Ontario Field Crop Report – July 6, 2022

Soybeans planted after corn

Enhancing Corn & Soybean Yields in Ontario

How adding complexity to crop rotations and diversity to tillage practices can benefit corn and soybean growers long term.

Gone are the days of grandpa getting the tractor and 3 furrow plow out to work the whole farm each fall after harvest. For decades now, producers have been developing and adapting new technologies and practices to optimize land use, while continuing to care for it. Thirty-one years of data evaluated by the University of Guelph demonstrates the various effects of changing tillage practices and crop rotations in Ontario field crop production.

It seems as though our seasons are becoming more and more variable each year, with bigger temperature swings and dramatic changes in precipitation. With more time between rain events, crops need to be efficient in water conservation and usage.

A research report published in 2015 titled “Increasing Crop Diversity Mitigates Weather Variations and Improves Yield Stability”, demonstrates that more diverse crop rotations beyond corn and soybeans is a key factor in yield increases. Reducing and adjusting tillage is also shown to have a significant effect on yield. As part of Dr. Bill Deen’s research team at the University of Guelph, Amelie Gaudin and colleagues studied thirty-one years of weather data from the University of Guelph, Elora Research Station. Both crop rotations and tillage data were evaluated for corn yield advantages, corn and soybean yield stability and any other potential benefits.

Their findings showed moving from a 2 crop (corn-soybean rotation) to a 3-crop rotation (adding wheat to corn-soybean rotation) increased the following average soybean yields by 13%. The 5-year average for Ontario soybeans is 49 bu/ac. The more crops in a rotation, and the more times the complex rotation repeated, the better the long-term effects.

Corn and soybeans displayed different yield reactions to the various methods of mitigating stresses (Figure 1.). While corn appeared to favour crop rotation and diversity, adjusting tillage practices had little effect on yield and stress tolerance. However, soybeans preferred changes in tillage programs over rotation diversification. Less tillage on soybean ground resulted in more consistent crop stress mitigation than conventional tillage. Tillage and crop diversity had a greater positive effect on crop response to heat and drought than they did for wet and cold periods. These practices offered some yield stabilization for wet and cold periods (or entire seasons), but it was lesser than the effects noted during drought stresses.

Figure 1. Soybeans planted after corn in Carleton County, 2021.
Figure 1. Soybeans planted after corn in Carleton County, 2021. 

More recent research published in 2020, confirmed the earlier results. Sites across Canada and the United States saw an average yield increase of 28.1% across all conditions when crop rotations were more diverse (Long-Term Evidence Shows that Crop-Rotation Diversification Increases Agricultural Resilience to Adverse Growing Conditions in North America). They also saw a large reduction in yield losses on drought years. Sites used both synthetic nitrogen and organic nitrogen, and varied tillage systems between no till, reduced till and conventional tillage.

Adding small grain cereals, forage legumes and other niche crops can add some costs and can complicate management practices, but does it have a place on your operation? The more complex the rotation, and the more diverse the tillage practices, the higher the potential to reduce crop stresses. Add in the potential benefits for weed, pest and disease control, and the value may soon dramatically outweigh the cost for your farming operation.

Weather DataJune 27 – July 3, 2022

LocationYearHighest Temp (°C)Lowest Temp (°C)Rain (mm)Rain (mm) April 1stGDD 0C April 1stGDD 5C April 1stCHU May 1st
Harrow202231.19.20.920913889501399
202130.07.889.624213979461316
10 YR Avg. (2011-20)26.815.126.829113699011379
Ridgetown202231.26.62.417712938641275
202129.76.198.224013148711246
10 YR Avg. (2011-20)26.313.615.124112798171278
London202229.86.68.619012528271225
202128.27.566.221313098701217
10 YR Avg. (2011-20)26.113.828.626712567971256
Brantford202231.47.44.218012498181189
202129.97.060.320512968561208
Welland202229.310.71.219112938531266
202127.87.329.612912848401195
10 YR Avg. (2011-20)26.213.919.827012577981255
Elora202228.97.03.716711437241086
202127.04.842.016711817501097
10 YR Avg. (2011-20)25.112.225.126611156691104
Mount Forest202229.57.18.418811437311105
202127.16.238.517411877601105
10 YR Avg. (2011-20)24.812.638.326210976591097
Peterborough202227.66.70.621311507171116
202127.62.323.216111737321085
10 YR Avg. (2011-20)25.810.819.424811296831111
Kemptville202227.710.95.230612427891214
202128.94.925.817212928451176
10 YR Avg. (2011-20)26.312.419.326211857411183
Earlton202225.16.611.319110196361049
202125.33.882.321610996771000
10 YR Avg. (2011-20)24.89.421.9216901539940
Sudbury202223.86.66.219510156231027
202123.61.842.619810976771009
10 YR Avg. (2011-20)24.910.723.02409775931010
Thunder Bay202230.63.63.6344815459793
202126.94.612.1203976568919
10 YR Avg. (2011-20)24.47.728.8240824450812
Fort Frances202226.32.44.0377868515895
202129.00.38.615410426281017
10 YR Avg. (2011-20)25.19.222.7226937546955
Report compiled by OMAFRA using Environment Canada data. Data quality is verified but accuracy is not guaranteed. Report supplied for general information purposes only. An expanded report is available at www.fieldcropnews.com.

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