Crop rotations Josh Lofton Cropping Systems Specialist No till - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Crop rotations Josh Lofton Cropping Systems Specialist No till conference March 1 st , 2016 Why do we need to rotate? Crops in Oklahoma (wheat, sorghum, cotton, soybeans) We know how to grow it Know how to make it profitable Why
Josh Lofton Cropping Systems Specialist No‐till conference March 1st, 2016
– We know how to grow it – Know how to make it profitable
– “Inputs now, long term payback” – Benefits to the system
– Yield/Profit
– 0.4 tons/ac
– 0.9 tons/ac – Semi‐dwarf varieties – Improved fertilization
– Increased only 5.8 lbs/year in Great Plains – Oklahoma ‐1.0 lbs/year
– Adoption of canola in wheat production systems – 10‐20% increase in wheat yields – 20‐25% increase in wheat forage yields – Increase in net profit
– Midwest
– Southeast
– Southern US
– Monocot‐Dicot – Diversity in management/system
– Diversity in crop profiles
– Monocot‐Dicot – Diversity in management/system
– Diversity in crop profiles
– Wheat
– Soybeans/Cotton
benefits
– Fibrous can be found deep in profile
– Tap roots
layers – Biotilling
– Need more than typically “created”
– Taproots have greater % of roots below 40” – Fibrous rooting systems mostly in top 24”
– Taproots can scavenge deep nutrients and redistribute at or near surface
– Yield – Management – Sustainability
– Managing in‐season – Seasons down the road
– Applied to the previous crop – Burndown
– Microbial – Soil pH – Soil texture – Temperature – Tillage?
– Weeds impact on successive or in‐season crop
– Crops within a rotation
– Physical barrier? – Soil micro‐climate – Chemical restriction
0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3
Biomass (g) * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * Courtesy of Dr. Angela Post
Nontreated 7 DAT LCS – Mint 7 DAT WB – Redhawk 7 DAT
Courtesy of Dr. Angela Post
– More so in no‐till than conventional systems – Numerous – Yield – Economics
– Rotational restrictions of ag chemicals – Influence of previous crop
– Stick to the rotation not the markets – Inputs now for future benefits