MIDDLETOWN, Del, Rouble-cropped com? ™ It’s been tried before m Delaware without pouch success, but now the idea looks more promising. This year Middletown fanner Bill Haas got 163 bushels to the acre growing com after barley under imgation. This high yield was the direct result of an excellent management package, says University of Delaware extension agronomist Dr. William Mitchell. The com was planted June DEUTZ TRACTOR CLEARANCE SALE DX-90 Demonstrator* 84 hp at PTO 5 cyl, 287 CID diesel 15 forward speeds, shift-on the-go synchro transmission Long life clutch discs Independent 540/1000 PTO Hydraulic disc brakes High volume hydraulics Pow adjust wheels with heavy cast centers. 3-point lift and drawbar. Roll guard roof, tillable comfort seat, tool box, and lights 18.4x34 rear tires. 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NEW HOLLAND, PA Double crop com and barley? 12 immediately after barley was harvested, using a short season hybnd (DeKalb XL 25A) that matures in 90 to 100 days. Haas sprayed the barley stubble with Paraquat at the rate of one point per acre and Lasso and Atrazme 1.5 quarts each per acre. He used 30 gallons of 30 percent nitrogen solution as a carrier (10 pounds nitrogen) for the Atrazme and Lasso, plus one pint per 100 gallons of X 77 wetting agent. 16% A.P.R. FINANCING (till 11/21/80) Delaware His plant population was 25,500. At planting he applied 10 pounds of 10 percent granular Furadan per acre. Haas irrigated im mediately to get the com out of the ground. He began watering regularly when plants were waist high. The com received nine separate one-inch applications of water. Twenty pounds of nitrogen were injected through the sprinkler system with each application. 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A lot of Haas’ fellow farmers around the state may be skeptical of his achievement with double cropped corn, because they’ve already tried to grow this crop after small gram and failed. This was probably because they didn’t irrigate or failed to achieve effective insect control, says Mitchell. By the time they’d shared their crop with the com ear Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 15,1980—€29 worms and other bugs, some of them were lucky to have any left for themselves. And without water the whole idea probably won’t work in this area anyway, he says. Whert you’re talking about double-cropping com, you’re talkmg-about trying to grow a crop planted almost 2 months later than usual. By the time it gets m the ground, the days are getting shorter and light intensity is dimmshing so you can’t waste any tune. You’ve got to get plants started fast and keep them growing rapidly. This is exactly what Haas did. Both his starter fer tilizer and irrigation at seeding were critical in getting the crop going. Furadan was also very important in reducing injury from second and third generation com borers. And water was essential to keep the crop growing and to keep it cool enough for good pollination. It’s also very important to use a short season hybrid. In fact, says Mitchell, this is when it should be used, not m early April - unless you’re shooting for the early gram market - because m most years you’ll take a loss m yield by using the short season hybrids then. The agronomist thinks the idea of double croppmg com after small grains could have considerable significance on Delmjjrva in meeting the com needs of the state’s broiler industry. “We’ve lost close to 75,000 acres of com to soybeans m Delaware over the last few years,” he says. “We need a good balance between the two crops in order to meet the demands of the broiler industry on the Shore for both grains.” If farmers can double-crop com the way they do soybeans, maybe more will switch back to com. Mitchell urges farmers who have irrigation to take a close look at the idea, at any rate. “Com ear worm and other insects can be very bad late in the season, so this is something you need to be prepared to deal with,” he warns. Application of in secticides in the planter, and in some cases later aenal sprays, may be needed. Otherwise you could be in trouble. Whether or not it’s possible to grow com after wheat as well as barley is another question. Wheat normally matures a few weeks later than barley, so it’s cutting the season rather close. But Haas may try to do just that next year, reports extension agent Dean Belt. “He has the equipment and management abilities to do it, if anyone can,” says Belt. Haas may try to harvest his wheat a week early, using his gram drier to bring it down to the proper moisture level. This would let him plant the com a bit sooner. If necessary, he may also harvest the com on the early side and dry it down, too. But the big question is having enough moisture during July, August and early September to make the crop. That’s where the irrigation comes in. If the spring growing season or other conditions delay the wheate harvest for any reason, Haas still has the option to grow soybeans. That’s what most farmers do after small grains anyway. The beauty of the idea of double-cropped com is that it adds another alternative to your cropping program.
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