Corn Production Practices Research Articles

Insect Pest Diversity on Maize Farming at UPT Tanjung Selamat, Deli Serdang Regency: A Case Study

UPT Tanjung Selamat located in North Sumatra is one of significant corn farming areas in North Sumatra which currently faces disturbance from insects. This study investigates insect pest diversity in corn fields at two growth stages, 25 and 60 days after planting (DAP), within the UPT Tanjung Selamat area of Deli Serdang Regency. Yellow sticky traps were installed in designated sites as approaches to collect and identify insect pest community in the area. Our results showed that at 25 DAP, three pest species were identified, while at 60 DAP, seven species were recorded, showcasing higher diversity at the latter stage. The insect pest with the highest population density at both growth stages of maize is Cicadulina bipunctata, with 48.12 ind/m² at 60 DAP and 36.67 ind/m² at 25 DAP. The total insect pest density peaked at 60 DAP (61.44 individuals/m²) and reached its lowest at 30 DAP (49.38 individuals/m²). Similarly, the diversity index was highest at 60 DAP (1.283), contrasting with the lowest value at 25 DAP (0.652). The evenness index mirrored these trends, peaking at 60 DAP (0.659) and reaching its lowest at 25 DAP (0.593). The Sorensen similarity index indicated a 60% similarity between the two periods, reflecting relatively similar insect pest compositions. These findings highlight the dynamic nature of insect pest populations in maize fields at different growth stages, emphasizing the need for age-specific management strategies. This study contributes valuable insights for optimizing pest control measures and promoting sustainable corn production practices.

2023 Southeast Research and Extension Center Agricultural Research Report

The 2023 Southeast Research and Extension Center Agricultural Research report includes research conducted in the areas of beef cattle management, cropping systems, and forage crops. Topics include various grazing and nutrient input for steers and heifers; wheat, soybean, and corn production practices and results, as well as soil health practices; and burning and nutrient practices along with efforts for improvement of native and tall fescue range grasses.

Organic Corn Production Practices and Profitability in the Eastern U.S. Corn Belt

Efforts to assess and improve the sustainability performance of the growing organic farming sector depend on an accurate understanding of farm structure and management practices. To contribute to the dearth of literature in this area, we conducted a survey of over 850 certified organic corn growers in four states (Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) in the spring of 2018. Findings show that most organic corn growers in this region had diversified livestock operations (mostly dairy) on relatively small farms (10–100 ha), which contrasts with trends of specialization and growth in farm size. More than half were dairy farmers, and nearly two-thirds farmed with horses (likely Amish). Soil fertility and health were managed by the use of manure, cover crops, forages, and a variety of other soil amendments. Organic corn growers relied heavily on moldboard plow tillage. All producers had positive net returns to labor and management in 2017, though net returns varied widely across operations. The results have implications for assessing the sustainability of organic farming systems, and for designing scientific research and extension/outreach programs to ensure they address the needs of the diverse organic farming population in this region.

Life cycle and economic assessment of corn production practices in the western US Corn Belt

Environmental impacts of corn production practices have been studied using life cycle assessment (LCA) across different regions across the world. Yet, most LCA on corn production focused on process-based approach, without considering environmental impacts embedded in economic service activities (e.g., insurance and overhead management). Besides, joint assessment on environmental and economic impacts of various corn production practices as well as trade-offs analysis between different environmental impact categories for different corn production practices also remains rare. To fill these knowledge gaps, a hybrid inventory approach is applied to account for environmental impacts of corn production employing different practices in different regions of Nebraska (a representative state of western US Corn Belt). The environmental and economic impacts of corn production are found to vary with geographical regions, water sources, and corn seed hybrids. Trade-offs between global warming potential (GWP) and overall environmental burdens (represented as a composite single score) are found among practices; that is, practices with lower GWP do not necessarily have a lower overall environmental single score (a composite of ten environmental impact categories). Improving the energy efficiency of existing diesel irrigation pumps offers an important avenue to reduce GHGs and environmental impacts from irrigated corn practices. Environmental impacts from economic service activities only have a marginal contribution to the overall results; among all practices, the largest contributions are on fossil fuel depletion (1.6 to 6.6%), implying that a process-based inventory is sufficient. The production costs and crop yield among the seven practices range from $145.6 to $218.0 per ton and 2286 to 6858 kg per acre. The analysis of crop yield variability shows that the irrigated practices help reduce variability of GWP, environmental single score, and production cost, compared to the rainfed practices. The methodology framework applying hybrid LCA and joint environmental and economic assessment at detailed process level can also be used to quantify the environmental impacts of other crops and be extended to develop fast and flexible assessment tool towards sustainable agricultural production.

