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Crop Rotations – Is Winter Wheat the " Dark Horse"?. Dave Hooker, PhD Bill Deen , PhD Dept of Plant Agriculture/Ridgetown Campus University of Guelph. @cropdoc2. Email: dhooker@uoguelph.ca , Twitter: @cropdoc2. Outline. Overview of long term trials – Elora , Ridgetown
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Crop Rotations – Is Winter Wheat the "Dark Horse"? Dave Hooker, PhD Bill Deen, PhD Dept of Plant Agriculture/Ridgetown Campus University of Guelph @cropdoc2 Email: dhooker@uoguelph.ca, Twitter: @cropdoc2
Outline • Overview of long term trials – Elora, Ridgetown • Breakdown of winter wheat contributions in the rotation • Question…..Is winter wheat the dark horse? “A dark horse is a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence, especially in a competition of some sort or a contestant that seems unlikely to succeed.” • Rotation Budget
Acknowledgments + Technical Staff, graduate students, summer students
EloraLong-term rotation 2011 CT NT • Initiated in 1980 • Rotations – CCCC, AAAA, CCAA, CCSS, CCSW, CCSW(rc), CCOB, CCO(rc)B(rc) • Conventional tillage and no-till Corn Soybean Alfalfa Barley Wheat
Ridgetown Long-Term Tillage-Rotation • Established 1995 (by Doug Young) • 5 Crop Rotations • C-C • S-S • C-S • C-S-W • S-W • 4 N treatments in corn and wheat • Red clover underseeded in wheat plots • Technical: Mr. Scott Jay
Soybean Yields at Ridgetown 2012 Seed Yield (bu/ac) NT NT MP MP NT MP S-S C-S C-S-W Rotation
Corn Yields at Ridgetown in 2012 Grain Yield (bu/ac) NT NT MP MP NT MP C-C C-S C-S-W Rotation
Messages: Elora and Ridgetown Trials • Complex rotations higher yield, better soil properties at Elora and Ridgetown • Benefits of red clover in rotation • Benefits of wheat in rotation • Demonstrated soybean a negative on soil properties and yield • Demo lower optimal N rates at Ridgetown (not assessed at Elora) • MB > NT at Elora; MB > or = No-till at Ridgetown • Rotation and tillage interact, especially at Elora (i.e., complex rotations are less responsive to tillage) • Rotation >> tillage on soil carbon/soil properties • Rotation influences sustainable residue removal rates
Wheat is the opportunity to improve complexity of corn-soybean-dominated rotations • Is wheat a weak sister in a corn-soy-wheat rotation? • But is wheat the dark horse?
Wheat: direct contribution to returns1. The “Rotation Effect”
1. The “Rotation Effect” Wheat on Corn Yields Ridgetown 2009-12 2012 2010 2011 2009 Grain Yield (bu/ac) C-S-W C-S-W C-S-W C-S-W C-C C-C C-C C-S C-S C-S C-C C-S Note: Mean separation within year (p=0.05)
1. The “Rotation Effect” Wheat on Soybean Yields Ridgetown 2009-12 2012 2011 2010 2009 Seed Yield (bu/ac) C-S-W C-S-W C-S-W C-S-W S-S S-S S-S C-S S-S C-S C-S C-S Rotation Averaged Across Tillage and Corn N treatments at Ridgetown. Est. 1991; letters within year statistically different at p=0.05 Source: Hooker et al., 2011 (UofG Ridgetown) Note: Mean separation within year (p=0.05)
1. The “Rotation Effect” Wheat on First Year Corn Yields Elora 2000-2011
1. The “Rotation Effect” Wheat on Soybean Yields Elora 1980-2011
Conventional-Till Corn Response to N and Rotation Ridgetown Long-term Tillage-Rotation 2009-2012 C-S-W(rc) C-S-W Grain Yield (bu ac-1) C-C C-S Fertilizer N Rate
Tillage x Rotation Impacts MERN Ridgetown 2010-2012
Wheat: direct contribution to returns3. Value of Straw as a Commodity
Wheat: direct contribution to returns4. Opportunity for Red Clover
Corn Yields after Wheat +/- Red Clover, Ridgetown 2010-12 2012 Ave 2010 2011 Grain Yield (bu/ac) C-S-W(rc) C-S-W(rc) C-S-W(rc) C-S-W(rc) C-S-W C-S-W C-S-W C-S-W
Soybean Yields with Wheat +/- Red Clover, Ridgetown 2010-12 Seed Yield (bu/ac) C-S-W(rc) C-S-W(rc) C-S-W C-S-W S-S S-S C-S C-S Conventional Till No-Till Note: Mean separation within tillage system (p=0.05)
Wheat: direct contribution to returns5. Double Cropping Opportunities
Double Crop Soybean Yield Survey 2012 (bu/ac) FAIL FAIL FAIL 23 18 FAIL 23 25 32 FAIL 28 36 16 32 24 42 21 22 30 45 @cropdoc2
Phenology DC soybean trial Ridgetown, 2012 Oct 3 R6 Oct 3 R6 Aug 14 R1 July 20 V1 Yield 20 bu @ $14/bu = $280/ac +/- Input costs = $175/ac +/-
Cover Crops? OMAFRA, 2012
Is Winter Wheat the "Dark Horse"?What is the REAL Value of Wheat?