for control.

Our demonstrations this summer showed good johnsongrass control with this product. Best results occurred with 6 oz/A applied to johnsongrass 10 to 12 inches tall. We were able to get good control of johnsongrass as tall as 24 to 36 inches, but applications should be targeted for smaller plants. This herbicide has some activity on smutgrass, but the rates needed for control will result in unacceptable stunting of bermudagrass growth. Extension weed scientists at Florida and Texas reported excellent control of sandbur at 4 oz/A, and the Extension weed scientist from North Carolina reported excellent control of crabgrass, broadleaf signalgrass, and nutsedges using 4 oz/A. However, the overall consensus was that applications SHOULD NOT BE MADE TO NEWLY SPRIGGED bermudagrass because of the severity of growth suppression. This is not a product to use for broadleaf weed control either.

Demonstrations in Mississippi agree with findings in other states that this herbicide will reduce bermudagrass yields. Data collected in 2000 near Starkville in weed-free bermudagrass revealed a 32 percent yield loss following application of 4 oz/A Oasis, with losses up to 56 percent with 12 oz/A Oasis, compared to 28 percent yield loss with 3 pints/A Velpar. This year, Extension weed scientists at Texas and Georgia collected three bermudagrass yields following Oasis applications. Although first cuttings after Oasis or Plateau applications were reduced severely, second and third cuttings were not significantly lower than the untreated. Overall yields in both states were reduced 10 to 15 percent following application of 4 oz/A imazapic. Potential users of this product will have to decide the importance of hay tonnage versus hay purity. If they cannot sacrifice tonnage, this is not a product that will fit their production. If they are striving for pure bermudagrass hay without contamination of some of the grassy weeds mentioned above, Plateau will be a herbicide that fits their needs.

COTTON

Dr. Will McCarty

According to the November 2001 Crop Report, Mississippi was to pick 1,630,000 acres and yield 742 pounds per acre for a production of 2,520,000 bales. This compares to 1,280,000 acres harvested in 2000, with a yield per acre of 642 pounds per acre for a total production of 1,711,000 bales. In 1999, Mississippi cotton growers harvested 1,180,000 acres, yielding 704 pounds per acre for a production of 1,731,000 bales.

The quality of the 2001 crop was very disappointing. Cotton is still being ginned, but as of November 22, 2001, the average staple was 34.25, with a mike of 4.88. Some 45.4 percent of the crop had a mike of 50 and greater, and 21.3 percent of the bales had staples of 33 and less. Why quality was so bad is somewhat of a mystery. Environmental conditions were not such to cause quality of these levels. It is most likely a combination of variety (genetics), weather, and management. Variety selection, as always, will be critical for the 2002 crop. University Variety Trial results are available in your county agent's office. Review data carefully, and select varieties based on yield and quality performance for more than 1 year and for more than one location.

Book Cotton Seed Early-Complete results of variety testing will be available soon. For Preliminary Results of the 2001 Cotton Variety Test, you may call your county Extension agents office or visit the following Web site: http://msucares.com/pubs/crops3.html. Click on cotton and then variety trials. (If you have trouble with this site, please call Will McCarty or ask for Charlotte @ 662-325-2311.)

Variety selection is a management decision that growers make only once a season. Growers make fertility decisions two or three times, herbicide decisions three or four times, and may make insecticide decisions 6 to 12 times. They make a variety decision one time. Regardless of how good a job you do with irrigation, fertility, tillage, weed control, and insect control, selecting the wrong variety can offset any other management work that you do.

To make good variety selection decisions, the first thing a grower must do is to plant more than one variety. Like a grower told me recently, "Planting more than one variety is not a sign of indecisiveness; it's a sign of intelligent, preventative defense." You cannot predict what the weather will be like next season, so planting several varieties will improve your chances of a good crop. Looking back at the last couple of years, it seems that different varieties perform better in different environmental conditions.

In selecting varieties, use university variety trials in your state as your first source of information. When reviewing the results of university variety trials, look at the different soil types the trials were conducted on and always consider more than 1 year of data.

The next best source of information is your personal experience. The next source is your neighbors' experience on comparable soil types. Look at how varieties perform on similar soil types, under similar management, in your farming community, over multiple years.

Then plant the bulk of your acreage in a variety that has proven to be consistent. Plant the remainder of the acreage in two or three varieties that show potential but need further investigation. Additionally, when making a variety decision, make up your mind what is important to you. Will you select a variety for convenience or for yield? Or will you select a variety that will give you a balance of convenience and yield? For example, do you plant the highest yielding variety that often is a conventional variety and give up the convenience that transgenic varieties offer in weed and/or insect control?

In these days of high tech, transgenic cotton, we sometimes forget about disease resistance packages and tolerance. If you have a known history of Verticillium and Fusarium wilts, select varieties with tolerances to these diseases. Additionally, if you have doughty-type soils and cannot irrigate, those stress conditions seem to bring on bronze wilt in some varieties. If you know that your farm has the tendency to stress occasionally, you may want to avoid varieties that show the potential for bronze wilt.

