The Manitoba Corn Initiative: Optimal corn row spacing

mca2022dev on May 16, 2023

Row spacing is an important agronomic management practice for corn production. Although the standard row spacing for corn is 30 inches, studies in the US and Ontario have identified corn hybrid responses to narrow, wide, and twined rows. Given the environmental and hybrid interactions observed in these studies, it is important to evaluate optimal row spacing in Manitoba using the short season hybrids and inbreds that are being developed for this shorter growing season environment. One particularly important observation from studies involving wide row spacing is the faster dry down of corn with wide row spacing. This could be an especially important agronomic management factor for corn production in Manitoba.

The Manitoba Corn Initiative: Fertilization strategies for alternative tillage systems for corn production

mca2022dev on May 16, 2023

Most crops in the Prairies show substantial improvement in early season vigour, maturity and yield for placing P fertilizer in or near the seed row, especially when root growth and soil P availability is poor due to cold soils. However, most corn planters lack the capacity for placing P in or near the seed. Options to consider for addressing this issue include adding fertilizer side-banding equipment to planters and precision pre-plant banding P during strip tillage, for examples.

The Manitoba Corn Initiative: Economic analysis of optimal crop rotations with corn

mca2022dev on May 16, 2023

This project will measure corn response to phosphorus and zinc fertilizer when corn is grown after canola. Research has shown mycorrhizal associations with corn are key for corn to acquire sufficient phosphorus and zinc. Therefore, to compensate for the deterioration in soil mycorrhizal populations after canola, corn growers may need to apply more P and Zn fertilizer to corn after canola.

The Manitoba Corn Initiative: Optimum residue management in corn

mca2022dev on May 16, 2023

This project will measure corn response to phosphorus and zinc fertilizer when corn is grown after canola. Research has shown mycorrhizal associations with corn are key for corn to acquire sufficient phosphorus and zinc. Therefore, to compensate for the deterioration in soil mycorrhizal populations after canola, corn growers may need to apply more P and Zn fertilizer to corn after canola.

The Manitoba Corn Initiative: Fertilization strategies for corn after canola

mca2022dev on May 16, 2023

This project will measure corn response to phosphorus and zinc fertilizer when corn is grown after canola. Research has shown mycorrhizal associations with corn are key for corn to acquire sufficient phosphorus and zinc. Therefore, to compensate for the deterioration in soil mycorrhizal populations after canola, corn growers may need to apply more P and Zn fertilizer to corn after canola.

The Manitoba Corn Initiative: Corn in crop rotation

mca2022dev on May 16, 2023

In Manitoba, corn is being grown in rotation with canola, spring wheat, soybeans, corn, and other crops. This range of crops is different and often more diverse than in other corn growing regions of Ontario and the US. In order to maximize the known benefits of crop rotation, it is important to evaluate which preceding crops (wheat, canola, soybean, corn) can provide benefit or penalty to subsequent corn crops. Of particular interest is the impact of growing canola prior to corn. Canola is a non-mycorrhizal plant, and this may have potentially negative impacts on corn, which is highly associated with mycorrhizae.

Extremes of Moisture: Enhancing excess moisture tolerance in barley through manipulation of phytoglobins

mca2022dev on May 16, 2023

Phytoglobins (PGBs) are animal-Like hemoglobins found in plants, and participate in plant response to biotic and abiotic stress. Increase Pgb levels in corn and soybeans exhibit tolerance o excess moisture and other stressors, while reduced Pgb levels showed that plants were more susceptible to the same stress. The goal of this study was to measure Pgb in a number of barley genotypes and correlate this to the performance to excess moisture, as well as investigate metabolic responses and key enzymes known to be involved in excessive moisture tolerance.

Extremes of Moisture: A system for real time soil moisture monitoring and forecasting in Manitoba

mca2022dev on May 16, 2023

Soil moisture levels fluctuate constantly and can increase dramatically with a single rainfall event. Soil moisture can vary greatly in small spatial areas such that near-drought levels can exist in topographic highs situated very closely to saturated conditions in topographic lows. In additonal soil type can create large variability in moisture. Heavy rainfall can create trafficability issues for several days in heavy soils, while coarse-textured soils may only be impacted for a few hours in the same geographical location. With the effects of climate change expected to produce more dramtic precipitation fluctuatuons going forward, there is an expectation that farmers will expereince more extremes of mositure more frequently. This study is a small-scale study to validate the Aquanty HGS model in the Red River Valley to aid in the establishing the Aquanty model in the RRV area of Manitoba.

Extremes of Moisture: Soil water dynamics in long-term integrated crop rotation studies

mca2022dev on May 16, 2023

This study looks at a long term study that began in 1992 that includes grain-based crop rotations in “annual only” and “perennial-annual” systems to establish soil water minitoring to assess the impacts long term rotations have on soild water dynamics. The goal is to better understand how different crop sequences and soil/crop management practices affect soil water availability, and water use efficiency in a range of crops including canola, wheat, soybean, flax, dry beans oats, corn and short-term alfalfa stands.

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