Page 12—Corn Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 14, 2000
Optimum Corn
Management Practices For
Drought-Prone Soils
In Southern Pennsylvania
Project Leader:
Dr. Greg Roth
Penn State
Department of Agronomy
University Park
Drought risk is a major
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ran NEWS
itsmm
issue for corn producers in
southern Pennsylvania.
Growers often choose lower
plant populations as one
method of reducing the
impact of drought on corn
yield.
The overall objective of
these two studies is to evalu
ate hybrids, plant popula-
tions, and starter fertilizers
under drought prone growing
conditions. This study forms
one component of the Mid-
Atlantic Regional Interdisci
plinary Cropping Systems
Project.
Six commercial hybrids
were grown at populations
ranging from 20,000 to
32,000 plants per acre at two
sites in southeastern Pennsyl
vania. Both sites were
strongly influenced by
drought in 1999, with aver
age yields of 96 and 65 bush
els per acre. In contrast to the
previous year, yields gener
ally declined as plant popula
tions increased.
It appears that when
drought reduces yield poten
tial below 100 bushels per
acre, optimum plant popula
tion decreases from 30 to
20,000 plants per acre.
The six hybrids were also
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planted with and without a
starter fertilizer (10-20-20 ap
plied at 140-pounds per
acre). All six hybrids re
sponded to the starter with
increased height and dry
matter at V 6 (leaf stage), but
there were no significant re
sponses at harvest in terms of
grain yield, moisture, or lodg
ing. The three hybrids that
responded to starter in the
previous year also had slight
yield responses in 1999.
In a third study, seven dif
ferent starter fertilizer treat
ments were compared,
varying in amount and
source of N (nitrogen) and
amount of P (phosphorous)
and K (potassium). These
were evaluated in field-
WaterMastcr 90 Water Master 54
length plots in two counties.
The Lebanon county site had
no significant responses to
starter treatments owing to
drought (average yield was
105-bushels per acre. The
Centre county site had yield
reductions from several start
ers containing P and sulfur
(S), but not from starters con
taining N only (50-0-0) or N-
P-K (10-30-10).
A combination of high soil
test levels, a warm spring,
ample growing degree days,
and limited yields because of
drought-reduced responses to
the starter fertilizers. These
studies are continuing.
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to Service A well
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A water trainer device
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