Agronomy Notes

December, 2003 / January, 2004

CONTENTS:

 

SOYBEANS

Dr. Alan Blaine

As 2003 comes to an end, there are several tasks that need to be addressed:

1. After the 2003 growing season, I feel we will see an increase in Group IV plantings. Group IV's have their faults, but we must recognize those and prepare to minimize those concerns. They rightfully deserve a place in our state, and it appears that as much as 60% of the 2004 crop could be in Group IV's. Because of this increase, seed supplies will be limited to IV's of certain varieties.

2. Select varieties and lock in your needs ASAP. The best will go first. Those who wait will have to settle for what's left.

Yield information is available on the web at http://msucares.com/crops/variety/yield/. Early planting has allowed us to minimize many problems due to foliar diseases, but not all. Pay close attention to Stem Canker resistance. This is the number one disease concern we must address (behind charcoal rot). We have Dr. Sciumbato's 2003 data in our office and will be happy to send it to you. In Mississippi, you need to pay attention to Gabe's ratings, not other states, and in most situations, not the company's. There is a reason for this, and I will be happy to provide those details if you'd like to discuss them.

Other problems we experience can be minimized by not only varietal selection, but field scouting and spraying for insects and certain diseases as the need arises.

Below for your information is the 2004 Soybean Variety List. I realize all varieties are not included, but in my opinion (and several others) this includes the majority of the best. I hope this list proves beneficial.

Take time to access the varietal information, and if we can help in any way please do not hesitate to contact your county extension office.

2004 SOYBEAN VARIETY LIST

Conventional IV's

Promising New Varieties

4748

DPL

4910

Progeny

4992

Hornbeck

Conventional V's Early

5110

DPL

5600

Progeny

56-C4

Armor

Hutcheson

Public

Delsoy 5500

Public

Conventional V's Late

5995

Delta King

9594

Pioneer

RR-III's

3964

Delta King

S39-Q4

Northrup-King

3702

Asgrow

A 3905

Asgrow

RR-IV's Early

4403

Asgrow

44-R4

Armor

4623

Hornbeck

4331

DPL

3443

Dyna-Gro

4603

Asgrow

4480

MorSoy

RR-IV's Late

4933

DPL

4868

Delta King

4960

Delta Grow

4809

Morsoy

4922

Hornbeck

4820

Hornbeck

4922

FFR

94B73

Pioneer

49-P9

Armor

9492

Pioneer

4920

Hornbeck

4967

Delta King

RR V's Early

5366

Delta King

5620

Hornbeck

33B52

Dyna-Gro

5630

Delta Grow

5660

Progeny

3535

Dyna-Gro

5620

Morsoy

95B43

Pioneer

5501

Asgrow

RR V's Late

5701

Asgrow

5822

Progeny

5903

Asgrow

3583

Dyna-Gro

5915

DPL

5960

Delta Gro

3583

Dyna-Gro

5767

Delta King

RICE

Dr. Tim Walker

If you have not already been made aware, Dr. Joe Street has been named the Interim Director for the Northeast MS Research and Extension Center, effective December 1, 2003. Until further notice, Dr. Mark Kurtz and I will be sharing Dr. Street's rice responsibilities while continuing our research responsibilities.

Many of you have been refreshed with the rarity of having exceptional yields and relatively good rice prices. If this average yield holds, it will set a new record for Mississippi. Variety selection is a major factor that has contributed to increased yields in Mississippi. I'll remind you that in 1998-2000, Lemont was grown on greater than 60% of the acreage and rice yields across those three years were about 5800 lb/A. Since 2001, Cocodrie has been planted on the majority of the acreage and rice yields have increased to an average of 6500 lb/A for that time period.

Even though Cocodrie is a good variety overall, according to the number of straight head problems that Dr. Street and I evaluated in 2002 and 2003, I would recommend that you do not plant Cocodrie on silt loam soils in 2004, unless you are willing to drain for straight head. Because Cocodrie reaches 1/2 inch internode in 42 to 45 days after emergence, it is very difficult to get a flood established for 7 to 10 days, drain until the soil cracks, and then reestablish a flood before midseason. There are many varieties that offer similar, if not better yield potential on silt loam soils without the risk. Priscilla continues to perform very well on silt loam soils. Wells and Francis are susceptible to blast which can be a severe problem on silt loam soils. RiceTec's hybrids offer exceptional yield potential and have strong disease packages. I would definitely consider the options before planting Cocodrie on silt loam soils.

