Increased use of tillage to help warm soils and the delayed in killing cover crop are two additional reasons we see drier than normal planting condition. “Wet spring conditions forced some producers to work soils wetter than desired resulting compaction and slowed/restricted root growth in some
Irrigation water applied at ½ to
Early season irrigation can be both the cause and solution to soil crusting and emergence problems. Depending on soil type, crop residue, and irrigation application equipment early season irrigation can create some soil crusting accelerated by rapid surface drying. Small applications of water 0.2 to 0.3 inch may help to allow
Many herbicide options can be assisted by a timely rain or irrigation. Applications of 0.3 to 0.5 inch of water will move activated soil applied herbicides if rainfall does not occur within two days after herbicide application. Irrigating in herbicides can also create the problem of different levels of weed control between the dry corners and the irrigated portion of the field. Timely and directed scouting for weeds in dry corners will be needed later in the season.
Early season irrigation can be more accurately scheduled from monitoring soil moisture in the root zone rather than checkbook irrigation scheduling system for newly emerged crops. Later in the season checkbook irrigation scheduling will show its advantages over scheduling by soil moisture in the root zone alone. To learn more about checkbook irrigation visit the Michigan State University Extension Irrigation webpage. Delayed planting, slow root
Source: Lyndon Kelley, Michigan State University Extension
Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now