Purdue News

February 27, 1998

Proper planting helps continuous no-till corn

Terry West, research agronomist, and Gary Steinhardt, professor of agronomy, said that both techniques help to improve the seed bed and allow better seed placement. The row cleaners scrape away crop residue for a new row six to 15 inches to the side of the previous year's row.

Both researchers cautioned that although proper planting will improve continuous corn yields, it still may not yield as well as rotating corn and soybeans.

Planting no-till corn on a field that was used for no-till corn the previous year is not a popular technique with most farmers. "It's murder," Steinhardt said. "Yields can drop 15 to 20 percent."

Continuous corn can be a problem because the corn residue left over from the previous year's crop keeps the soil temperatures too low for the corn to germinate properly. Other factors, such as nonuniform seed depth, "hairpinning" of the residue and uneven plant emergence also contribute to poor yields.

But according to West, some farmers may have little choice. "Some farmers who plant continuous corn need it for livestock," he said.

For farmers who are considering planting no-till continuous corn, though, the researchers found a technique that appears to help yields. In tests at Purdue's Agronomy Research Center near West Lafayette, West and Steinhardt found that planting off the old row and using row cleaners improved yields.

• Planting corn in a fall-tilled field using a chisel plow (the traditional method, which was used as an experimental control) produced 158 bushels per acre in 1996 and 159 bushels per acre in 1997.
  
• Planting continuous no-till corn on the old row yielded 141 bushels per acre in 1996; in 1997 it produced 129 bushels per acre, a significant decrease, perhaps because the planting season in 1997 was particularly cool.
  
• Planting six inches off the old row yielded 153 bushels per acre in 1996 and 136 bushels per acre in 1997.
  
• Using row cleaners, combined with planting six inches off the old row, yielded 149 bushels per acre in 1996 and 140 bushels per acre in 1997.
  
• Using row cleaners and planting 15 inches off the old row yielded 151 bushels per acre in 1996 and 142 bushels per acre in 1997.

Both researcher stressed that taking two years' data and heading for the fields is not always wise. "One thing that's important in tillage research is multiple years of data -- otherwise you really don't have anything to hang your hat on," Steinhardt said. "Some years anything works. Other years it's a completely different story."

However, Steinhardt said that in this case using row cleaners seems to be encouraging enough that farmers may want to test them for themselves. "I would consider it a prudent thing to do," he said. "We can't demonstrate a statistically significant yield advantage with row cleaners with just two year's data, but it was obvious that with them we didn't have to do as many depth adjustments. So if nothing else it is a labor-saving device."

West said it's important for farmer's using row cleaners to make sure they are adjusted properly. "Adjust them so that they are just clearing away the debris and not disturbing the soil. You want them to just graze the top of the soil," West said. "It may be that as you pass through the fields the row cleaners occasionally may not be turning."

In addition to the no-till recommendations, West and Steinhardt have these additional recommendations for planting success:

• Make sure your seed dealer knows what kind of planter you have, so the dealer can give you the kind of seed -- round or flat, and the correct size -- that works best with your planter.
  
• Check your planter now, and not in early April. "If you're going to plant April 15 you need to have your planter ready by March 15," Steinhardt said. "If you wait until April 1 to look at your planter and you find there's a problem, you might not be able to get parts to repair it."
  
• Make sure all the electronics are operational before heading to the field.
  
• Use starter fertilizer for no-till corn.
  
• Make sure the fertilizer and insecticide applicators are calibrated. "Calibration will save you money," West said.
  
• Lubricate chains, and grease fittings.
  
• Inspect disk openers for excessive wear. Replace them if necessary.
  
• Take the owner's manual into the field for on-site planter adjustments.

Sources: Terry West, (765) 494-4799; e-mail, twest@purdue.edu
Gary Steinhardt, (765) 494-8063; e-mail, gsteinha@purdue.edu
Writer: Steve Tally, (765) 494-9809; e-mail, tally@ecn.purdue.edu; Web, www.agcom.purdue.edu/AgCom/homepages/tally/
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu

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