Soil fertility is another issue that needs attention. The number of phosphorus deficiencies that I observe each year is increasing. Phosphorus deficiencies are being identified more on silt loam soils than on clay soils. Part of this problem is because we have mined our soils over time without putting nutrients back into the soil. Approximately 45 lb. of P2O5 is removed in the grain of a 150 bu/A rice crop. If you are not on a soil sampling schedule, I would recommend that you begin. You are investing a lot of money in your rice crop. If you do not have proper levels of P, K, and other necessary nutrients, you are not maximizing your profit margin.

In the December 2002 Agronomy Notes issue, Dr. Street stressed the benefits of treating seed with Icon to address problems associated with rice water weevils, grape colaspis, chinch bugs, and cattail billbugs. I will not readdress those benefits, but it is important that you contact your seed dealers very soon if you plan to treat your seed with Icon.

The last problem that I will discuss is red-rice. I have been told by several people who have been in the rice industry much longer than me that this was the worst red-rice year we have ever seen. Having had two years in a row where red-rice was a significant problem leads me to think that Newpath tolerant rice acreage will increase next year. I have conducted small plot yield trials since 2001 with CL-161, and I also have looked at RiceTec's CL-XL8 in 2002 and 2003. Both of these varieties have good yield potential, especially in red-rice situations.

SOIL TESTING

Dr. Keith Crouse

Maintenance of fertility levels for all crops requires a regular soil testing program. Maintaining acceptable soil pH assures that leaching, erosion or crop removal from the soil will not deplete calcium or magnesium. Also, it promotes better overall availability of essential nutrient for healthy crop growth and increases the efficiency of fertilizers applied.

Availability of various plant nutrients is affected somewhat differently by changes in the soil pH. Macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur will increase in availability with an increase in soil pH. Mirconutrients such as iron, manganese, boron, copper and zinc, with the exception of molybdenum, will decrease in availability.

There is still plenty of time to take a soil sample before planting a crop. A fertilizer recommendation is only as good as the soil sample submitted; therefore, a representative soil sample is very important in any soil testing program. Forms and sample boxes can be picked up at local county extension office.

Remember that clientele can view soil sample results on the web. The address for clientele is http://www.ext.msstate.edu/special/soiltest.cgi. For the clientele to access soil test results, they need to know their AAA number, customer account number, county and report type, such as soil (field crops, pastures, commercial crops) or horticulture (gardens, flowers, lawn grasses, etc.).

FORAGES AND PASTURES

Dr. Richard H. Watson

I would first like to take this opportunity as your new forage extension specialist to introduce myself and express how fortunate I feel to be working in a state where forages play such an important role in agriculture. I grew up on a beef cattle and sheep farm in New Zealand, a country where livestock production is almost totally forage-based. This has given me a great appreciation for the value of forages in animal production systems. I have also been very fortunate to work with and learn from animal scientists, and some world class forage agronomists such as Dr Joe Bouton and Dr Carl Hoveland at the University of Georgia. During this time I have learned that it is very important for anyone working with forages to understand the grazing animal as well as the forage plant. I believe that good animal productivity and forage crop management will always go hand in hand. With this in mind, I will be working closely with animal, plant, and soil scientists at Mississippi State to ensure that forage technologies and management practices are developed that have maximum benefit to Mississippi livestock producers.

In Mississippi we are fortunate to be able to grow and graze forages year round. There is generally no problem producing enough forage in a year to meet animal demand. However, seasonal changes in growth rate create times of excess forage supply, and times that forage growth may not meet animal demand. Typically these seasonal supply issues are overcome by making the excess into hay and feeding it back during the periods of undersupply. While a certain amount of hay production will always be necessary, large gains in efficiency and profitability in beef cattle operations can be achieved by minimizing costly hay production and maximizing the amount of forage harvested directly by the animal.

One of the best ways is to reduce reliance on hay and have better control over forage supply is to increase subdivision. By this I mean using fences to divide paddocks up in to smaller units. Some may see additional fencing as an unnecessary cost. However, the improvements in animal production and reduced stored feed costs will help pay for this investment in a short time. In addition, advances in electric fencing have made fence lines a lot less expensive, and easier to move and install.

