STUDIES ON CULTURAL PRACTICES AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR CORN

Transcription

1 2016 Wisconsin Research Report of STUDIES ON CULTURAL PRACTICES AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR CORN Department of Agronomy College of Agriculture and Life Sciences University of Wisconsin - Madison

2 2016 Wisconsin Research Report of Studies on Cultural Practices and Management Systems for Corn Joe Lauer Corn Agronomist 358 Moore Hall (608) Kent Kohn Program Manager 566 Moore Hall (608) Agronomy Department University of Wisconsin 1575 Linden Drive Madison, WI (608) Thierno Diallo Research Specialist 566 Moore Hall (608) The information presented in this report is for the purpose of informing cooperators in industry of the results of research conducted during The cooperation of other faculty and staff and the support of funding agencies and industry are gratefully acknowledged. The information presented in this report does not constitute recommendation or endorsement. This information is NOT FOR PUBLICATION unless prior approval is received. The assistance of the following people in conducting these studies is acknowledged. Graduate Research Assistants: Steve Vorsberg, Adam Gaspar and David Marburger Cooperating Faculty: Shawn Conley Agronomy, Natalia de-leon Agronomy, Randy Shaver Dairy Science, Carrie Laboski Soil Science Cooperating UWEX County Agents and ARS Staff: Nick Baker, Jerry Clark, John Zander, Mike Bertram, Bill Meyer and Paul Sytsma Cooperating Farmers: Ken Congdon, Eric Faull, Mike Maass, Ed Montsma, and Dale Wagner Cooperating Academic Staff: John Gaska and Adam Roth Project Crew:Julian Cooper, Corey DeKeyser, McKenna Kelsey, Anna Kleinhans, and Travis Witt.

3 Wisconsin Corn Agronomy Research Sites.. We wish to thank the following companies and organizations that have generously supported our research through financial and/or material donations. UW College of Agriculture and Life Sciences- Hatch Program Ag Reliant Genetics LLC AgriGold Hybrids BASF Crop Protection Channel Seed Conklin Cornelius Seed Dahlman Seed Co. LLP Jung Seed Genetics LG Seeds Latham Hi-Tech Seed Legacy Seed, Inc Monsanto Nu-Tech Seed, LLC Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. Syngenta Crop Protection Syngenta Seeds Tracy Seeds Titan Pro SCI Valent BioSciences Wisconsin Corn Growers Association Wisconsin Fertilizer Research Council

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Location Experiment Page Table Growing Conditions and Measurements 2016 Crop Summary 1 Arlington Daily Rainfall, Temperature and GDU Arlington 5 A-1 Arlington Monthly Rainfall Arlington 9 A-2 Arlington Monthly Temperatures Arlington 10 A-3 Hancock Rainfall, Temperature and GDU Hancock 12 A-4 Hancock Monthly Rainfall Hancock 16 A-5 Hancock Monthly Temperatures Hancock 17 A-6 Marshfield Rainfall, Temperature and GDU Marshfield 18 Marshfield Monthly Rainfall Marshfield 19 A-7 Marshfield Monthly Temperatures Marshfield 20 A-8 Observations, Data Collected, and 21 B-1 Soils Information 23 B-2 Hybrid Growth & Development Arlington ,02 Montfort Marshfield Seymour Valders Hybrid Mixture Arlington Chippewa Falls Fond du Lac Galesville Hancock Janesville Marshfield Montfort Seymour Valders Arlington Private Silage AgReliant Chippewa Falls Marshfield Valders Plant Density Grain - Yield Data Arlington Silage - Yield Data Arlington , 03 Marshfield Montfort Valders

