Published July 3, 2007 | By admin
Strip-Tilled Corn has Longer Roots than Conventional
At the Orthman Manufacturing, Inc research farm north and a little east of Lexington, Nebraska we have partnered with two prominent seed companies to follow through a growing season of two varieties each what is happening with root development. This study is to further understand what tillage does to root development at three critical time periods during the growing season. Yield will be a important final product but not the entire story.
We wanted to report what we have observed so far since the planting occurred on May 17th and we just passed the 25-30 days after emergence time frame.
The precision placed fertility both at strip-till time and then at planting is surely part of the difference in how these four varieties are growing. The Y axis [vertical axis] depicts the linear inches of roots per plant after they are washed and measured. In the strip-till plots, NC+ Hybrid A (far left green/yellow bar) is 1910.4 inches,(2nd to left, green/yellow bar) NC+ Hybrid B is 1627.5 inches, Mycogen Hybrid A is 1128 inches (3rd from left red/blue bar), and Mycogen Hybrid B had 1425.2 inches (4th from left red/blue bar). Under the conventional tilled side (right hand side of chart-same color scheme and position as noted previous); NC+ Hybrid A 1310.4 inches, NC+ Hybrid B is 817.5 inches, Mycogen Hybrid A is 955.9 inches, and the Mycogen Hybrid B 880.7 inches. The NC+ hybrid A is the new stacked VT corn which has much promise for you growers and it is showing its firepower at 25-28 days after emergence.
Our plans are to keep you posted as to the progress of this study, stay tuned!