“With GPS guidance, you can put your replicated plots in randomly, and the applicator automatically puts the nitrogen out in the correct plot at the correct rate. Without this type of equipment, this type of On-Farm research would be much too time-consuming for growers to participate in. It’s literally revolutionized research on this kind of scale,” Thomas said.
The project will study how nitrogen applications to certain areas affect corn yield. Nitrogen is not cheap, and over-applying nitrogen in a blanket across a field could be wasting it when it’s not necessary and create some environmental issues through nitrogen leaching or runoff.
“You don’t want to look at just maximizing yield. You gotta look at the economics,” Thomas said.
While corn is a common crop in Nebraska, the Panhandle has a variety of crops that share corn’s acres. Dry edible beans, which are grown almost exclusively in the Panhandle, have three research projects in the On-Farm research. One project is a “Dry Bean Variety Trail,” with pintos and their suitability for direct harvest. The project will look at the uprightness, bean quality after harvest, and harvest loss. With good varieties that are upright, harvest loss can be expected at 2-3 bushels per acre using direct harvest.
Another study with dry edible beans has to do with inoculants. In the study, the seed is inoculated, which helps the nitrogen fixing organisms do their job. Thomas said inoculants are not normally used in areas where dry beans have been grown, but the grower is interested in the study.
“That’s part of On-Farm research, it’s not just what we want to study but for growers who might be interested in something, and we can set up the study,” Thomas said.
The growing season has been unconventional in terms of the cool, wet start coupled with hail in some areas. Thomas still thinks the crops have good potential as summer begins to heat up.
Source : unl.edu