Agronomic Factors Associated with Bacterial Leaf Streak Development Caused by Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum in Corn.

In 2016, the bacterium Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum was reported causing bacterial leaf streak on Nebraska corn. Prior to this report, the pathogen was reported on corn only in South Africa. Hence, there was a lack of information about the effects of corn production practices on bacterial leaf streak development. A survey of growers, crop consultants, extension agents, and others in the field of agriculture was initiated during the 2016 and 2017 corn growing seasons to examine agronomic factors that may affect the disease. Survey respondents were asked to submit a symptomatic leaf sample for pathogen confirmation via polymerase chain reaction, along with a completed survey on corn production practices. Analyses of 325 survey responses via random forest analysis indicated that irrigation, planting date, and crop rotation were the three most important predictors of corn samples testing positive for X. vasicola pv. vasculorum. According to a classification and regression tree analysis, irrigation use, the V7-R2 range of crop stages, multiple years of corn in a crop rotation or a corn-sorghum rotation, and planting dates after 2 May, were most closely associated with corn samples testing positive for X. vasicola pv. vasculorum. χ2 tests of independence indicated that applications of nitrogen fertilizer and glyphosate herbicide use may also be related to bacterial leaf streak development.

Swine Manure, Nematicides, and Long‐Term Tillage Change Soil Ecology in Corn and Soybean Production

Core Ideas Swine manure enriched the soil food web in ways that conventional fertilizers did not. Tillage increased abundances of enrichment‐opportunist nematodes. Aldicarb nematicide negatively affected nontarget free‐living nematodes, but inconsistently. Corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] are important crops and a major part of the US landscape. Soybean and corn production practices influence soil ecology, and good soil quality is essential for crop productivity. Fertilizer application, tillage, and pesticide application are foundational practices in these crops, and the nematode community is a useful indicator of changes in soil ecology. Therefore, the nematode community was assessed in a series of 2‐yr experiments in corn and soybean production. Long‐term conventional tillage and minimum tillage treatments were in place at the study site for 14 yr at the start of the study. Additional treatments were combinations of conventional fertilizers (N‐P‐K and N‐P‐K‐S), liquid swine manure, and granular nematicide (aldicarb or terbufos). Manure application consistently and substantially increased bacterivore abundances compared with conventional fertilizers or untreated control, with effects continuing over a year after application. Bacterivores are resource opportunists, so this indicates that manure application enriched the soil food web in ways that conventional fertilizers did not. Tillage also enriched the soil food web, based on increased bacterivore and fungivore abundances, albeit inconsistently between rotations. Aldicarb nematicide was generally effective against plant‐parasitic nematodes but also decreased abundances of nontarget free‐living nematodes, albeit inconsistently. Omnivores and predators had relatively small abundances throughout the study, and neither tillage nor fertilizer application affected these nematodes. In summary, agricultural practices influenced soil ecology, and manure application had the strongest influence among the practices tested, shifting the food web to an enriched condition.

The causes and unintended consequences of a paradigm shift in corn production practices

Abstract Independent but simultaneously occurring changes in U.S. agricultural and energy policies in conjunction with advances in biotechnology converged to create an economic and regulatory environment that incentivized corn acreage expansion. Advancements in Bt seed and ethanol production technologies contributed to scale efficiency gains in corn and biofuel production. These advancements were accompanied by changes in market forces that altered the balance between corn and other agricultural crop production. The causal linkages among Bt adoption, ethanol production, and corn production are explored along with a discussion of how this shift toward corn production generated unexpected economic and environmental consequences. Alternative policy solutions to mitigate the negative consequences and enhance the resiliency of U.S. agriculture are discussed.

