Database Research Summaries2018 In Season Drag Hose Damage Assessment
Research Focus
The focus of this project is to explore the eventual application of livestock manure to emerged soybeans.
Objectives
- Determine the yield damage from fully loaded six-inch manure drag hose across soybeans after emergence at various growth stages.
- Determine the yield damage from the tractor used to drag a fully loaded six-inch manure drag hose across soybeans after emergence at various growth stages.
- Conduct replicated research at the Northwest OARDC research location at Hoytville.
- Conduct replicated research at the Western OARDC research location at South Charleston.
Results
- SCN populations from Seneca, Crawford and Putnam counties that were originally maintained on SCN resistant soybean Peking and PI88788 have been isolated and split and planted onto Peking and PI 88788.
- Plots were 30 feet wide and 90 feet long at the northwest station. Soybeans were planted on May 7th and dragged (twice going both directions) at growth stage V1 on June 4, growth stage V3 on June 15, and growth stage V5 on June 19. Harvest occurred on October 1st.
- At the western station Plots were 30 feet wide and 200 feet long. The soybeans were planted in June due to wet weather. Each treatment was dragged only one direction. The V7 stage of growth that was dragged was on July 9th. Harvest was October 11th.
- Both plot locations were harvested with a small plot combine with a two-meter head (about 6.5 feet) allowing us to harvest a two-meter swath behind the tractor tracks and a two-meter swath to the left side and the right side of the tractor tracks. This enabled us to look at damage caused by the drag hose versus damage caused by the tractor tires. At every growth stage some wheel damage was evident, with a trend of lower yields in the center where wheels were.
- Both locations saw minimal visual damage from the dragline at soybean growth stages V1 through V3. At the V5 stage there was a small curve to the stems many of the soybean plants about three inches above the soil surface but no apparent stem damage.
- At the V7 stage (only completed OARDC at the western station on July 9th), most of the soybean plants were partially broken off at the ground level but continued to grow and produce pods. The above normal moisture probably helped the damaged soybeans to recover, as the yield average was only 1.4 bushels per acre below the check soybeans. The lowest pods on the plants were actually touching the ground, however, which could have resulted in greater fields losses during harvest.
- Both sites had plentiful rainfall in the months of July, August and September. This extra moisture may have masked yield damage from the drag hose. Stand counts were taken at both locations for each treatment and there did not appear to a stand reduction in any treatment.
Importance
If we could establish that soybeans can tolerate the damage from a manure drag hose it could open soybean fields to manure application either in May/June time frame or in the July double crop soybean time frame.
For more information about this research project, please visit the National Soybean Checkoff Research Database.
Funded in part by the soybean checkoff.
