Following harvest of 2012, our "Cs" field had a boundary realignment with our neighbors. Spring seeding in 2013 allowed us to compare ground that has been continually cultivated for 100+ years with ground (across the old property boundary) that has been Direct Seeded for the last 20+ years. The purpose of this post is to state the physical difference between the two properties. There will be no attempt to update this post comparing yields or crop vigor.
SUMMARY:-- Custom operators struggle in providing adequate service to Direct Seed system operations.
The ground that has been Direct Seeded for a lengthy period of time moves moisture from the surface and into the soil profile much faster than ground that has been continuously cultivated for many years.
DETAIL:-- The ("Cs & Cc & D")fields were not prepared well for spring cropping in 2013. The "new" property was not sprayed. We seeded into heavy volunteer wheat which will likely cause disease to the spring barley crop. The main field, "Cs", which the "new" property is attached was sprayed with Gromoxone by a custom operator. The job ended poorly,--- likely, too little solution for adequate coverage. It's possible that the tall, wind blown stubble interfered with the coverage. This field should have been sprayed last fall (the custom operator never showed). The field is a mess!!
This custom experience is another example of our need to have our own equipment. Five attempts resulting in five failures. On one hand, our system is very simple (spray and plant, and harvest); however, simplicity is replaced by time sensitivity and chemical selection. Time sensitivity is something that custom operations will continue to struggle with. Spraying, for a Direct Seed system is very "time sensitive", and a problem with a specific application has to be dealt with quickly. Once the custom operator leaves the property, good luck getting him back for cleanup. Custom drilling has similar issues. We have been lucky for the most part getting the drill when desired; however, as more demand develops for this service, timeliness will become an issue. Farming operations using a cultivation system have issues of timeliness as well; however, they have a much wider window.
When we drilled the Cs field, it was obvious when we crossed the boundary between old and new property. Although both sides of the old boundary was left in stubble from harvest 2012, the side that has been cultivated for 100+ years was wetter on the surface and did not support the Direct Seed Equipment. Ruts were left in the ground, particularly when turning.
It was obvious that the moisture was held higher in the soil profile on the ground with a history of cultivation. Decayed roots and macro-fawna has made channels that has allowed the surface water to move deeper into the soil profile in the Direct Seeded ground. Improved soil structure also plays a role in helping resist soil compaction.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
DRILLING INTO TALL STUBBLE
[Click on "direct seeding" label at bottom of post for similar posts.]
[11/15/14 update]-- This addresses comments below about thinner, taller spring barley. It turns out, what we observed is exactly what is expected. It's all about light. Individual cultivars compete for light. In discussion with Dwayne Beck, I commented on this observation and that it reduced tillering of the barley. His response was that he did not want more than one or two tillers. Every tiller takes 7-10 days to develop. This pushes crop maturity back that much for each tiller the plant develops. For us that means vulnerability to heat. Beck adjusts tillering by plant density. I'm no longer concerned about stubble standing following the seeding operation.
[5/13/13 update]-- Where we have looked, the spring barley looks fine. Visually, it appears that the barley, in the areas with standing stubble, is taller, with fewer plants than that growing in the flattened residue. We will watch, and do stand counts later as the crop develops.
The mustard field is more questionable; however, it appears that the mustard has enough emergence for a stand on all except the 10ac extremely heavy residue area around the shop. A combination of freeze damage and erratic seeding depth has made this area a failed planting.
What to do differently in the future: 1-- consider planting a week or two later to lessen the chance for freeze damage. My neighbors to the east and west of us has replanted their entire fields. The down side of waiting is potential yield loss from high temperatures at bloom. Mustard is a 95 day crop that flowers in 45 days. It is likely that our mustard will be able to deal better with high temperature stress than the average field because of the tall heavy residue's ability to reduce evaporation, leaving more moisture for the mustard plant. 2-- Make sure the Cross-slot drill has all the auto-depth control sensors working so that you don't have the erratic seed depth we experienced. Only one of the four was working this spring which meant that all the openers followed that one sensor whether it was on a high/low or hard/soft spot, instead of getting an average from the four across the width of the drill. 3-- The frequency of use of this ultra low disturbance drill over time will have an impact of it's own on depth control --->there will always be some soil movement and small ridges and hollows will be leveled out.
Most of the mustard field has more plant population than needed; however there will be voids.
The barley came out fine because of the larger seed having more energy, and we planted deeper. The tiny mustard seed is different, and more difficult to get an evenly emerged stand in our high residue situation.
