CROPS
Prevent crop replanting this year with planning
By Dr. Paul Tracy

Replant decisions are one of the toughest agronomic decisions we make during a season. I have written about crop replanting in this column before. And those articles discussed the thought processes and evaluation techniques used to make educated crop replanting decisions. An excellent reference on this subject is Corn and Soybean Replant Decisions by Bill Wiebold and Ray Massey from the University of Missouri. This publication can be found at: http://www.muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/crops.

Since my last article on replanting, several new technologies, agronomic practices, cropping environments and pest pressures have occurred. I’ll concentrate on management options that will help prevent poor stand establishment and eliminate/reduce the potential for stand failure and replanting this year.

Equipment is always a concern during stand establishment. Lack of proper equipment calibration and maintenance are common reasons for poor stand establishment. This has become even more important as field size and planter size have increased. Don’t just trust manufacturer planter settings. Calibrate often and periodically have your planter units tuned up. Several seed, equipment and agricultural retailer organizations provide planter tune-up services. The move away from drill seeding, especially in no-till soybeans, has reduced equipment-related stand failures.

Reduced tillage systems have led to higher amounts of crop residue at the soil surface. Therefore, we are planting into cooler/wetter soil conditions. Surface residue can also cause seed placement and soil compaction problems. Plant your heaviest residue (usually following corn), last. Strip tillage has been used in several areas of the Midwest. By tilling the immediate planting row band and leaving areas between rows undisturbed, producers can get the combined benefits of warmer/drier seedling environments with the majority of the soil surface maintaining residue coverage. Strip tillage often allows crops to get a good head start, reach pollination earlier (hopefully to avoid mid-summer heat) and should reduce the number of acres that require replanting.

No one likes to replant, but today’s higher seed costs, stimulated by the tremendous genetic advances that have occurred over the past decade, have placed greater emphasis on planting efficiencies. Seed is now much more valuable than it was just a few years ago. Even if your seed company has a generous replant program, the variety/hybrid you have selected to best fit your production practices may not be available during the replanting time period. This is especially true with 2006 soybean seed stocks, since the 2005 seed production was limited in several regions.

Fuel use during replanting has always been an input concern that is certainly magnified this season. Other costly inputs associated with replanting include equipment depreciation and operator time.

Another important factor affecting replant activity lately has been the extremely early planting dates we are now choosing. Just 10 years ago, early to mid May was the routine time to plant corn in our region. We did not get concerned about planting soybeans until at least May 15. Now we are planting corn in early April, soon to be followed by soybeans. In fact, several regions are now planting some of their soybeans before corn, often in early April.

Over the last four springs, growers who planted early have tended to produce the highest crop yields. I believe genetics have led to germination and seedling vigor improvements that allow our crops to be more tolerant of cool/wet conditions. However, early planting certainly increases the potential for cold temperatures to adversely affect germination and crop stand establishment. We are going to get burned by early planting eventually.

I suggest not planting all acreage early, prioritizing genetics best suited for early planting, and planting genetics of greatest supply first. Conversely, priority genetics of limited supply should be saved until last, when the potential of replanting is reduced.

Try to use agronomic practices that reduce the potential for replanting. Besides equipment, planting date and genetics, there are a few agronomic management practices that will help reduce replanting. Seed treatment technology has improved tremendously. Fungicides and insecticides are the primary enhancement products added to seed. Most corn hybrids come pretreated. With soybeans, choose a standard product like ApronMaxx or Cruiser Max Pak. These products will aid in reducing replanting. Situations that provide the best chance of seed treatment performance include: concern about a soil or seed borne disease; concern about early season insects; planting into a field with a history of soil borne disease or insect problems; early planting; poor soil conditions at planting; or adverse weather conditions before, during or after planting.

Planting season is one of the most exciting and optimistic times in crop production. Try to utilize optimum stand establishment management practices. Hopefully, we’ll all keep replant acreages to a minimum.