Tony J. Vyn & Graduate Students, Colleagues & Farmers

Strip-Till Corn Production Systems: The Known and the Unknown

Successful Strip Tillage after Soybean and Reasonable Soil Moisture Conditions

Source: Norm Larson, Elburn Co-op, IL

Fall Strip Tillage

Berms after Soybean Harvest

Berm Heights in Spring after Successful Strip Tillage

140

160

180

200

220

240

Early Normal Early Normal Early Normal

Strip-Till No-Till Chisel

Silty Clay, Corn-Soy Loam, Corn-Soy Loam, Cont. Corn

a a

b b baab ab

cabc

aab

bab ab

Corn Yield Response to Tillage and Planting Date in Indiana, 2003-04

Spring Strip-till Berms

Other Spring Tillage Options?

100110120130140150160170180190200

Turboonce

Turbotwice

FieldCultivate

Strip-till No-Till

Courtesy: Phil Walker and Allen County SWCD

Spring Strip-Till vs. Turbo-Till® or FC North-East Purdue Ag Center, Columbia City (2004)

100110120130140150160170180190200

Turboonce

Turbotwice

FieldCultivate

Strip-till No-Till

Cor

n Y

ield

(bu/

acre

)Fall Strip-Till vs. Turbo-Till® or FC North-East Purdue Ag Center, Columbia City (2005-2006)

Strip Tillage for Corn after Corn?

Split the middle w/oguidance

Source: Norm Larson, Elburn Co-op, IL

Strip-Till Corn after Corn

0102030405060708090

100

Soy Corn

Chisel

Strip-tillNo-till

Previous Crop

Surface Residue Cover (%) after Planting Loam Soil, Wanatah, IN, 2001-2005

204192

208

192201

180

120

140

160

180

200

220

Soybean Corn

Fall ChiselStrip-tillNo-till

Yie

ld (b

u./a

c)

Previous Crop

a ab

a a a

Strip Tillage for Corn after Soybean and Corn in N. Indiana, Loam Soil

(2001-07)

244230

238226

237225

120

140

160

180

200

220

240

260

Soybean Corn

Fall PlowFall ChiselStrip-TillNo-Till

Yie

ld (b

u./a

c)

Previous Crop

a ab

aaa

Tillage Effects on Corn Yields after Soybean and Corn in N. Indiana, Loam Soil

(2007)

a a a

b

226

207

Management Issues Include Automatic Guidance,Fertility, Prior Compaction, and Seed Row Uniformity

Precision of Planting Following Strip Tillage ?

Off the StripON the Strip

The Strip

Source: Norm Larson, Elburn Co-op, IL

Row Position is Critical

RTK Planting after Strip-Till (West Lafayette, 2006)

RTK Plot Harvest 2006

208

210

212

214

216

218

220

222

Mean of April 11 and 27

Strip-till RTK

Strip-till Visual

Strip-till off 7"

No-till

Chisel Plow

ab

c

bc

ab

a

Average Corn Yield Response to RTK Precision at West Lafayette, IN, 2006

Strip Tillage with Fertilizer Banding

ARLINGTON, WI STRIPARLINGTON, WI STRIP--TILLAGE PROJECTTILLAGE PROJECT

•• Tillage/rotation study Tillage/rotation study since 1997since 1997–– Plano silt loam soilPlano silt loam soil–– StripStrip--till added in 2000till added in 2000–– Cont. corn, Cont. corn,

Soybean/corn, Soybean/corn, Corn/soybeanCorn/soybean

–– PK fertilizer: None, PK fertilizer: None, broadcast, deep, and broadcast, deep, and rowrow--placed at crop placed at crop removal rateremoval rate

–– Summarize 2001 Summarize 2001 –– 2004, 2004, stripstrip--till onlytill only

ARLINGTON SOIL TESTARLINGTON SOIL TEST

YearYear pHpH Soil test PSoil test P(ppm)(ppm)

Soil test KSoil test K(ppm)(ppm)

NoneNone Bdct.Bdct. NoneNone Bdct.Bdct. NoneNone Bdct.Bdct.

