Corn Variety Trial with Best Management Practices now Underway in Suwannee Valley

Corn Variety Trial with Best Management Practices now Underway in Suwannee ValleyAfter a few weeks of cool evenings, grain corn in North Florida is finally starting to grow. Cool soil temperatures reduced reduce Phosphorous uptake in corn (showing purple on newest leaves). The difference in P uptake in corn is 2- to 4-fold greater at 77F compared to 64F. If your soil tests indicate sufficient P, and you put a some starter P 2×2, there’s nothing you can do but wait till it warms up again. Heavy rains recently will not help as both nitrogen and phosphorous are both soluble (N more than P).

Going on a 3rd year, the North Florida Research and Education Center at Suwannee Valley planted a replicated, 14 variety trial March 21st with the best BMPs (Best Management Practices) out there for grower use: grid soil sampling, cover cropping, pH balancing with dolomitic lime, by-the-row starter/sidedress fertilizer, poultry litter, plant tissue sampling and soil moisture monitoring. With many new Precision Agriculture tools out there, it takes time and experience to put them all together. Making nutrient and irrigation budgets ahead of the season is one way to start off on the right foot. Balancing the irrigation and fertilizer inputs throughout the season helps improve your efficiency.

Getting the most out of your inputs takes time and experience.
We encourage you to visit the center and see how the industry’s best early and mid season varieties are doing in the Suwannee Valley’s sandy soils.
Also, please refer to Dr. David Wright’s work on corn production for Florida: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag202

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Posted: April 25, 2018


Category: Agriculture, Crops,



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