Manage nitrogen, avoid lodging
Last year was typical for lodged barley crops, but feed and malt barley prices at highly profitable levels made lodging particularly bothersome.
Lodged barley crops not only reduced yield and quality, but also increased the long-standing frustration of lower profitability.
“If you’re going for high yield, understand what contributes to lodging and then work to avoid it,” says John Harapiak, manager of agronomic services with Westco Fertilizers in Calgary.
Look at fertility program
A balanced fertility program is central to good fertility management. Although the on- going recommendation to apply fertilizer based on soil tests still stands, Harapiak says a new trend is emerging worth considering.
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“If a farmer has been consistently using high rates of nitrogen in the past and getting high yields, there appears to be a more active nitrogen pool in the soil. In some cases, that pool contributes to a bigger flush of nitrogen during the growing season than would otherwise occur,” explains Harapiak.
The result is a large nitrogen uptake by the plants prior to tillering, which produces heavy vegetative growth – and eventual lodging.
“If a farmer consistently has lodging, under these circumstances he should review his fertilizer program and consider reducing his nitrogen fertilizer rates compared to those based on the soil test results.”
Phosphorus and potash
Phosphorus and potash fertility also play a role in promoting straw strength and need to be included in a fertility program if soil tests warrant. In addition, chlorine, present in potash fertilizer, can help prevent root and leaf diseases that weaken straw strength.
Harapiak offers another application tip: Consider using split nitrogen applications that apply three-quarters to two-thirds of the nitrogen prior to or at seeding, and the balance at the late tillering stage. The early-applied nitrogen will contribute mostly to vegetative growth while the nitrogen applied at tillering tends to be more concentrated on seed production.
“Split applications will help keep the crop standing a bit more but will boost protein content…so you wouldn’t want to do it with malt barley,” explains Harapiak.
Location important
The topography of the areas that lodge require close scrutiny. Often the worst lodging occurs in the low-lying areas of a field with high moisture, high fertility, and quite often high vegetative growth.
“Use some of the theories of site specific farming to analyze and manage these sites separately from the rest of the field,” urges Harapiak. “Take separate soil samples to get a clear understanding of the fertility in these areas. Use variable rate fertilizer practices to reduce rates of nitrogen in the low spots, and maybe put more nitrogen on the high spots.”
Site specific farming without high-tech equipment can be accomplished simply by skipping low spots of the field when banding and then going back to apply lighter rates later. Applicators that have switches that turn on different tanks in an air seeder can also accomplish site specific fertilization.
Aim for a healthy plant stand
In addition to fertility, there are many other areas of production which should be adjusted to manage crop lodging. Possibly the most important is plant populations.
“Seeding rate and plant populations do play a role in lodging, but it is contrary to what most people think,” says Murray McLelland, cereals specialist with Alberta Agriculture at Lacombe.
“Most growers think that heavier rates will lead to a shorter crop that is less likely to lodge, but that only works to a certain point. If you seed too heavy, the crop will become spindly and more prone to lodging.”
McLelland said seeding rate should be based on plant population and not bushels per acre. “There’s a 40 percent difference in plant population between Galt and Harrington when an equal bushel per acre seeding rate is used. That’s why I would rather evaluate plant populations.”
Recommended plant populations
The best overall recommendation on barley lodging is try to achieve a healthy plant stand. That means looking after fertility, ensuring disease is minimized and weed control is adequate. Also, take lodging resistance into account when making variety selections and be certain to seed shallow into a firm, warm seedbed.
“Do everything you can to grow a strong, healthy crop. And if you are growing barley where lodging consistently occurs, think about going to a semi-dwarf variety,” McLelland said
– Westco Fertilizer
