2023 Thames Valley Soil and Crop Projects

Directors in the Thames Valley Soil and Crop Region (Elgin, Middlesex, Oxford) have lead an effort to produce larger, more consistent datasets for the on-farm soil and crop projects that are conducted locally each year. One part of this effort has been to post protocols for easier access and research consistency. Table 1 lists projects […]

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Investigating Fertilizer Placement and Safe Fertilizer Rates in Strip Till

Simple Summary there is limited guidance for safe fertilizer rates for strip till – unlike 2”x2” planter banding, there are many different fertilizer placement options in strip till there is likely some tradeoff with fertilizer placement in strip till – placement closer to the seed likely improves starter fertilizer effect and fertilizer efficiency, but likely […]

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2022 Ontario Grain Corn Ear Mould and Deoxynivalenol (DON) Mycotoxin Survey

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. […]

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Corn P and K Considerations when Fertilizer Prices are High

Simple Summary – Changes in fertilizer:corn price ratios (not fertilizer prices alone) change optimum P and K rates. Corn prices increasing with fertilizer prices can limit price ratio changes. – Significant price ratio changes are required to appreciably change optimum P and K rates. For instance, changing fertilizer:corn price ratio ($/lb-P:$/lb-corn) in a recent Ontario […]

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2021 Ontario Grain Corn Ear Mould and Deoxynivalenol (DON) Mycotoxin Survey

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. […]

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Agronomy Guide For Field Crops – Corn – Fertility – Nitrogen

Nitrogen (N) Corn responds well to nitrogen, so adequate availability of nitrogen is critical to profitable corn production. Excess nitrogen adds unnecessary expenses and increases the risk of nitrate movement to ground water, poorer quality of surface water and production of greenhouse gases through nitrous oxide emissions. Insufficient nitrogen leads to nitrogen deficiency. Nitrogen deficiency […]

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Agronomy Guide For Field Crops – Corn – Emergence and Spacing Uniformity, Replant Decisions

Stand

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 […]

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Agronomy Guide For Field Crops – Corn – Hybrid Selection

Hybrid 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 […]

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Agronomy Guide For Field Crops – Corn – No Till and Other Considerations

No-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 […]

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