[4/21/13 update]-- The Cross-slot Drill worked well this spring on all the tall stubble whether 140bu or 50bu winter wheat residue -- meaning that the opener penetrated the residue and did not plug. We carried stubble around where it went through frame holes and hinge points, but that was not a seeding issue. Management issues eluded to in "DETAILS" may not be quite the problem expected when this was first posted.
SUMMARY: (started drilling April 4th)
The stubble needs to be dry. The drying period was surprisingly short. Two days of drying weather (wind and sun) following a rain was sufficient for the drill to penetrate the matted areas. The matted areas tended to not be smashed flat on the ground, which allowed air movement for drying. Our soil surface dries rapidly following a rain. (See posting on "Cultivation vs Direct Seeding")
Managing proper depth control in varying stubble conditions may be challenging. The depth sensing technology built into the Cross-Slot opener design worked well; however, it doesn't distinguish between depth of residue and depth of soil. Techniques to compensate for this difference will need to be worked out (down pressure change for different areas, or mapping out areas and resetting seeding depth, are two possibilities).
DETAILS: This is our first attempt to drill into winter wheat stubble that was harvested with a stripper head. Our "En" field of Brundage 96 averaged 88bu/ac, and the height of the stubble was 39-40" tall. There was no operation applied to this field between harvest (August 2012), and March 8th, 2013 when Rt3 was applied with a 90ft self propelled sprayer from a custom operator.
[11/15/14 update]-- This addresses comments below about thinner, taller spring barley. It turns out, what we observed is exactly what is expected. It's all about light. Individual cultivars compete for light. In discussion with Dwayne Beck, I commented on this observation and that it reduced tillering of the barley. His response was that he did not want more than one or two tillers. Every tiller takes 7-10 days to develop. This pushes crop maturity back that much for each tiller the plant develops. For us that means vulnerability to heat. Beck adjusts tillering by plant density. I'm no longer concerned about stubble standing following the seeding operation.
[5/13/13 update]-- Where we have looked, the spring barley looks fine. Visually, it appears that the barley, in the areas with standing stubble, is taller, with fewer plants than that growing in the flattened residue. We will watch, and do stand counts later as the crop develops.
The mustard field is more questionable; however, it appears that the mustard has enough emergence for a stand on all except the 10ac extremely heavy residue area around the shop. A combination of freeze damage and erratic seeding depth has made this area a failed planting.
What to do differently in the future: 1-- consider planting a week or two later to lessen the chance for freeze damage. My neighbors to the east and west of us has replanted their entire fields. The down side of waiting is potential yield loss from high temperatures at bloom. Mustard is a 95 day crop that flowers in 45 days. It is likely that our mustard will be able to deal better with high temperature stress than the average field because of the tall heavy residue's ability to reduce evaporation, leaving more moisture for the mustard plant. 2-- Make sure the Cross-slot drill has all the auto-depth control sensors working so that you don't have the erratic seed depth we experienced. Only one of the four was working this spring which meant that all the openers followed that one sensor whether it was on a high/low or hard/soft spot, instead of getting an average from the four across the width of the drill. 3-- The frequency of use of this ultra low disturbance drill over time will have an impact of it's own on depth control --->there will always be some soil movement and small ridges and hollows will be leveled out.
Most of the mustard field has more plant population than needed; however there will be voids.
The barley came out fine because of the larger seed having more energy, and we planted deeper. The tiny mustard seed is different, and more difficult to get an evenly emerged stand in our high residue situation.
[4/21/13 update]-- The Cross-slot Drill worked well this spring on all the tall stubble whether 140bu or 50bu winter wheat residue -- meaning that the opener penetrated the residue and did not plug. We carried stubble around where it went through frame holes and hinge points, but that was not a seeding issue. Management issues eluded to in "DETAILS" may not be quite the problem expected when this was first posted.
SUMMARY: (started drilling April 4th)
The stubble needs to be dry. The drying period was surprisingly short. Two days of drying weather (wind and sun) following a rain was sufficient for the drill to penetrate the matted areas. The matted areas tended to not be smashed flat on the ground, which allowed air movement for drying. Our soil surface dries rapidly following a rain. (See posting on "Cultivation vs Direct Seeding")
Managing proper depth control in varying stubble conditions may be challenging. The depth sensing technology built into the Cross-Slot opener design worked well; however, it doesn't distinguish between depth of residue and depth of soil. Techniques to compensate for this difference will need to be worked out (down pressure change for different areas, or mapping out areas and resetting seeding depth, are two possibilities).