Agronomic Management Strategies to Reduce the Yield Loss Associated with Spring Harvested Corn in Ontario

Some growers in northern corn (Zea mays L.) producing regions forgo the typical autumn harvest for various reasons, but not without the risk of significant yield loss. Therefore, strategies are needed for managing the risks to yield when harvesting corn in spring. Field experiments, with various management strategies, were initiated in Ontario, Canada near Belmont and Ridgetown in 2009 and near Belmont, Ridgetown, and Lucan in 2010. Management strategies investigated the use of hybrids with a range in maturity, the use of standard and reduced plant populations, and the use of a foliar fungicide applied around tasseling. The parameters examined were stay-green in autumn, lodging in spring, and grain yield, moisture, and test weight of corn harvested in autumn and spring. Standard corn production practices consist of using a full-season hybrid planted at 80,000 plants&middotha-1 with no late-season fungicide application; however, if over-wintered at Belmont, corn managed using these practices resulted in a 23.1% yield loss (12.1 vs 9.3 Mg&middotha-1) averaged across years when the crop was harvested in the spring. An overwintering management strategy for corn was identified, which consisted of planting at a reduced plant population (60,000 plants&middotha-1) and spraying the crop with QUILT&reg (azoxystrobin + propiconazole at 200 g a.i. ha-1) at the VT to R1 growth stage. Averaged across all hybrids, this strategy minimized yield losses through improvements on corn standability with only a 3.5% yield loss at Ridgetown and a 13.2% yield loss at Belmont. Furthermore, grain test weights for corn with the overwintering strategy were similar to or greater than corn overwintered with the standard production practice. However, weather conditions have the potential to overwhelm any management strategy. In spite of the favorable data indicating reduced risks with a spring harvest, lodging was still higher than expected and yield losses would likely be unacceptable for most growers to make a spring corn harvest a widely accepted practice, unless autumn grain moistures are extremely high, drying charges are high, and if stalk strength going into the winter was exceptional.

Italian Ryegrass (Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum) and Corn (Zea mays) Competition

Italian ryegrass is an annual/biennial grass that is typically used as a pasture crop or a cover crop along roadsides, rights-of-way, and industrial areas. Glyphosate-resistant (GR) Italian ryegrass populations have been documented around the world, mostly in orchard and vineyard situations. The first evidence of evolved GR Italian ryegrass in row/agronomic crops was reported from Washington County, Mississippi in 2005. GR Italian ryegrass populations can jeopardize preplant burndown options in reduced-tillage crop production systems, thereby, delaying planting operations. The effects of competition of Italian ryegrass on crop growth and yield are poorly understood. A field study was conducted in the 2012 growing season and repeated in the 2013 growing season. GR and susceptible (GS) Italian ryegrass populations were established in the greenhouse and transplanted in prepared corn row beds in the fall of 2011 and 2012 at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 plants·meter> of crop row. Italian ryegrass plants overwintered and developed over the following spring-summer. Glyphosate was applied at 1.26 kg·ae/ha (1.5× of labeled rate) in the spring to burndown the Italian ryegrass plants and corn was planted into the ryegrass residue 2 - 3 wk later. Current corn production practices were followed. Corn density (early and late season), height (early season), and yield and Italian ryegrass biomass (early-mid season) measurements were recorded during both years. Corn height was greater in 2012 than that in 2013 at comparable stages of the growing season, due to a cooler and wetter early season in 2013 than that in 2012. Averaged across weed densities, corn density (both early and late season) and yield were higher in the GS than those in the GR population, but Italian ryegrass biomass was similar for both populations. Averaged across Italian ryegrass populations, corn density (both early and late season), and yield were inversely proportional to Italian ryegrass density. In summary, Italian ryegrass significantly reduced corn density and yield and reduction was greater with the GR than that with the GS population. Studies are underway to study inter population competition in Italian ryegrass and investigate allelopathic effects of Italian ryegrass on selected crops.