20012001 6.76.7 6.76.7 4141 5151 9999 11011020052005 6.76.7 6.66.6 3838 5656 9191 120120

Source: D. Wolkowski, University of Wisconsin, 2007

CORN GRAIN YIELD AS AFFECTED BY FERTILIZER CORN GRAIN YIELD AS AFFECTED BY FERTILIZER PLACEMENT IN STRIPPLACEMENT IN STRIP--TILLTILL

160

170

180

190

200

210

Yiel

d (b

u/a)

Cont. Corn Soybean/Corn

None BDCT 2x2 DEEP

Four Year Avg. (2001 Four Year Avg. (2001 –– 2004)2004)

Source: D. Wolkowski, University of Wisconsin, 2007

Note: P2 O5 rate = 88 pounds/acre, and K2 O rate = 115 pounds/acre

All plots received a uniform 2 x 2” starter of 14 – 28 – 14 (N,P,K), plus a total N rate of 250 pounds/acre.

Strip Tillage with Nutrient Banding in Small-plot Research (West Lafayette, IN)

Sponsor: PPI-FAR 2001-2003

Note: P2 O5 rate was 88 pounds/acre, and K2 O rate was 115 pounds/acreAll plots received a uniform 2 x 2” starter of 14 – 28 – 14 (N,P,K).

High Yield Corn Response to Placement

Hybrids: 1. Pioneer 34B242. Pioneer 34M95

Population/ Acre: 1. 32,0002. 42,000

P&K Fertilizer Placements: 1. Control

2. Broadcast3. Shallow Band (6”)4. Deep Band (12”)5. Shallow + Deep (6” and 12”)

100

120

140

160

180

200

220

2001 2002 2003

Control

Broadcast

Band 6"

Band 12"

Band 6" and 12"

b abab a a

Yiel

d (b

u/ac

re)

BA A A A

“CONTROL”Soil-test P (0-4”): 15 25 30

(4-8”): 15 15 21Soil-test K (0-4”): 94 143 161

(4-8”): 107 101 110

Corn Yield Response to Fertility Placement, West Lafayette, IN, (2001-2003).

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

32,000 42,000

ControlBroadcastBand 6"Band 12"Band 6" & 12"

Plants/acre

K %

Placement Effects of P plus K on Leaf K % for Pion. 34M95 in 2003

120130140150160170180190200210220

32,000 ppa 42,000 ppa

ControlBroadcastBand 6"Band 12"Band 6+12C

orn

Yiel

d (b

u/ac

re)

aab ab ab

Corn Yield Response of Pion. 34M95 to Alternate P plus K Placements in 2003

Corn Response to Deep Banding at 6” Depth

2005 2005 –– 2006 Experimental design2006 Experimental design

Field 54-55 July 7, 2006Split-split Plot Design

A) Block -2005: 5 - 2006: 6

B) Hybrid1_ Pioneer 31N28 (119 CRM)2_ Pioneer 31G68 (118 CRM)

C) Fertility Placement 1_ Check2_ Broadcast P+K 3_ Banded P+K4_ Banded P5_ Banded K

(applied in the previous fall)

N

C) 1,2,3,4,5

B)-1 B) 2

Soil sampling (June/04)Planting 5/10/04

Residual Effects of Fertilizer P and K Placement in Corn on Subsequent No-till Soybean (2002-2006)

100

120

140

160

180

200

220

240

260

2001-2003-2005-2007

2002 2004 2006

Control

Broadcast P & K

Deep-Band P & K

Soil-test P (0-4”): 22 104 (4-8”): 21 94

Soil-test K (0-4”): 186 164 (4-8”): 94 125

Yiel

d (b

ushe

ls/a

cre)

aab

abba

abb aab

b

Six inch Band P and K Placement Effects on Strip-till Corn Yield (mean of 2 hybrids, 2001-2006)

