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Home My WebLink AboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1986-01-08, Page 2Page 2—Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, January 8, 1986 Soil consultant expects tall corn syndrome in 1986 By John Heard I'm expecting to see a lot of the tall corn - short corn syndrome in 1986. This is a `disease' common in the United States, and has been positively identified in Ontario. The 'disease' is often worse following a wet fall. It can reduce yields of corn up to 25 - 30 per cent the first year, and crop yields may not recover for 3 - 4 years - even if future falls are dry. The disease is even more severe on crops with a poor root system, such as white beans. What measures can be taken to combat this problem? Researchers have been able to overcome some of the yield loss by using their very high rates of fertilizer, especially nitrogen and potash, and by irrigating the crop. This is not economical for field crops in Ontario. Of course, the disease I am referring to is soil compaction. Though soil compaction is most commonly associated with tilling wet soils in the spring, harvesting under wet conditions or fall application of manure can cause just . as_ much compaction. Researchers have shown that wheel traffic and transport equipment operating when the soil is wet can cause subsoil compaction as deep as two feet or more. In the past we have often suggested that here in the "Great White North" frost action in the winter alleviates this detrimental effect. Not true -- at least not for four years - according to a Minnesota study, and their EXTR ASH SAVINGS ON THE 4tIARIIEL HEAD. winters are assuredly more . severe than ours. So why might your soils and crops specialist be writing about this now after the damage is done? Because there are a few answers to reducing the problem - especially since crop harvest must take a top priority. Getting manure put of storage and onto the ground before winter is also a priority. What can be done once your field is rutted? Well, in the midwest corn belt, following the wet fall of 1984, extension agronomists suggested plowing as deep as the ruts - this may break up some wheel compaction. This can be done where the top soil is 12-16 inches deep - but not here. In Ontario we would be bringing up subsoil STOKELY'S NEW ORLEANSSTYLE RED, DARK RED, 14 OZ. SAVE .30 VAN CAMP WITH PORK, IN TOMATO SAUCE, SUGAR BEAN WITH PORK IN MOLASSES 14 OZ. SAVE .20 Beans • airview Foods Beatrice itI a Pitcher Pack r0 Islant -; • SAVINGS OFF REGULAR PRICE, WITH THIS COUPON January 8,9,10,11 OLD SOUTH FROZEN FROM CONCENTRATE REGULAR, PULP FREE ORANGE, GRAPEFRUIT 355 ML. SAVE .50 to .60 Juice and creating even longer teras problems than compaction. Unfortunately, there islittle that you can do now. If you are thinking that frost action will break up the compaction of an unplowed field, consider Guelph research showing 3 to 6 per cent yield reductions for spring plowing versus fall on silt loam and clay loam soils. But don't plow if it is too wet. This will compact more.. Wait until it freezes, or plow next spring - accepting a minimal yield penalty versus creating more losses. What about next spring? Let's minimize possible compaction. All farmers are aware of the yield -planting date curve. This shows maximum yield potential when corn is planted the first week of May with decreasing yields after May 10. Unfortun- ately few are aware of a similar curve showing the yield -compaction date interac- tion. Compactions early in the spring - when the soil is wet - sill reduce yields more than compaction of dry soils. It is in this critical period that the fertility value of liquid manure can easily be over- shadowed by yield losses due to tanker compaction. A Swedish study compared the. management of two imaginary live- stock farmers. Farmer A used a five cubic metre tanker outfitted with large diameter tires, avoided the wettest spring days; and organized field patterns to keep driving distances as short as possible, Even with a six spread pattern, :25 per cent of the ' field m is. tracked, Farmer B , had a bigger tanker with smaller, tires, and pays : 'no attention to. compaction effects. He gets the manure out when and' how he wants 'toIn the »»process he traffics 30 per cent of the field . - :area. On ':a Clay loam soil, ' farmer :B dollar losses of $32 per acre _compared to :$13 for. farmer A These losses are diiedue to yield lost in the ,same -year, ;and subsequent years, as well -as increased ta'llage4osta:0in his claysoil Farmer B loses $45 per -acre and'$16 for farmer A. relatively` new strategy on reducing wheel traffic -compaction is the Controlled Traffic Concept. This involves restricting your wheel traffic over the majority of the field. This is not easy to do when we use production systems with'.full width tillage such -as plows, chisels, disks, field culti- vators etc. But if you can follow previously made tracks, you will reduce the . area of _ compaction. This concept is much easier to apply to, minimum tillage, such as ridge till or no till where the' crop is planted back` into the same rows year after year. Just -as with the current interest in reduced tillage, ,I'.m sure we will be hearing more about the:benefits of controlled traffic in. the future.' IGA CHOICE PURE 48 OZ. SAVE .40 Apple ;juice • IGA �LICIrD,. CRUSHED, TI0111TS IN OWN JUICE 14 1Z. RAVE .16 Pineapple IGA CHOICE 28 OZ. SAVE .13 Tomatoes I.O.A. ONION 2'S. SAVE .30 SOLI DR. BALLAR&S LUXURY CANNED ASIX VARIETIES. 24' OZ.. SAVE ..50 g Food 4t ROBIN HOOD ALL PURPOSE 3.5 KG. SAVE 1.30 Flour NABISCO 800 GR. SAVE .90 Shre les Cereal CHIQUJTA Bananas LIQUID 500 MLS SAVE •.20 Joy2Thsh Detergent UR;. FLAVOURS 280 GR. .TO290 GR.:.. 1V.I+cCA�N FROZEN FOUR .4. bite Del to Dinners ssvE i.ea tlASERVAlt. PROM 'T JRBOT .,, • f Carr ofs, unary f9i • .Hip reser iii'` tib r5a� z�°i�rl'i �arnut r y 1 l th inclusive `o lrrrttt rjUafltities Mondays Only: on Orders of $10,00 over wait dhig Cigarettes sod to10 count 1 Snowmobile • rorim is iscontinued ' A reduction in 'use' of snowmobiles in Pinery Provincial Park over the past five years, as welt as budgetary considera tions has eliminated the program for the 198S-86 season according to Park Super- intendent Rayonenberg. ; "Only an average of 100 permits were sold to snowmobilers during the entire last, three years. This shows minimal deinand for,; the activity," Bonenberg ;said.." 5nowmobiles'were usually allow µed to use the trails when there was 15 cm or niore of snow. The variable "snow depth and uncertain trail conditions have' historically caused the ..closure of the park'to snowniobilitg host of the time anyway: " . , `•The snowinob les have' conflicted with'the large number of cross country skiers a' who use Pinery," said Paris Naturalist Terry Crabe. ' "Skiing has become extremely popular and at times ski trails 'are run upon by snowiino- bales, Other alternative locatioaas. »for snow- , rnobilirtg can be- found throughout Lambton CouuntyY