Choosing the optimal seeding rate is a critical component of any crop production system. With soybean it is no different. However, this conversation is a little different than corn.
Early Season Production System (ESPS) for soybean is not a new concept; however, it has gained some traction in Tennessee in recent years. As we hit April in just a few days, it’s time to talk over some considerations for making this work for us in Tennessee.
Burndown time has come and gone for many in Tennessee. However, for those utilizing cover crops in their production system, many acres have yet to be terminated. Here are a few thoughts and strategies for effectively terminating cover crops as we prepare for Plant 25.
This spring some fields seem to be infested more heavily with wild garlic, grape hyacinth and in a few cases, star-of-Bethlehem. These three weeds, in the Lily family, are often mistaken for each other as they all derive from bulbs and are low-growing perennials. Continue reading
A big question this spring is how does one control Palmer amaranth in Xtend soybean with no dicamba option? The fundamentals of leaning heavily on herbicides that provide good residual control of pigweed is the answer. Starting in about 2019, the most consistent strategy to control Palmer amaranth has been overlaying residuals. That was because POST options started becoming less reliable due to the evolution of dicamba/2,4-D resistance stacked onto pigweed already resistant to glyphosate, PPO and ALS- inhibiting herbicides. Continue reading
Most of the soil nitrogen (N) is present in organic form, especially in the top 6 inches (75 – 95%), which is not readily available for plant uptake. Only about 0.1 – 0.3% is in inorganic or bioavailable forms such as nitrate and ammonium that plants can utilize. So, organic soil N is converted to inorganic forms for plants use, a process referred to as mineralization. The fraction of organic soil N that can be converted to inorganic form is referred to as potentially mineralizable N. Several factors including soil, previous crop, weather, and nitrogen management determine the extent of N mineralized. Nitrogen rate trials (>30) conducted over the past five years in West and Central TN suggested that mineralized soil N can contribute more than 20% of the total crop N requirements. Current N fertilizer recommendation for corn in Tennessee is based on realistic yield goals, which does not account for potentially mineralizable N that is available for the plant. Continue reading
Ryegrass and poa control can become more problematic when horseweed must also be controlled. Simply dropping dicamba in the tank with glyphosate and/or clethodim to control the horseweed will compromise the grass control of those two herbicides. So, is there a herbicide that can be added to glyphosate or glyphosate + clethodim that will provide horseweed control while not sacrificing ryegrass control? There is really only one option that is in good supply that would fit the bill. Continue reading
Ryegrass has become a major issue in many Tennessee fields. For managing GR ryegrass, it is best to do it as early as practical and utilize a clethodim + glyphosate tankmix. This tankmix needs to be applied at least 30 days ahead of corn planting to use a clethodim rate that has any chance of controlling well established ryegrass. Continue reading