2017
Agronomic and Economic Evaluation of Soybean/Corn Rotation with Twin-Row Production and Increased Nutrient Management
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Contributor/Checkoff:
Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
Field management Nutrient managementSoil healthTillageYield trials
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Wayne Ebelhar, Mississippi State University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board
$26,427
Institution Funded:
Mississippi State University
$26,427
Brief Project Summary:

The focus of this research is to combine new technology into a management system that can optimize yields and increase profitability. Efforts aim to determine the agronomic implications of soybean/corn rotations in twin-row planting systems under standard and high management with irrigation and evaluate the economic impact of the rotation systems and fertilizer management on whole-farm enterprise profitability.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, extension agents

Information And Results
Project Deliverables

1. Studies were taken place on a Commerce sandy/silt loam site and a Sharkey clay site for six years. The studies were designed to evaluate corn and soybean performance when grown in 1 year soybean: 1 year corn (1:1) and 2 years soybean: 1 year corn (2:1) rotations. Each study included a standard fertility treatment (220 lb N/acre added to the corn crop and no P and K added to either crop) and a high fertility treatment that consisted of 260 lb N/acre added to corn and 26.2 lbP/acre and 50 lb K/acre added to both crops.

2. On the Commerce soil site, corn grown in the 1:1 rotation with soybean in both the standard and high fertility treatment yielded 8-11 bu/acre more than corn grown following a second year of soybeans. Corn yields from the high fertility treatment exceeded yields from standard fertility treatment by 25-28 bu/acre. Soybean yields were not different between standard and high fertility treatments. Therefore, adding this fertility would have been unprofitable.

3. Corn yields following either one or two years of soybeans were similar in both fertility treatments at the Sharkey clay site. The corn high fertility treatment increased the yield by 12-14 bu/acre. Soybean yields following either corn or the second year of soybeans in the rotation scheme were nearly identical in both fertility treatments. Soybean yields were not different between the two fertility treatments and would have been unprofitable.

Final Project Results

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.