DETAILS: This is our first attempt to drill into winter wheat stubble that was harvested with a stripper head. Our "En" field of Brundage 96 averaged 88bu/ac, and the height of the stubble was 39-40" tall. There was no operation applied to this field between harvest (August 2012), and March 8th, 2013 when Rt3 was applied with a 90ft self propelled sprayer from a custom operator.
Started drilling 4/3/13. We are using a 24' Cross-slot drill that applies aqua (N+S) near the seed and a solution of phosphorous(P) and uran (N) with the seed.
When the straw is dry, the Cross-slot opener slips through and places the seed very nicely into the soil. On the other hand, when the straw is damp and soft, the mat that develops from wheel tracks or wind blow, that lays across wise to the line of travel resists penetration. Depending on the depth of the mat, seed and fertilizer can end up on the surface. Without the addition of straw laying on the surface, which is normal when using a conventional header, the chaff spread area does not appear to be a problem for drilling, even when damp.
Observations -- that may help when seeding into heavy, tall stubble:
1-- Starting at harvest, perform operations that are linear, along the line that you intent to seed. Avoid laying straw down where it will lie across the drills line of travel.
2-- Configure (streamline) drill, including openers, so that there is minimal residue movement, either linear, lateral or vertical. Residue material that is tipped or pushed will create an ever increasing problem as the drill moves along it's line of travel.
This drill, which I consider the most versatile, and most forgiving, of all the designs, does have it's limit. All drills designed for direct seeding will work if the residue is managed to address the limitations of that particular design.
In the pic above, the seed is difficult to see (little red spot). It lies near the top of the blackened area. The seed was placed about an inch into black earth. This area is matted by repeated trampling from combine, trucks, sprayer and drill, and is located near the field entrance.
[4/18/13]-- In the flat at Thornton the mat of straw was 1-2 inches thick when compressed. The drill cut through the mat but left much of the seed laying on the soil surface. We'll watch this to see if dense residue environment will replace soil for seed germination and emergence. We were pushing to finish this field before an expected rain. It was dark, the drill was slicing through the residue and not plugging, but attention was not given to this heavy mat condition. Combining a poor chemical (in places, no chemical) application, inexperience of drilling in this residue condition, and dealing with custom operators (both spraying and drilling) with equal inexperience in these conditions, -- we are prepared to expect less then a stellar spring crop for 2013.
This drill, which I consider the most versatile, and most forgiving, of all the designs, does have it's limit. All drills designed for direct seeding will work if the residue is managed to address the limitations of that particular design.
[4/18/13]-- In the flat at Thornton the mat of straw was 1-2 inches thick when compressed. The drill cut through the mat but left much of the seed laying on the soil surface. We'll watch this to see if dense residue environment will replace soil for seed germination and emergence. We were pushing to finish this field before an expected rain. It was dark, the drill was slicing through the residue and not plugging, but attention was not given to this heavy mat condition. Combining a poor chemical (in places, no chemical) application, inexperience of drilling in this residue condition, and dealing with custom operators (both spraying and drilling) with equal inexperience in these conditions, -- we are prepared to expect less then a stellar spring crop for 2013.
Video?? (something happened at google and video can not be accessed-- too bad!)
This video is 1:30 minutes showing the drill in action, traveling 5-6mph. The drill, as configured, does not flatten the stubble that it passes over. When we build our own, this is an issue we will have to address. My understanding is that the stubble needs to be standing prior to seeding and flat following seeding of a spring crop. I think this messy look would be OK for a winter crop with it's longer growing period. It would help with the winter snow intercept and I don't think the light intercept would be harmful. I have concerns about this spring crop.
This pic gives a broader view of the field. The left side shows the undrilled area, and the right side shows drilled area.
Does this volume of residue negatively affect the vigor of the crop through cold soil temperature and light intercept? Does this volume of residue retard the evaporation of moisture, providing more to the growing crop? This moisture potential is referenced in an earlier posting. (click on the "moisture" label)
We are doing a soil temperature and a light intercept study with Hobo sensors now. We will be monitoring the crop vigor as time passes. There is enough area flattened to compare the light intercept aspect.
After the stubble dried this afternoon, we successfully seeded; however, it appears that the stubble sprang back up more than when it was drier.
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