Tillage Programs--It is never too late in a cotton production program to make or adjust tillage decisions. Going into the year 2002, it could be in your best interest to consider reduced-till production systems. Each time an unnecessary trip is eliminated, you can see potential savings; however, reducing trips across the field will generally increase management requirements. Also, reducing tillage and planting no-till or stale-bed will generally require adjustments to seed treatments, herbicide, and perhaps fertilizer programs.

When planting into a stale bed, burn-down applications are critical. When the field is planted, all vegetation in the field should be dead or about to die. Plan to plant clean and keep the field clean. Burn-down programs may vary, depending on location and vegetation present. These decisions will need to be made on a field-by-field basis. Generally, it is best to burn down several weeks before planting; this allows applications to be made on smaller weeds for easier kills and allows lower rates of materials to be used. Also, burning down early will reduce the risk of vegetation, removing all the water from the beds in dry years. Such situations will delay planting.

Control Traffic Systems - A system that controls traffic or confines traffic to a particular set of rows has shown tremendous promise in research and demonstrations. Confining all trips across the field to the same middle, coupled with down-the-row subsoiling and ripping non-traffic middles, is a system that can reduce trips across the field while maintaining or increasing yields.

Skip-Row Production - Many cotton growers are taking another look at skip-row production. We haven't grown skip row on a large scale for a long time, although the practice was extremely popular from the '60s through the mid '80s. Changes in the government programs were one reason why we moved away from skip-row production. However, some growers never abandoned skip-row production. Today, less than 10 percent of Mississippi's cotton is farmed skip row.

We have some producers going to a 30-inch row with a 60-inch skip. The most commonly used skip-row configurations are a 38-inch row with a 60- to 64-inch skip. As one longtime cotton farmer told me the other day, "The lower the price, the wider the skip."

Economic and efficiency considerations are some reasons for the renewed interest in skip-row production. The typical two and one skip pattern on a land acre basis will yield 94 percent as much as solid cotton on a land acre basis. However, you're only planting 66 percent as much cotton. Simply put, if you plant solid in a 100-acre field and make a bale per acre, you'll make 100 bales. If you plant a two and one skip in that same 100-acre block of land, you'll plant 66 acres of cotton and make 94 bales.

Skip row also offers efficiency benefits. For example, the outside rows can take advantage of the moisture and nutrients stored in the skip. The crop normally holds up better and longer under dry conditions throughout the season.

Additionally, plant size is not as big of a consideration in skip row as it is in solid- planted cotton-you want the plant to get large enough to fill up the skip. Skip row also relaxes plant growth regulator management. You may be able to apply PGRs a little later or maybe a little less. From an economic standpoint, a two and one skip will reduce any down-the-row input by as much as 30 percent. For example, there are potential savings in fields where nematicide rates of in-furrow insecticides are used. Also, costs can be substantially reduced where any preemerge herbicide or anything is applied on the band down the row.

Significant savings also have been seen in harvesting efficiency as well as harvest cost. You spread the heads out on the picker and pick a little more cotton with the same harvesting equipment.

CORN

Dr. Erick Larson

Hybrid Selection -The new MSU Corn for Grain Variety Trials bulletin is now available. This publication provides useful data for selecting hybrids to plant in 2001. I recommend that growers plant several hybrids based upon three primary criteria: grain yield, stalk strength, and maturity. High grain yield is obviously the primary consideration because grain is sold on a weight basis. However, variety trials may not reflect harvestable yield in a field situation unless stalk strength is considered. Leaning or broken stalks can lead to significantly reduced harvest efficiency in terms of harvest loss, time, and fuel. Hybrid maturity influences harvest date and can impact profit through its effect on grain moisture. Hybrids grown may differ in maturity by as much as 2 weeks. Producers who market their grain at harvest may benefit from growing earlier maturing hybrids because market prices usually decline through harvest.

Unapproved GMO Corn Hybrids-There are several specific GMO traits that do not have worldwide approval, particularly in the European Union (EU). Select hybrids with the full knowledge of whether it is conventional, approved for EU export, or not yet approved for EU export. Read seed company grower agreements before selecting seed and be fully aware of the requirements of all agreements, including marketing and delivery responsibilities. It is vital that hybrids without EU approval are kept out of export and processing channels. Each genetic trait is evaluated on an individual basis, and there may be multiple genetic events for a similar type (function) of trait. For example, Bt protection for corn borers is available as YieldGard (MON 810 and Bt11) and as NaturGard/KnockOut (E176) from different seed companies. Those GMO corn events that currently DO NOT have European Community approval include the following:

Roundup Ready Corn - Monsanto (MON GA21 Glyphosate herbicide tolerance)

YieldGard Bt / Roundup Ready Corn - Monsanto (MON 810/MON GA21 Corn borer resistance + Glyphosate herbicide tolerance).

Isolation Requirement-Approved corn grain may also require isolation from unapproved GMO hybrids in order to retain genetic purity because corn is a cross- pollinated crop. The current corn industry isolation standard for preserving identity is a minimum distance of 660 feet from other hybrids.