5 Location Experiment Page Table Planting Date Corn and Silage Trial Arlington ,02,03 Row Spacing x Plant Density Silage Yield Data Arlington Corn - Alfalfa Corn Yield Data Arlington Alfalfa Yield Data Arlington Silage Yield Data Arlington Corn Yield Data Marshfield Alfalfa Yield Data Marshfield Silage Yield Data Marshfield Corn - Soybean Corn Yield Data Arlington Soybean Yield Data Arlington Corn-Soybean-Wheat Rotation Study Corn Yield Data Arlington Silage Yield Data Arlington Soybean Yield Data Arlington Wheat Yield Data Arlington Corn Yield Data Marshfield Silage Yield Data Marshfield Soybean Yield Data Marshfield Wheat Yield Data Marshfield Corn Yield Data Lancaster Soybean Yield Data Lancaster Wheat Yield Data Lancaster Oats Yield Data Lancaster Alfalfa Yield Data Lancaster Arysta Fungicide Trial Arlington Fond du Lac Galesville Marshfield Montfort Valders

6 Location Experiment Page Table XiteBio Trial Arlington Fond du Lac Janesville Bar Trial Arlington Nitrogen Trial Corn Yield Data Arlington ,02 Corn Yield Data Hancock ,04 Corn Yield Data Marshfield ,06 Plant Growth Regulators Trial Ascend Arlington Chippewa Falls Coleman Fond du Lac Galesville Hancock Janesville Marshfield Montfort Seymour Valders Valent Rhyzup Yield Data Arlington Snaplage/Earlage Arlington Thin Study Influence of Thinning on Corn Trial Arlington Tillage in Corn and Soybean Production Corn Yield Data Arlington Soybean Yield Data Arlington Systems Corn-Soybean Rotation Arlington Continuous Corn Arlington BASF - Corn Yield Data Arlington

7 Percent 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 2016 Corn Crop Summary for Wisconsin Excellent Good Fair Poor Very Poor 1 Condition of Corn Crop 0% 29 May 12 Jun 26 Jun 10 Jul 24 Jul 7 Aug 21 Aug 4 Sep 18 Sep 2 Oct 16 Oct 30 Oct Percent Bold lines= 2016 Regular lines= Normal (30 years) Planting Emerged Progress of Corn Crop Silking Dough Silage Mature Harvested 0 4 Apr 25 Apr 16 May 6 Jun 27 Jun 18 Jul 8 Aug 29 Aug 19 Sep 10 Oct 31 Oct 21 Nov Dent Acreage 5,000,000 4,500,000 4,000,000 3,500,000 3,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000, ,000 Planted acres Harvested acres Grain Harvested acres Silage Grain yield Corn Acreage and Yield Grain yield (bu/a)

