Uniformity of Emergence Uniform seeding depth is a critical factor in achieving uniform emergence. Uneven emergence affects crop performance, because competition from larger, early-emerging plants reduces the yield potential of smaller, later-emerging plants. Yields can be reduced by 5% when half the stand suffers from a 7-day delay in emergence and by 12% when half the population experiences a 2-week…
Ben Rosser March 29, 2021 164 Comments Off on Agronomy Guide For Field Crops – Corn Development – Staging Corn PlantsCorn Development The vegetative and reproductive growth stages in corn are described in Table 1–12, Vegetative growth stages in corn and Table 1–13, Reproductive growth stages in corn. Corn Leaf Stages Counting the leaves on a corn plant sounds like an easy task, but there are a few complications that can cause mistakes. It is important to know which…
Planting Seeding Date The best yields in Ontario are usually obtained from corn planted in late April and the first half of May, as the crop is able to use the full growing season. Early planting also results in earlier maturity in the fall, reducing the risk of damage from an early fall frost or adverse weather at harvest. The…
Ben Rosser March 22, 2021 320 Comments Off on Agronomy Guide For Field Crops – Corn – Hybrid SelectionHybrid Selection Maturity Ratings Corn development is driven primarily by temperature, especially during the planting-to-silking period. Unlike soybeans, day length has little effect on the rate at which corn develops. The Ontario crop heat unit system has been developed to calculate the impact of temperature on corn development. Ontario crop heat units (CHUs) are calculated based on daily maximum and…
Ben Rosser March 17, 2021 258 Comments Off on “Harvesting” Yield Monitor Plot Data with Free GIS SoftwareWhat’s my optimum corn population? Does the yield response for primary tillage cover its costs compared to reduced tillage? Does the additive this salesperson is promoting provide a yield response on my farm? They say you don’t know what you don’t measure. Many options exist for extracting yield monitor harvest data from on-farm trials. Some require paying for software…
Ben Rosser March 16, 2021 207 Comments Off on Agronomy Guide For Field Crops – Corn – No Till and Other ConsiderationsNo-Till Systems In no-till systems, tillage is not used to prepare a seedbed. Minimal soil loosening in a narrow band immediately ahead of the seed opener is performed by planter-mounted coulters and/or residue clearing devices. Successful no-till corn production is partially dependent on effective use of field management strategies which may include alternative production practices that compensate for what tillage…
Tillage To successfully produce corn in Ontario, it is important to consider factors such as soil texture and crop rotation. Factors that will influence tillage options include risk of erosion, availability of equipment and labour and impact on soil health. Soils in Ontario are usually saturated in early spring, and quick dry-down is necessary to ensure timely corn planting. Appropriate…
Co-authored with Albert Tenuta, Field Crop Pathologist, OMAFRA OMAFRA field crop specialists in collaboration with Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) and members of the Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA) have completed the annual Ontario corn ear mould and DON mycotoxin survey. Corn ear moulds such as Gibberella and their corresponding mycotoxins occur every year in Ontario. These mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol (DON,…
Ben Rosser, Corn Specialist, OMAFRA While high pH knolls tend to be more common in Ontario, often caused by soil erosion leaving higher pH calcareous subsoils, this is not the case for all regions. How do low pH knolls develop? Low pH knolls (Figure 1) can develop on undulating landscapes where surface soils formed from deposits of sand, such as…
Environment Canada has issued frost advisories for most corn growing areas of the province for the nights of September 18 to 20 which are expected to be near or slightly below freezing (Figure 1). This is earlier than we typically observe first frosts, earlier than our long-term season end dates (Table 1) and much lower than our normal low temperatures…
With the first usher of cool fall weather this past week, there were frost warnings for parts of Northern Ontario. With the introduction of increasingly shorter maturity corn hybrids, there has been more corn grown in shorter season areas than what has been typical in the past, and also growers who may have recently started growing corn the first time….
Purpose: As strip till gains in popularity as a reduced-tillage option offering conventional tillage benefits for corn production, some of the most common questions revolve around phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) fertility management. This project was initiated to answer some of the more common questions around strip till and fertility placement and timing, particularly: How does yield of broadcast and…
Ben Rosser March 24, 2020 1734 Comments Off on Thinking Outside the Strip – One-Pass Manure Incorporation and Seedbed Prep with Strip TillWith some out of the box thinking, Ken Hartemink, hog and cash crop producer from St. Thomas, Ontario has mounted a strip tiller to the back of his manure tanker for one-pass manure incorporation and seedbed prep for next year’s corn crop. Ken Hartemink is a hog and cash crop producer just outside St. Thomas, Ontario. Ken wanted to…
Co-authored with Albert Tenuta, Field Crop Pathologist, OMAFRA OMAFRA field crop specialists in collaboration with Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) and members of the Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA) have completed the annual Provincial corn ear mould and mycotoxin survey. Corn ear moulds such as Gibberella and their corresponding mycotoxins occur every year in Ontario. These mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol (DON,…
Ben Rosser October 18, 2019 2516 Comments Off on Marketing Immature or Frost Damaged Corn: Livestock Feed Harvesting and Storage Alternatives for Corn Originally Intended as Dry Grain CornThis article was written by James Byrne and Megan Van Schaik, OMAFRA Beef Cattle Specialists, and Ben Rosser, OMAFRA Corn Specialist. In many parts of the province, 2019 proved to be a challenging year to get crops in the ground in a timely fashion. The impacts of spring conditions are still felt as we approach harvest and there are concerns…