Ag Innovations Showcased In Cecil County , Maryland
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
FAIR HILL, Md. Studies in
Maryland show that seeding rates
for com, soybeans, and wheat
can often be reduced somewhat
without hurting yields.
That was one of the research
findings fanners heard about at
the Cecil County Ag Showcase
this week. The event, put on by
Maryland Cooperative Exten
sion, took place on farmland near
the Cecil County Fairgrounds, in
conjunction with the fair.
“There’s been a lot of emphasis
the last few years to keep those
(plant) populations up,” said Bob
Kratochvil, Maryland extension
specialist. But Maryland farmers
shouldn’t always necessarily go
along with recommended rates,
he noted.
With corn, for example, much
of the research is done in mid
western states, where soils are
better suited for top com yields.
Recommendations of 30-35,000
plants per acre for grain produc
tion can be on the high side for
Maryland, according to Kratoch
vil.
He recommends shooting for
populations of 24-28,000 com
plants/acre for grain production.
On the most productive soils or
with irrigation, farmers could do
well with poulations of up to
32.000 plants per acre, he said.
Com silage producers should
aim for populations of 35-40,000
plants/acre.
For soybeans, Maryland agron
omists have long recommended
175.000 seeds/acre for conven
tional plantings, but a recent
three-year study indicates yields
are practically as strong when the
seeding rate is cut to 140,000
seeds/acre.
“Soybeans have a
tremendous ability to
compensate for low
plant populations,”
Kratochvil said.
In double-cropping
systems, he suggested
seeding rates of
180,000 seeds/acre,
down 20 percent from
previous recommenda-
tions.
And, while high
seeding rates for
wheat encourage good
primary tiller develop
ment, studies have
also shown that wheat
seeding rates can also
be reduced without a
significant effect on
yields.
A 2002 study on two
Maryland farms show-
ed that a fairly wide
range of populations
yielded the same num-
ber of bushels/acre.
On one of the re-
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Ag Showcase visitors view a baling demonstration.
search farms, populations of 17,
20, and 23 plants per row foot
yielded the same harvest. Popula
tions of 10 and 13 plants per foot,
however, yielded less.
One the other farm, all the test
populations from 10 to 23 plants
per foot produced the same
yields.
Kratochvil recommends aim
ing for 17 viable seeds per foot
or 125 million seeds/acre. That’s
down from previous recommen
dations of 1.5 million seeds/acre,
and can save farmers $3-6 per
acre on seed costs.
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He also discussed this year’s
generally poor wheat crop. The
rainy spring weather was largely
responsible for low test weights
and high levels of scab found in
wheat throughout the region, he
said.
Yields ranged from 20-55
bushels/acre, with test weights as
low as 20 pounds/bushel a
third of the standard test weight
for wheat.
The Ag Showcase offered
fanners the chance to witness
some new hay handling equip-
-16 th
Scott Rowe shows multiflora rose plots he used in
study on how to better control this invasive plant.
ment in action, talk to equipment
dealers, see a lineup of antique
tractors, hear a safety talk on
“hidden hazards on the farm,”
and check out the results of a
multiflora rose control study con
ducted onsite.
Scott Rowe, ag and natural re
sources extension educator in
Cecil County, showed the effects
that various herbicides, mechani
cal, and biological controls had
on multiflora rose thickets.
Three different herbicides
Hi-Dep 2,4-D; Roundup; and
Ally were applied to multiflora
rose plots in May 2002.
Plots, were also treated me
chanically, either alone or in con
junction with herbicide treat
ments. This included standard
mowing, and also handling the
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rose thickets with a MeriCrusher,
a piece of equipment that is simi
lar to an asphalt grinder, Rowe
noted.
The MeriCrusher did “a good
job of tearing out the rose, grind
ing it up, and incorporating
much of the trash into the soil,”
according to Rowe. The Mer
iCrusher also provided a seedbed
that allowed good establishment
of newly-seeded pasture mix.
Both in conjunction with an
herbicide or when used alone, the
MeriCrusher treatment has al
lowed “very little rose regrowth”
to date.
Goats and sheep can also pro
vide excellent control “as these
animals will go right past ‘good’
grass to get to multiflora rose.”
For more information, contact
Rowe at (410) 996-5280.
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