8 2 Crop Progress Review of 2016 Derived from USDA NASS reports on December 13, 2016 and January 12, Review of the 2016 Crop Year: The 2016 planting season opened with soggy field conditions and below normal snow cover due to a warm, wet March. Wet soils in the northern portions of the state delayed the start of tillage and planting there. But fields dried up quickly in the southern portions of the state, and warm, sunny weather during April accelerated early fieldwork in those areas. A hard frost during the week ending May 15 damaged some fruit blossoms and emerging crops, though most new plantings bounced back quickly. Rainfall was patchy and intermittent in May and June, providing plenty of days suitable for fieldwork. Planting and emergence of all the major crops trended slightly behind the 2015 pace but well ahead of the fiveyear average. Hot weather, high humidity and frequent rains characterized July, August and September, boosting crop growth and keeping crops in good to excellent condition overall. However, the frequency of rains in this period disrupted hay harvest and contributed to major flooding events in Northern and Western Wisconsin. Severe storms dropped up to 10 inches of rain across various parts of Wisconsin during these months, causing damage to crops in low lying areas. Infrastructure damage and very high soil moistures associated with these rains also disrupted access to fields which were not directly damaged by flooding. In all, 8 counties declared a state of emergency due to flooding in July and another 13 counties declared emergencies in September. Above normal temperatures and rainy conditions continued into the fall. Though crop development trended ahead of average for all crops during the 2016 season, harvest activates in September and October trailed averages due to wet field conditions and high grain moistures. The first frost of the season struck the northern portions of the state during the week ending October 11, several weeks later than normal. The southern part of the state did not receive the first frost until the week ending November 13. The city of La Crosse broke its record for latest frost ever recorded on November 9, compared to November 7, November brought an extended stretch of dry, clear weather and above normal temperatures, allowing farmers to catch up on harvest and tillage. Fall tillage was 86 percent complete as of November 27, 2 percentage points above the previous year. Statewide temperatures started off above normal with March temperatures 6.3 degrees above normal. April through September were 1.3 degrees above normal in 2016, compared to 0.9 degrees above normal in April was the only month this season with below normal temperatures, averaging 1.1 degrees below normal. The remaining growing season months ranged from 0.8 degrees above normal in May and July to 3.9 degrees above normal in September. October averaged 4.0 degrees above normal and November was 8.6 degrees above normal. Precipitation totals for April through September were above normal for much of Wisconsin but below normal in the Southeast District. The statewide total was inches, 3.54 inches above the total for 2015 and 4.91 inches above normal. April and May had normal to below normal precipitation across the state, while June through September had above normal precipitation on average. September was the month with the greatest departure from normal, with 2.22 inches above normal for the state. By district, departures from normal for April through September ranged from 0.89 inches below normal in the Southeast District to 7.90 inches above normal in the Southwest District. Corn Corn planting proceeded quickly thanks to an early spring thaw and wrapped up in late May, more than two weeks earlier than the five year average. There were some reports of newly emerged corn injured by late the frost during the week ending May 15, though the crop reportedly bounced back easily with favorable weather in late May and June. Warm temperatures and abundant moisture kept corn development well ahead of both last year and the five year average throughout the summer. Corn condition averaged 86 percent good to excellent for the season, compared to 80 percent good to excellent in Frequent rains in August and September delayed silage chopping in some areas, but overall silage harvest proceeded about 5 days ahead of average, wrapping up around October 23. High plant moistures and muddy field conditions kept grain harvest in line with the five year average through October. Clear, warm weather in November provided plenty of days suitable for fieldwork as farmers worked to wrap up fall harvest. Corn harvested for grain reached 96 percent harvested on November 27, with excellent yields reported across most of the state. A lack of storage space for grain, along with isolated wet spots, meant some pockets of corn were still standing at the end of November. Corn for grain production in Wisconsin during 2016 is estimated at a record high 573 million bushels, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Crop Production 2016 Summary report. This estimate is up 3 percent from the November 1 forecast and up 16 percent from Wisconsin's corn for grain yield is estimated at 178 bushels per acre, 2 bushels below the November 1 forecast. This is the highest yield on record, 14 bushels above the previous record set in Area harvested for grain is estimated at 3.22 million acres, up 120,000 acres from the November 1 forecast and 220,000 acres above Corn planted for all purposes in 2016 is estimated at 4.05 million acres, down 50,000 acres from the November 1 estimate but 50,000 above 2015.