Some benefits of subdivision:

1. Controlling animal intake:
The greater the number of paddocks, the easier it is to control the herd's forage intake. Like the forages they eat, cattle are generally seasonal in their requirement for feed, so there are times of the year that we can reduce their intake, and times that we need to give them access to as much feed as they will eat. Subdivision allows us to adjust to differences in feed requirement by adjusting the area grazed and time spent in that area. This practice is called 'rotational grazing' as the animals are sequentially 'rotated' through each paddock on the farm. The speed of the rotation (days spent in each paddock), acreage, and the available forage in each paddock determines animal intake. Reducing size and increasing time spent in each paddock (a slow rotation) reduces forage consumption during times of low forage growth. This allows other areas of the farm to accumulate forage for later use. When forage growth and animal demand are high, more area can be grazed for a shorter time (a fast rotation) to increase forage consumption. This can also help keep on top of excess forage production.

2. Maintaining forage quality:
Best animal production is achieved on forages that are maintained in a leafy, vegetative state. Maintaining a leafy, vegetative state involves keeping on top of excessive growth, often associated with reproductive growth, and allowing grazed pastures time to recover. Continuously grazed pastures generally have a higher proportion of stem and other less palatable components then rotated pastures and are more likely to contain undesirable weed species.

It is also harder to maintain high quality legumes in continuously grazed pastures as they are not as tolerant of long periods of close grazing and need time to recover.

Subdivision allows you to manage excess growth by stockpiling it into one area (effectively removing that area from the grazing rotation) of the farm for hay production or deferred winter grazing.

3. Reducing the effects of fescue toxicosis:
Rotated pastures have a higher leaf to stem ration then continuously grazed pastures. The toxins in endophyte infected tall fescue are generally higher in the seed head and stem portions of the plant then in the leaf blade. Therefore, increasing the amount of leaf available to the animal will reduce the amount of toxin ingested with each pound of forage eaten. The greater ability to maintain clovers in rotated pastures will also allow some dilution of the toxic fescue.

4. Better Nutrient Recycling:
In continuously grazed areas, cattle will eventually only graze certain areas of the paddock and use other areas to camp. Camps are where cattle congregate to rest, water, or shelter. As time goes by, much of nutrients that are removed from the grazed areas by the animal are re-deposited in the camp areas through manure and urination. This results in a pasture that has both high and low nutrient sites, which can affect forage growth and fertilization requirements. Also, animals will not graze where they have defecated, so forage produced on the higher nutrient camp sites is generally of no value to the animal. The frequent movement of animals in a rotational grazing system prevents the formation of camps, and allows a more even distribution of recycled nutrients over the farm.

Increasing subdivision obviously increases the requirement to move animals. You might also have to look at additional water and shelter. This does not necessarily mean more work, as you can often greatly reduce the time spent making and feeding hay. Even doing a minimal amount of subdivision can have a great impact. For example, splitting a large paddock in half and rotating your cattle between each half can often double the number of grazing days or allow you to carry more animals on the same area without a drop in per cow production.

CORN

Dr. Erick Larson

Hybrid Trials - The new MSU Corn for Grain Variety Trials bulletin is now available online at MSUcares.com or at your local Extension Service office. This publication also contains grain sorghum yield data and provides useful data for selecting both corn and grain sorghum hybrids to plant in 2004. I also developed a list of suggested corn hybrids formulated from this yield data to provide a quick reference for selection purposes.

Corn Hybrid Selection Criteria - I recommend growers plant several corn 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 production fields 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 may also impact profit through its effect on grain moisture. Hybrids grown may differ in maturity by as much as two weeks. Thus, large producers can spread harvest considerably by utilizing hybrids varying in maturity. Producers who market their grain at harvest may benefit from growing earlier-maturing hybrids because market prices usually decline through harvest.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

The Annual Tri State Soybean Forum will be held in Greenville, Mississippi, at the Washington County Convention Center on January 9, 2004. For more information please contact Emily Rose (662) 325-2701.

The Mississippi Agronomic Professional Continuing Education Workshop and the Mississippi Chapter American Society of Agronomy (Winter Meeting) will be held February 10-12, 2004 at Mississippi State University, Bost Extension Center, Building B. For more information, please contact Emily Rose at (662) 325-2701.

The first ever Soybean Short Course will be held February 11, 2004, in conjunction with the Mississippi Agronomic Professional Continuing Education Workshop and the Mississippi Chapter American Society of Agronomy. For more information, please contact Alan Blaine at (662) 325-2701.

The Annual Delta Ag Expo will be January 20-21, 2004, at the Bolivar County Exposition Center in Cleveland, MS. The annual event features more than 100 commercial and educational exhibits and includes morning and afternoon update sessions on the latest production recommendations for Delta agriculture. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. Admission is free. For exhibitor or attendance information, contact the Bolivar County Extension Office at (662) 843-8361.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

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

Will McCarty, Ph.D.
Extension Leader

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