Ames, Iowa
May 20, 2009
More than 5 inches of rainfall
were recorded in Coles County, Illinois, last week. Reports of
4½ inches from May 13-16 were common in Crawford County,
Illinois. Crop farmers in those locations plus many others in
Indiana, Ohio and other areas of the eastern Corn Belt are
facing critical planting delays due to flooded fields which may
cause some to consider switching acres from corn to soybeans if
conditions don’t rapidly improve.
As of May 17, only 24 percent of the anticipated corn acreage
and 6 percent of the soybeans had been planted in Indiana,
compared to the 5-year average of 83 percent and 49 percent
respectively. Growers in Illinois had planted only 20 percent of
their projected corn and 1 percent of their planned soybean
acreage. That compares to the 5-year averages of 92 percent and
50 percent respectively. Ohio farmers were in a little better
shape with 39 percent of the corn crop and 17 percent of the
soybeans planted compared to the 5-year average of 82 percent
and 57 percent respectively.
Those numbers contrast to the more favorable conditions in the
western Corn Belt where, for example, corn planting in Iowa is
90 percent complete and soybean planting is 41 percent complete,
close to the normal 5-year averages.
The adverse weather which has delayed corn planting in many
states east of the Mississippi River could have a significant
negative impact on soybean yields in those areas as well, says
Charlie Hale, U.S. inoculants product manager for
Becker Underwood.
Because of the current soil saturation, plus the severe flooding
that inundated millions of those same acres last spring and
summer, agronomic experts say critically important rhizobia
populations in these soils will be significantly reduced.
“Soaked fields causing planting delays of this magnitude are
particularly vulnerable to rhizobia loss,” says Jim Beuerlein,
professor of agronomy and soybean research and extension
specialist for The Ohio State University.
“The saturation and flooding that we’ve seen across wide areas
of Illinois and Indiana and other parts of the eastern Corn
Belt, both this spring and last year, can create an anaerobic
soil environment that will kill most rhizobia in as little as
two to five days,” Beuerlein says. “Our recommendation is
certainly for soybean growers in those areas to go ahead and
inoculate their soybean seed even if they haven’t in previous
years.”
Without inoculating those fields, Beuerlein says, soybean
farmers could be sacrificing significant yield and profit
potential. Inoculating soybean seed with fresh rhizobia bacteria
at planting may take a bit of extra effort but will help
reestablish important rhizobia populations in the soil and
improve nitrogen fixation and yield potential.
“Over time, waterlogged fields can gradually become reinoculated
through small amounts of soil moved by wind, water, machinery,
insects and animals,” Beuerlein says. “Still, I would not advise
growers to rely on that method for this year’s planting. My
recommendation is they take matters into their own hands and
inoculate their soybeans with one of the highly effective and
inexpensive rhizobial products available to them,” he notes.
University studies and independent trials have consistently
shown an approximate two bushel per acre yield benefit from the
use of all inoculants, concludes Becker Underwood’s Hale. “But
the potential benefits in fields like those in Illinois, Indiana
and other areas of the eastern Corn Belt that have been
waterlogged all spring could be much higher, especially for
those producers who use a fresh inoculant having a guaranteed
high rhizobia count,” he says. “That’s really the only way to
immediately overcome the loss of native rhizobia caused under
these excessive moisture conditions.”
Becker Underwood, Inc., founded in 1982, is an international
developer of bio-agronomic and specialty products. In addition
to being the leading manufacturer of seed coatings and
colorants, the company is also the leading global producer of
inoculants, beneficial nematodes, and a wide range of
agricultural and horticultural products. To learn more about its
products, visit the company’s Web site at
www.BeckerUnderwood.com.
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