9 3 Corn for silage production is estimated at 16.6 million tons, down 12 percent from The silage yield estimate of 21.0 tons per acre is 1.5 tons higher than Producers harvested 790,000 acres of corn for silage, a decrease of 180,000 acres from Soybean Soybeans planting took off in early May, and wrapped up in mid June, two weeks ahead of the five year average. The emergence, blooming and setting pods stages all ran well ahead of average, thanks to warm weather and adequate rainfall in June and July. Soybeans condition averaged 85 percent good to excellent for June through mid October, compared to 81 percent good to excellent for the previous year. Frequent rains and oversaturated soils in August and September pushed the leaves turning and dropping phases back to one week ahead of average instead of two. There were isolated reports of mold and other diseases affecting soybeans due to wet weather in late summer and early fall, though yields were reportedly above normal across most of the state. Soybeans harvest got off to a late start, as wet conditions delayed fieldwork. Starting in September, good weather allowed producers to get 97 percent of soybeans harvested by November 13, in line with the five year average. Soybean production is estimated at 107 million bushels in 2016, unchanged from the November 1 forecast but 16 percent above 2015 and a new record high. This is the first year Wisconsin production has exceeded 100 million bushels. Wisconsin soybean growers averaged a record high 55.0 bushels per acre in 2016, equal to the November 1 forecast but 5.5 bushels above the 2015 yield. The harvested acreage of 1.95 million is unchanged from the November 1 estimate but 80,000 acres above Soybean planted acreage, at 1.96 million acres, is up 4 percent from Soybean planted and harvested acreage were also record highs. Oats Oats planting in 2016 started slightly behind the fiveyear average, but accelerated quickly as wet fields dried out. Both planting and emergence were complete by mid May slightly behind the 2015 pace but about two weeks ahead of the five year average. Warm temperatures and abundant moisture kept the oat crop in very good condition throughout the season, averaging 85 percent good to excellent from May 8 through August 7. Oats headed out about a week ahead of the five year average. Frequent rains slowed late summer fieldwork, keeping harvest pace close to both the average and the previous year. Oats were 98 percent harvested on September 11, only 2 percentage points ahead of the five year average. This year s early snow melt allowed oats planting and emergence to proceed much more quickly than the fiveyear average, wrapping up nearly two weeks early. The heading stage showed similarly rapid progress throughout June, though it was only one week ahead of average. By mid July, the oats harvest was slow to get started, with reports of severe thunderstorms damaging small grains during the week ending July 19. However, progress was rapid once combining got underway; oats reached 97 percent harvested on September 6, three percentage points ahead of the five year average. Winter wheat Warm weather in March helped the winter wheat crop start this season with 79 percent in good to excellent condition, well above the 52 percent of winter wheat in good to excellent condition on April 5, Wheat conditions improved slowly but steadily despite variable snow cover and occasional freezes during April and early May. Wheat condition then continued to improve through the summer months, averaging 86 percent good to excellent for the season. The crop matured quickly with warm, dry weather in June, trending at least a week ahead of the previous year. Harvest activities began the week ending July 10, also a week ahead of 2015, and reached 98 percent complete on August 21. Though fall planting of the 2017 crop started out ahead of the previous year s pace, frequent rains and delays to other fieldwork slowed progress in September and October. Above normal fall temperatures helped keep the crop in very good condition going into the winter season. Winter wheat condition averaged 82 percent good to excellent from mid October through the end of November. Alfalfa As of May 15, winter freeze damage to alfalfa was rated 1 percent severe, 3 percent moderate and 19 percent light. There was no damage to the remaining 77 percent of alfalfa stands, up from 72 percent undamaged the previous year. Abundant heat and moisture kept alfalfa growing quickly throughout the spring and summer, though frequent rains in July, August and September interfered with baling dry hay. All four cuttings of alfalfa ran ahead of both the five year average and the 2015 haying season, replacing 2015 as the second fastest harvest pace in the past 35 years. Cuttings were still about a week behind the record early haying season of 2012, however. Warm fall weather allowed widespread access to a fourth and even fifth crop of alfalfa, and left stands in good shape to overwinter. The season average for hay condition was 87 percent good to excellent, compared to 80 percent good to excellent for the 2015 season. Pastures Warm weather in March started Wisconsin s pastures in considerably better condition than average this year. On April 3, 51 percent of pastures were in good to excellent condition compared to a five year average of 27 percent good to excellent. Condition plateaued after late frosts during the week ending May 15, but began to trend upward again in mid June. Pastures averaged 75 percent in good to excellent condition from May through October, compared to 69 percent good to excellent in Unusually warm weather in October and November kept pastures suitable for grazing well into the fall season.

10 Weather Summary for Arlington, WI Cummulative (inches) yr Average = Bold Line Precipitation Daily Daily (inches) 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec yr Average = Bold Line Daily Temperatures Degrees (F) Maximums 20 Freeze line 0 Minimums Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Cummulative (GDUs) Growing Degree Units (modified - base= 50, max = 86) 30-yr Average = Bold Line Daily (GDUs) 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 0 Source: Midwest Region Climatological Center.