Modeling Corn Ethanol and Climate

SummaryNew fuel regulations based on life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have focused renewed attention on life cycle models of biofuels. The BESS model estimates 25% lower life cycle GHG emissions for corn ethanol than does the well‐known GREET model, which raises questions about which model is more accurate. I develop a life cycle metamodel to compare the GREET and BESS models in detail and to explain why the results from these models diverge. I find two main reasons for the divergence: (1) BESS models a more efficient biorefinery than is modeled in the cases to which its results have been compared, and (2) in several instances BESS fails to properly count upstream emissions. Adjustments to BESS to account for these differences raise the estimated global warming intensity (not including land use change) of the corn ethanol pathway considered in that model from 45 to 61 g CO2e MJ−1. Adjusting GREET to use BESS's biorefinery performance and coproduct credit assumptions reduces the GREET estimate from 64 to 61 g CO2e MJ−1. Although this analysis explains the gap between the two models, both models would be improved with better data on corn production practices and by better treatment of agricultural inputs.

Sweet Corn Nutrient Uptake and Removal

Current emphasis on writing comprehensive nutrient management plans for crop production in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States requires accurate crop nutrient removal values for vegetable crops. Therefore, studies were conducted to measure nutrient uptake in harvested fresh sweet corn (Zea mays) ears in 2003 on a sandy loam soil and in 2004 on a silt loam soil, in New Jersey. Nine varieties were included in the study to represent early, mid-, and late-season hybrids. Corn production practices followed local extension recommendations. The crop was seeded by hand and thinned to ensure a uniform within-row spacing of 9 inches and a population of 23,231 plants/acre. Nutrient concentrations were determined on ear and stover samples oven-dried at 70 °C for 72 hours. Mean nutrient uptake values for full-season varieties based on a typical sweet corn yield of 150 cwt/acre (about 18,396 ears/acre) would be projected to remove (in lb/acre) 51 N, 9.1 P, 34 K, 3.7 S, 2.0 Ca, 3.9 Mg, 0.024 B, 0.09 Fe, 0.044 Mn, 0.014 Cu, and 0.072 Zn. Values for N, P, and K are similar to reference values in Knott's Handbook for Vegetable Growers (4th ed.). Due to smaller ear size, nutrient removal values were generally lower for early and mid-season varieties. In 2004 only, nutrient removal by harvesting the crop residue was also determined by assuming a harvest of 23,231 plants/acre, minus the upper ear for the average full-season hybrid. This biomass was found to remove (in lb/acre) 126 N, 13.4 P, 173 K, 11.6 S, 20.6 Ca, 13.6 Mg, 0.05 B, 0.37 Fe, 0.30 Mn, 0.05 Cu, and 0.13 Zn.

Water and nitrate loss through tiles under a clay loam soil in Ontario after 42 years of consistent fertilization and crop rotation

