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Published 18 May 2006
Running Out of Rainy Day Jobs?
R.L. (Bob) Nielsen
Agronomy Dept., Purdue Univ.
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054
Email address:
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there is a bright side to the persistent rains of the past 7 days or so, I suppose
it’s that many growers have been able to work on those rainy day jobs
they’ve been procrastinating on since the beginning of this planting season.
By now, though, there’s probably a lot of thumb twiddling going on as
storms continue to rumble through the state, further delaying the completion
of corn and soybean planting.
Maybe you were fortunate enough to have received some GPS toys from Santa this
past Christmas. Perhaps he left you a new pocket PC outfitted with a WAAS-enabled
DGPS receiver and some nifty field mapping software? Maybe these new GPS toys
helped you justify the purchase of that new ATV so that you could map a few
field boundaries while you cruise around the farm?
Now that you’ve mapped the boundaries of every field on your farm (and
maybe your neighbor’s fields, too) with these toys and grid soil sampled
down to the nearest half acre, what else is there to do with these high-priced
high-tech gadgets? The current delay to the finish of corn and soybean planting
offers an opportunity for georeferencing (mapping) potential yield limiting
factors now while you’re waiting for the fields to dry out.
- Got ponded areas or seriously wet spots in your fields? Map those boundaries
for future tile drainage decisions or for future crop scouting activities.
- Got large patches of Canada thistle or other nasty perennial weeds popping
up everywhere? Map the boundaries for future site-specific herbicide applications
(what we used to call spot spraying.) Annotate those mapped boundaries with
ratings of the severity of the weed problem so that you can prioritize your
spraying schedule.
- Got tile blowouts or sinkholes from recent goose drownders? Map those spots
so that you remember where they are when you get around to fixing them or
to help you avoid them with the tractor and planter when you plant that field.
- Got distinct areas of wonderfully green winter annual weeds that have been
attracting every black cutworm (BCW) moth in the country this spring? Map
those areas for future site-specific monitoring of BCW larvae feeding activity
on the corn that will eventually be growing in those fields.
Fig. 1. Example of mapping a 56-ac field for features of possible interest relative
to subsequent yield data interpretation, including boundaries of muddy areas,
drain standpipes, boulders that need to be removed, areas where water flowed
during rainstorms, and deer trails. Source: RLNielsen, 2006, Purdue Univ.
Once you've mapped these yield limiting factors, don't stop for the season.
Put these GPS-enabled mapping and scouting devices to work throughout the year
as other yield limiting factors develop.
Successful yield map interpretation depends on more than just soil maps and
intensive soil nutrient sampling. There are a gozillion factors that influence
the yield of corn and soybean, the combinations and spatial locations of which
change every year. Successful site-specific crop management depends on site-specific
identification of as many of these yield-limiting factors as is humanly possible.
Online Sources of Information
IIf Santa did not bring you any handheld GPS toys, the following Web sites
may help you choose some for yourself.
- Handheld PDAs:
- GPS hardware for handhelds:
- Some field mapping & scouting software for handhelds:
Disclaimer: The preceding Web sites are intended
for informational purposes only. Inclusion on or exclusion from the list of
Web sites mean absolutely nothing relative to whether I support, condone or
otherwise recommend particular GPS hardware or software.
For other information about corn, take a look at the Corn Growers' Guidebook
at http://www.kingcorn.org.
©2006, Purdue University, all rights reserved. It is the policy of the
Purdue Agronomy Department that all
persons shall have equal opportunity and access to its programs and facilities
without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, or disability.
Purdue University is an Affirmative Action
employer. This material may be available in alternative formats.
End of document
