Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current, February 24, 1983, 1982 Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District, Image 9

Heppner gazette-times., February 24, 1983, 1982 Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District, Image 9

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Newspaper Page TextSupplement to the lleppner Gaiette-Tlmet and the Board man Enterprise, February 24, 1983 982 Morrow Soil & Water Conservation District Annual Report Methods explored for Morrow SWCD receives $1,600 t --rrJTij ' U T'-' - f ,1.1 w-1 A Bettinson no till drill seeding straw. The Morrow SWCD received a grant of Sl.BOO in March of 1982 to evaluate the feasibility of no-till annual cropping A two year project was proposed to determine- P if a no till program would significantly reduce soil erosion: 2i if the program is a practical management alterna tive in the shallow soil, high precipitation dryland farming area: 3) if this program will provide an adequate economic return to growers; and (4 fertili zer requirements. Two sites were selected on the shallow Morrow silt loam soils with slopes up to 25 percent. Spring barley w as seeded using a Bettinsori no till drill. The drill Nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers . J t l L...11 Hv BOB COSTA OSl' r'xlritkion Agent. Murrow County Annual cropping is an option in Morrow County. Many wheat fields in the higher elevation areas of the county have less than three feet of soil depth and receive 12 inches or more of annual precipitation. These soils often fill with moisture after the first winter and a fallow period adds little additional moisture for crop use. When fallowed, these fields are often subject to severe erosion. RecroppH winter find spring grains in Morrow County have given mixed results. Annual cropping has generally been ac complished with conventional til lage and fertilizer application. Past experiences Indicated the need for more information on the fertilizer requirements for an nual cropping. In the fall of 1981, a fertilizer trial was established at the Frank Anderson farm on a Morrow silt loam soil. On October 22, 'Ste phens' wheat was planted with a John Deere HZ "split packer" into undisturbed wheat stubble. Dry ammonium nitrate, nitrogen fertilizer was surface applied along the planted rows on No vember 20. The nitrogen fertilizer into 70 bushel wet and matted had the capability of banding dry fertilizer with the seed. A contact herbicide was used for weed control, First year results of this pro ject are summarized as follows: (11 The application of contact herbicides should be applied be fore planting The action of the double dine openers on the drill caused plant stress and covered the foliage of some plants which reduced the effectiveness of the herbicide. 2 To no till, the ground should le relatively free of heavy infes tations of weeds. (3) Heavy matted and wet straw caused problems placing the seed in contact with the soil using double disc openers. was piacea aiong uie wmom w the furrows to reduce contact with surface residue and to get the nitrogen close to the plant roots. Dry phosphorus fertilizer (25 lbs. P205 per acre) with the seed in the drill box and placed with the seed in the soil. Sulfur fertilizer was surface applied in the form of gypsum on March 5. The rainfall for the 1981-82 crop year was close to 13 inches at the Anderson farm. Spring growing conditions were generally favor able with some timely rains. The yields were as follows: Average Yield (bushels per acre) Nitrogen With No Phos (lbs -ac. ) Phosphorus phorus 0 9.5 8.2 SO 32.0 30.9 100 43.6 40.4 The yields from the annual cropped, no-till wheat was com parable to the yields from sur rounding fields under a wheat fallow rotation. The average 1982 yield of 'Stephens' wheat on the nearby fallowed fields was 38 bushels per acre. Yields increased as nitrogen rates increased from 0 to 100 pounds of N per acre in the fertilizer trial. The application of increased production 4 In wet soils (above 100 percent of field capacity), slots made by the openers remained opened causing an undesirable seed condition. (5) Standing stubble was much more desirable for no-till seeding. Noxious weeds reduce farm eUoV tried on no-till winter wheat phosphorus fertilizer with the seed at planting time increased the average yield at all rates of nitrogen fertilizer. No yield re- sponse to sulfur fertilizer evident at the site. was Most of the fertilizer materials were surface applied in the ex periment. Surface application of nitrogen fertilizers can be effec tive but is not recommended for no-till grains. Other researchers have shown that the placement of fertilizer materials in a band m to 2 inches below the seed at planting time is the most efficient method of application. Current recommendations for annual cropped small grains in Morrow County are: 1) apply 1.5 to 1.7 times the rate of nitrogen fertilizer normally used in your fallow rotation. 2) Apply 15 to 20 pounds of phosphate (P205) per acre. 3 (apply 10 to 15 pounds of sulfer per acre. 4) Apply the fertilizer mater ials in a band 14 to 2 inches below or below and to the side of the seed. Some of the fertilizer material can be placed right with the seed, but the amount placed (6) No-till appears to be very effective in reducing erosion problems and water runoff. (7) Placement, rate, and type of fertilizer is extremely impor tant. Generally, rates of 60 lb. of Nitrogen with phosphorous and sulphur are necessary. (8) No-till planting will allow growers to plant earlier in the in contact with the seed should be limited. Some fertilizer materials can damage seedlings. Ccr.sult with the Extension agent or your fertilizer fieldmen for suitable forms of fertilizer materials. No till drills allowing band place ment of liquid fertilizer materials are being built in Morrow County. MORROW SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT ANNUAL REPORT Annual Meeting Tuesday, March 1, 1983 7:30 p.m. Lexington Grange Hall Public cordially invited to meet the directors of the Morrow SWCDj and participate in our program. j 11th Annual Meeting Morrow SWCD Tuesday March 1, 7:30 p.m. Lexington Grange Hall Program Featured Speaker Paul Rasmussen Soil Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Pendleton, ' I Slide program on fertilization requirements and placement on fertilizer on conventional, annual and no-till cropping systems. ( ( Coffee and donuts will be served j spring compared to conventional tillage. (9) Yields from annual crop ping can be equivalent to yields with a wheat-fallow rotation. The second year plan will focus on evaluating several fall-seeded no-till fields and the effectiveness of the USDA no-till opener to be used on a number of fields this spring. income By BOB COSTA OSU Extension Agent Morrow County Noxious weeds can seriously reduce the income of farmers and ranchers. In response to the rapid spread of some problem weeds, Morrow County was declared a weed control district in March 1982. The Weed Control District came about through the efforts of the Morrow County Resource Committee. The Morrow County SWCD serves as the "weed board" and administers the nox ious weed control program. Weeds declared as "noxious weeds" in the district are Skele ton weed. Yellowstar thistle, and Tansy ragwort. These weeds are targeted for eradication within the district. At this time, only Yellowstar thistle is established in the county, and a cost-share program to control this weed is underway. A primary purpose of the weed control program is education. The SWCD prepared and pub lished a one page poster with color pictures of seven problem weeds. Also planned is a newslet ter outlining control measures for several problem weeds. Landowners and operators should keep their eyes open for noxious weeds and report any infestations to the SWCD board or the Extension agent. j j j