dontknowanything
Member
- Location
- Cambridge
Planted when?
How's this for low disturbance?
- Thread starter dontknowanything
- Start date
matttargett4
Member
That maize plant above wasn't planted into compacted soil, it was planted into tilled soil which was too wet and the dd opener compacted, the shape of the slot is clearly visible in the root structure, look back at at my posts from. 2 or so years ago, also the beginning of this thread.
I have the same thing going on here, field that had rye grass strips and cereal rye strips, everywhere the grass and the cereal rye were strong the maize is well behind the places which had minimal cover, at one time I thought it would be a failure but it's coming along now, I estimate its 7-10days behind, still a little early to do grain counts on it but the other stuff is in front of any of my conventional.
However last yr I completed the same experiment and the strip into rye grass strip grew like mad, gues the yrs are different.
I think a lot of its moisture at depth, not its not compaction, I used a drill with a subs oiler leg running under 3 of the rows and not under the fourth, there's no difference.
I would also seriously be looking for sidewall compaction before repeating the experiment
I have the same thing going on here, field that had rye grass strips and cereal rye strips, everywhere the grass and the cereal rye were strong the maize is well behind the places which had minimal cover, at one time I thought it would be a failure but it's coming along now, I estimate its 7-10days behind, still a little early to do grain counts on it but the other stuff is in front of any of my conventional.
However last yr I completed the same experiment and the strip into rye grass strip grew like mad, gues the yrs are different.
I think a lot of its moisture at depth, not its not compaction, I used a drill with a subs oiler leg running under 3 of the rows and not under the fourth, there's no difference.
I would also seriously be looking for sidewall compaction before repeating the experiment
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Do you just subsoil headlands and gateways, or random strips of the field?
dontknowanything
Member
- Location
- Cambridge
Both
dontknowanything
Member
- Location
- Cambridge
Still doesn't explain the good patches.
Only thing which makes sense is hedge protection from wind/cold.
But what to do about it?
- Location
- Essex
I know this doesn't hel you; but yesterday I drove from Sudbury/Bury/Newmarket/Ely/Sutton, and saw various field scale crops of Maize (presumably not dd). Without exception, they were all uneven and quite pale looking.
RushesToo
Member
- Location
- Fingringhoe
A few thoughts,
- Plant rows as far as possible 90 degrees to prevailing wind [may be run off problems?]
- Intersperse with strips of something that has height when the maize starts, beans maybe give protection to 30cm's
- Move
Plant later, plant under plastic. Don't grow it, we are marginal for maize in this country, some farms will be more marginal than others.
Is the soil type different in the patches? Or perhaps inherent fertility from perhaps muck being applied years ago on a drier strip under the hedge over many years, was the drilling depth different because of soil type? we walked past a field of maize on sunday that was good over most of it but one drill width was very poor, it I would guess was about the area of ins and outs with the plough cultivator etc and the group consensus was that the drill had gone too deep
dontknowanything
Member
- Location
- Cambridge
Drill later...was done toward end of May!
dontknowanything
Member
- Location
- Cambridge
Soil not different that I know of. Drilling depth was the same, machine did a good job.
Could it be a pest problem ? leather jackets or wireworm ? Not sure if they affect maize, did previous crops ever have differences in those areas?
dontknowanything
Member
- Location
- Cambridge
This is a join between sub soiled and not:
This is a plant from the middle of the field:
This is a plant from the middle of the field:
Feldspar
Member
- Location
- Essex, Cambs and Suffolk
Have you done any tissues analysis? Stems look very purple. Maybe analysis might give a clue as to what the cause was.
dontknowanything
Member
- Location
- Cambridge
Nope
Louis Mc
Member
- Location
- Meath, Ireland
Phosphate deficiency would be my guess. Lack of tillage = less nutirents available to plants?? Worse this year as (with us anyway) soil has been very slow to warm up. Cold soil = less nutrients available.....A lot of purple leaves where we tried to use the Claydon for maize, I think we didn't place enough fertiliser to compensate for tillage. But I could be way off.....
- Location
- Vale of Belvoir
I would go for this
You haven't moved any soil of any amount. not even subsoiling will make a massive difference. Maize this year has shown a huge response to DAP. I have places that have had double (300 kgs) and the maize is twice as tall at the moment. With no-till or very little soil movement in a cold spring, you haven't had the natural release. Warm happy plant will find the mobile P easier than a shut down one. It's a viscous circle. I have the hedge affect in all of my fields some where it's knee height in the middle and 7 feet next to the hedge or wood! Fickle crop...
Did you apply any herbicides when the maize was under any stress at all? I've only game cover, but it looks similar, with some unexplained good patches, but rest very stunted, and purple stems, some have even died out. I'm 100% sure it was chemical damage applied when maize was drought stricken, but why some plants have withstood it, and others died right next to each other, I have no idea.
dontknowanything
Member
- Location
- Cambridge
Will be silaged soon hopefully.
Will try again next year, and drill with a tine not too late, probably mid to end of April.
Will try again next year, and drill with a tine not too late, probably mid to end of April.