Alan Sundermeier, Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent
Matt Davis, Manager, Northwest Branch Research Farm, Ohio Agricultural Research
and Development Center
Comparison of different wheat residue management systems for the following corn crop.
| Site: | OARDC NW Branch | Herbicide: | Aatrex, HarnessXtra, |
| County: | Wood | Roundup Ultra | |
| Previous Crop: | Wheat | Planting Date: | 5/4/01 |
| Soil Type: | Hoytville clay | Row Width: | 30-inch |
| Corn Variety: | Beck 5322 | Harvest Date: | 10/31/01 |
| Fertilizer: | 94-46-0 lbs/A actual | ||
| N-P2O5-K2O |
The experimental design was a randomized complete block of four replications. A harvest yield of 65-bu/A wheat was harvested on July 10, 2000. After the wheat harvest, the stubble was mowed. Eight treatments were used. Treatments were four tillage systems: no-till, July chisel plus roterra, October chisel plus roterra, and October strip tillage with or without July planted soybeans. Plot size is 10 x 80 feet.
Cover crop soybeans were planted on July 21, 2000, with 90 lb/A Asgrow 3003 Roundup Ready soybeans. Soybean biomass was measured on September 26 before October tillage. Biomass samples consisted of removing cover crop above ground growth in one square foot and drying at 180F for 48 hours.
Corn was planted into the winter-killed soybean growth with no additional tillage in the spring for all eight treatments. Corn stalk population counts were done before harvest. Besides differences in tillage and the absence or presence of a soybean cover crop, all other inputs remained constant across all treatments. Nitrogen applied was purposefully kept low (94 lb/A total N) to allow the cover crop to express any nitrogen benefit.
Corn stalk population counts were taken from 1/1,000 of an acre, randomly, three times in each plot. The center of each plot was harvested, and yields were adjusted to 15.5% moisture.
| Table 1. Soybean Cover Crop Biomass. | |
| Area Planted | Dry Weight 9/26/00 |
| (grams/sq.ft.) | |
| July chiseled area | 14.7 |
| Non-July chiseled | 4.5 |
| LSD (0.05) | NS |
| F | 0.49 |
| CV (%) | 75.2 |
| Table 2. Corn Harvest Population and Yield.1 | |||
| Tillage Treatment | Cover | Population (stalks/A) | Yield (bu/A) |
| No-till | None | 28,000 ab | 141.7 bc |
| No-till | Soybeans | 25,750 cd | 136.3 c |
| July Chisel | None | 24,750 d | 152.1 abc |
| July Chisel | Soybeans | 27,000 abc | 162.1 a |
| October Chisel | None | 27,000 abc | 161.9 a |
| October Chisel | Soybeans | 28,500 a | 156.1 ab |
| October Strip Till | None | 26,000 bcd | 149.3 abc |
| October Strip Till | Soybeans | 26,250 bcd | 143.5 abc |
| LSD (0.05) | 2,209 | 18.8 | |
| F | 1.2 | 18.3 | |
| CV (%) | 5.6 | 8.5 | |
| 1 Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different at P = 0.05. | |||
Biomass results showed significantly more cover crop growth when planted after July chisel vs. no chiseling. For any of the four tillage systems, corn yield following soybean cover crop was not significantly different from having no cover crop.
July chisel followed by soybean cover crop and October chisel with no cover crop yielded significantly better than either no-till treatment.
This study did not take into account the soil quality benefits of planting a cover crop.
For additional information contact:
Alan Sundermeier
Ohio State University Extension, Henry County
104 E. Washingston St., Ste 107, Napoleon, OH 43545
419-592-0806
sundermeier.5@osu.edu