Concerns about increasing concentrations of agricultural nitrate in water resources have led to calls for new or revised agricultural land management practices. An essential step towards developing new practices is a good understanding of long-term, or “baseline”, nitrate leaching into tile drainage water, both with and without annual application of nitrogen fertilizer. Accordingly, an automated monitoring system was installed to measure nitrate levels in tile drainage water from experimental plots on a Brookston clay loam soil in southwestern Ontario that have had consistent agricultural management for 42 years. Crops included conventionally tilled continuous corn (CC, Zea mays L.), continuous bluegrass sod ( Poa pratensis L.) and a corn–oat ( Avena sativa L.)–alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.)–alfalfa rotation with all four crops of the rotation present each year. Fertilized and not-fertilized phases were included with each of the six crops to give a total of 12 treatments. Measurements included precipitation, tile discharge, corn yield and nitrate concentration and total nitrate loss in tile drainage water. The fertilized CC, fertilized rotation corn and second year fertilized alfalfa treatments produced 3-year flow weighted mean (FWM) nitrate concentrations in tile drainage water of 15.2, 18.0 and 16.2 mg N l −1, respectively, all of which exceed the Canadian and European drinking water guideline values of 10 and 11.3 mg N l −1, respectively. The 3-year cumulative nitrate losses were high at 82.0 kg N ha −1 for fertilized CC, 99.9 kg N ha −1 for fertilized rotation corn and 69.8 kg N ha −1 for second year fertilized alfalfa. Given that the existing fertilizer recommendations are required to achieve economic corn yields, these results indicate that current corn production practices on Brookston clay loam can potentially cause nitrate pollution of the rural environment, as well as substantial economic loss to corn producers through inefficient crop use of applied nitrogen fertilizer. There is consequently a need for new agricultural practices that can increase the nitrogen use efficiency of corn production and minimize nitrate loss to the environment.

Eastern Gamagrass Silage Fermentation Characteristics and Quality under Different Nitrogen Rates

Perennial grass silages are needed as alternatives to corn (Zea mays L.) silage on erosive cropland. Eastern gamagrass [Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.] may offer an alternative to corn for silage production, but it's fermentation characteristics and quality under different rates of N have not been evaluated. A 5-yr-old stand of «PMK-24' eastern gamagrass was treated in 1991 and 1992 with ammonium nitrate at 0, 100, and 200 Ib N/acre and harvested for silage. Corn was grown adjacent to the eastern gamagrass stand in 1992 for comparison. First harvest eastern gamagrass forage was ensiled at the seed development stage in 1991 and inflorescence emergence stage in 1992, and regrowth forage at the vegetative stage both years. Eastern gamagrass silage pH was not influenced by stage of maturity or N rates, and averaged 0.4 to 0.8 pH units greater than corn silage

Fall Armyworm Resistance in Corn and Its Supression of Larval Survival and Growth1

AbstractThe fall armyworm [Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith)] is a serious pest of late planted corn (Zea mays L.) in the South; however, corn genotypes which show reduced leaf feeding damage have been developed. To study the effects of corn genotypes with and without resistance to leaf feeding by the fall armyworm on larvae development, field tests were conducted at Mississippi State, Miss. and Tifton, Ga. in 1980 and 1981. Experiments at Tifton were grown on a Tifton loamy sand (fine‐loamy, siliceous, Thermic, Plinthic Paleudult), and the experiments at Mississippi State were grown on a Leeper silty clay loam (fine, montmorillonitic, nonacid, thermic, Vertic Haplaquepts). Standard corn production practices were followed although soil insecticides were not applied. Fall armyworm larvae were placed in the whorls of susceptible and resistant corn genotypes at the 5 and 10‐leaf stages of growth. Fewer larvae were recovered from the resistant than the susceptible genotypes 8 days after infestation. Larvae produced on the resistant corn genotypes were also smaller than those produced on susceptible genotypes. Both number of surviving larvae and larval weights were highly correlated with leaf feeding ratings. Selections for reduced larval survival and growth, as well as reduced leaf feeding damage, should enhance efforts to develop corn genotypes with higher levels of resistance to fall armyworm.

Corn Prices, the Fuel Shortage and Optimal Corn Harvesting Strategies

The unprecedented demand for United States feed grains has boosted corn prices to record levels. If corn prices continue at these record levels, corn production practices and the demand for corn production inputs likely will be affected. One of the corn production practices that may be affected is harvesting. And because of the increased use of field shelling and artificial drying, changes in corn-harvesting practices may have an impact on the demand for propane fuel used in corn drying. Future supplies of propane, however, may be limited, or higher priced, or both. The analysis reported in this paper is an attempt to estimate the impact of higher corn and propane prices on harvesting strategies, on the quantity of propane demanded, and on other related variables. The results of the analysis suggest that, given higher corn prices, the amount of propane demanded for corn drying will increase dramatically, even with much higher propane prices.