11 5 Table A-1. Daily Precipitation, Solar Radiation, Soil and Air Temperatures and Growing Degree Units at the Arlington Research Station. Precipitation Daily Solar Soil Temperature at 2 inches Air Temperature Growing Degree Units (86/50 of) Day of year Daily Total Radiation Max Min Max Min Daily Total inches W m-2 of of 92 1-Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May

12 6 Table A-1. Daily Precipitation, Solar Radiation, Soil and Air Temperatures and Growing Degree Units at the Arlington Research Station. Precipitation Daily Solar Soil Temperature at 2 inches Air Temperature Growing Degree Units (86/50 of) Day of year Daily Total Radiation Max Min Max Min Daily Total inches W m-2 of of May May May Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul

13 7 Table A-1. Daily Precipitation, Solar Radiation, Soil and Air Temperatures and Growing Degree Units at the Arlington Research Station. Precipitation Daily Solar Soil Temperature at 2 inches Air Temperature Growing Degree Units (86/50 of) Day of year Daily Total Radiation Max Min Max Min Daily Total inches W m-2 of of Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep

14 8 Table A-1. Daily Precipitation, Solar Radiation, Soil and Air Temperatures and Growing Degree Units at the Arlington Research Station. Precipitation Daily Solar Soil Temperature at 2 inches Air Temperature Growing Degree Units (86/50 of) Day of year Daily Total Radiation Max Min Max Min Daily Total inches W m-2 of of Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct

15 9 Table A-2. Monthly and total precipitation (inches) data for the Arlington Research Station. Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual year Average

16 10 Table A-3. Average monthly and annual temperature (of) data for the Arlington Research Station. Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual year Average

17 Weather Summary for Hancock, WI Cummulative (inches) yr Average = Bold Line Precipitation Daily Daily (inches) 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 0 Degrees (F) Daily Temperatures 30-yr Average = Bold Line Maximums Freeze line Minimums Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Cummulative (GDUs) Growing Degree Units (modified - base= 50, max = 86) 30-yr Average = Bold Line Daily (GDUs) 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 0 Source: Midwest Region Climatological Center.

18 12 Table A-4. Daily Precipitation, Solar Radiation, Soil and Air Temperatures and Growing Degree Units at the Hancock Research Station. Precipitation Daily Solar Soil Temperature at 2 inches Air Temperature Growing Degree Units (86/50 of) Day of year Daily Total Radiation Max Min Max Min Daily Total inches W m-2 of of 92 1-Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May

19 13 Table A-4. Daily Precipitation, Solar Radiation, Soil and Air Temperatures and Growing Degree Units at the Hancock Research Station. Precipitation Daily Solar Soil Temperature at 2 inches Air Temperature Growing Degree Units (86/50 of) Day of year Daily Total Radiation Max Min Max Min Daily Total inches W m-2 of of May May May Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul

20 14 Table A-4. Daily Precipitation, Solar Radiation, Soil and Air Temperatures and Growing Degree Units at the Hancock Research Station. Precipitation Daily Solar Soil Temperature at 2 inches Air Temperature Growing Degree Units (86/50 of) Day of year Daily Total Radiation Max Min Max Min Daily Total inches W m-2 of of Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep

21 15 Table A-4. Daily Precipitation, Solar Radiation, Soil and Air Temperatures and Growing Degree Units at the Hancock Research Station. Precipitation Daily Solar Soil Temperature at 2 inches Air Temperature Growing Degree Units (86/50 of) Day of year Daily Total Radiation Max Min Max Min Daily Total inches W m-2 of of Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct

22 16 Table A-5. Monthly and total precipitation (inches) data for the Hancock Research Station. Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual year Average

23 17 Table A-6. Average monthly and annual temperature (of) data for the Hancock Research Station. Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual year Average

24 Weather Summary for Marshfield, WI Cummulative (inches) yr Average = Bold Line Precipitation Daily Daily (inches) 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec yr Average = Bold Line Daily Temperatures Degrees (F) Maximums 20 Freeze line 0 Minimums Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Cummulative (GDUs) Growing Degree Units (modified - base= 50, max = 86) 30-yr Average = Bold Line Daily (GDUs) 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 0 Source: Midwest Region Climatological Center.

25 19 Table A-7. Monthly and total precipitation (inches) data for the Marshfield Research Station. Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual year Average