Starter Fertilizer* Influence on Corn Response to Deep Banding (2007)

100

120

140

160

180

200

220

240

260

No Starter Starter

ControlBroadcastDeep Band P&KDeep Band PDeep Band K

* Starter was 10-34-0

P<0.0001y = 8.0532x + 12614

R2 = 0.2612000

13000

14000

15000

16000

100 150 200 250 300

Soil-K 0-10 cm (ppm)

Yie

ld (k

g/ha

)

Broadcast P+K Banded P+K Banded KBanded P Check

Medium P Very high P

P<0.0001y = 77.663x + 10825

R2 = 0.438000

10000

12000

14000

16000

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Soil-P 0-10 cm (ppm)

Yie

ld (k

g/ha

)

Broadcast P+K Banded P+K Banded KBanded P Check

* Grain yields (2005) * Grain yields (2006)

Corn grain yield relationships, within fertility treatments, to soil-test P or K at the plot level.

P<0.0001y = 35614x + 5032.5

R2 = 0.66

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30

Ear leaf P concentration (%)

Yie

ld (k

g/ha

)

Broadcast P+K Banded P+K Banded KBanded P Check

ACRE 2001-2006 Experiment

Corn grain yield relationships, within fertility treatments, to ear leaf-P or K at the plot level.

Medium P Soil* Grain yields (2005)

Very high P

P=0.0001y = 876.28x + 12815

R2 = 0.23

12000

13000

14000

15000

16000

1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

Ear leaf K concentration (%)

Yie

ld (k

g/ha

)

Broadcast P+K Banded P+K Banded KBanded P Check

* Grain yields (2006)

SIMBAL model for soil moisture availability related to corn grain yielddifferences in 2004 versus 2005.

PWP 30 mm

PWP 54 mm

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55 58 61 64 67 70 73 76 79 82 85 88 91 94 97 100103106109

2004 - Days after planting

0-15 cm 15-30 cm

Soil

moi

stur

e co

nten

t (m

m)

SILKING

PWP 26 mm

PWP 43 mm

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76 81 86 91 96 101106111116121

2005 - Days after planting

Soil

moi

stur

e co

nten

t (m

m)

0-15 cm 15-30 cm

SILKINGV10

2004

2005

Strip-till Corn: The Known1. Strip-till corn yields are no better than no-till corn

yields when corn follows soybean.2. The biggest advantages for strip-till over no-till are

increased planting date flexibility, early soil warmth, and the opportunity for fertilizer banding.

3. Strip tillage is clearly superior to no-till on medium to fine-textured soils (with poor drainage) when corn follows corn.

Strip-till Corn: The Unknown1. P and K fertilizer placement: Should deep-band always be in the same position? Can deep-band replace starter? Can deep-band replace broadcast altogether? Can P and K rates be lowered? Soil sampling position?2. What are the best options in spring when wet falls

prevent completion of fall strip-till?3. Can strip-till equal the erosion control of no-till on

steep slopes?

5. Optimum row position when strip-till corn follows corn?

6. The additional yield and profitability gains with automatic guidance & controlled traffic systems in future.

4. Relative importance of the shank design versus the berm configurations in achieving higher yields on different soils.

Strip-till Corn: The Unknown (Continued)

7. Who is going to do the Research!

Funding:USDA-CASMGS Purdue University (Mary S. Rice & Mission Oriented Funds)Foundation for Agronomic Research (PPI or IPNI)Fluid Fertilizer FoundationJohn Deere & Co.

Equipment:John Deere Cropping Systems Unit

Case-DMI (Goodfield, IL)Remlinger (Kalida, OH)

Seed:Pioneer Hi-Bred, Int.

Acknowledgments

Thanks!

tvyn@purdue.edu home page:

//www.agry.purdue.edu/staffbio/vyn