Grain Sorghum Hybrid Trials-MSU conducted a grain sorghum hybrid trial this year at Stoneville. This is the first time MSU has conducted a grain sorghum hybrid trial in the last 10 years. Twenty-five hybrids were tested. These data are published in the MSU Corn for Grain Hybrid Trials bulletin available at your county Extension office or on the MSUcares.com web site.

SOIL TESTING

Dr. Keith Crouse

Soil testing is the basis of a sound soil fertility program. Therefore, a fertilizer recommendation is only as good as the soil sample submitted. Remember that you should always take the soil sample from an area that usually is about 10 acres or less in size. Take enough separate cores within the area for a representative soil sample. Generally, this is about 15 to 20 cores. Take your soil cores from the surface to plow layer. Mix your soil cores thoroughly and submit a full box of soil for analysis. If soil results indicate low soil pH and fertility, make corrections based on soil recommendations. For most crops, lime should be incorporated into the top 5 to 6 inches of the soil, preferably at least 3 months in advance of planting.

A representative soil sample is very important in any soil testing program. Forms and sample boxes can be picked up at your county Extension office. We have been receiving samples with an insufficient amount of soil; remind clientele that we need a full box of soil.

Remember that clientele can view soil sample results on the web at http://www.ext.msstate.edu/special/soiltest.cgi. To access soil test results, a client needs to know his/her AAA number; customer account number; county; and report type, such as soil (field crops, pastures, commercial crops) or horticulture (gardens, flowers, lawn grasses).

FORAGES AND PASTURES

Dr. Malcolm Broome

Storage Impacts Hay Cost - Many factors influence hay loss, but not all factors have the same effects. Storage is a major contributor to hay loss, along with fertility, species, growing conditions, and harvesting. Storage losses occur from moisture that exceeds 18 to 20 percent when baled, from weathering that occurs when hay is stored outside, and from loss of dry matter resulting from microbial activity. Each one of these factors acts differently on stored hay.

The loss from weathering occurs where bales stored outside contact the soil, causing increased moisture uptake. The high annual rainfall in Mississippi accelerates weathering, and research shows that 50 percent of this loss happens where the bale and the soil touch. As the bale begins to rot along the soil line, it flattens and allows even more soil contact, thus increasing the decay process. Some hays such as summer or cool-season annuals (millets or oats) don't form a thatch layer as well as perennial grasses (bermudagrass or fescue) do. Weathering occurs in a three-layered effect in the bale:

1) Outside layer - rotten, no value

2) Second layer - moldy, poor quality

3) Third layer - lightly molded, fair quality

Weathering also results in decreased palatability, which leads to lower animal intake, which causes poor animal performance.

Bale diameter contributes to dry matter loss; for example, a 3-foot diameter bale might incur a 50 percent loss and a 6-foot diameter bale, only a 25 percent loss. However, bale density plays a role in the amount of loss because a denser bale helps reduce water infiltration into the bale. If moist hay is rolled inside the bale, moisture is unable to escape outward and heat can build. This loss is an added cost on hay production that continues until the hay is used; it typically averages about 30 percent in our Mississippi environment. Outside storage losses can vary based on the storage method. Research from LSU (1985) found losses above 50 percent with bales sitting on soil; 43 percent, on tires; and 14 percent, on rock and cover. Storage losses in a barn typically will be less than 5 percent.

If we compare hay cost at $45 per ton and add in a 30 percent storage and feeding loss, the total cost per ton goes up to $81 or $95.80 per ton of dry matter (DM). If winter grazing is compared at $125 per acre and produces 6,000 pounds of DM, of which just 50 percent is used, the cost per ton of DM is only $87. This is another way to compare hay costs, and it reinforces the need for baling the best hay possible and not losing quality because of storage and feeding. Hay is necessary for a livestock enterprise, but keeping the amount used to a minimum will greatly influence the bottom line.

NUTRIENT AND SOIL MANAGEMENT

Dr. Larry Oldham

Urea fertilizer was used in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. Ammonium nitrate was used in the Oklahoma City federal building bombing. Aspiring illegal drug chemists still find new ways to use anhydrous ammonia and other fertilizers.

At any time, a significant amount of fertilizer is in transit from point A to point B on trucks, through pipelines, on barges, and on ships. The fertilizer industry is very aware of the security concerns and has an extensive training program for their personnel. They are subject to undercover spot checks by federal regulators, and yes, they do happen.

Farmers and others involved in fertilizer management should be aware of this program and be aware of the conditions around their own operations. Unfortunately, many of you already are constantly dealing with anhydrous ammonia theft. There are options being developed that - it is hoped - will lessen this burden.

Last winter, the fertilizer situation was unstable because of the upward spiraling of natural gas costs. Energy costs have decreased and stabilized somewhat, so supply and price should be less of a concern in the coming season. However, remember to base your nutrient management planning on recent soil tests for the best investment of fertilizer dollars.

As of the first week of December, it has been my great pleasure to serve as MSU-ES soil and nutrient management specialist for 5 years. The wonderful people of Mississippi make it all worthwhile; this is too much fun to be a job. I wish you Happy Holidays and all the best for 2002.

 

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences
Box 9555
Mississippi State, MS 39762

Will McCarty, Ph.D.
Extension Leader

 

Happy Holidays to you and your family!

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