Fertility Management

Study compares seven strategies to reduce fertilizer inputs

Science Edition: Fertility Management
Key result: This study compared seven cropping systems in year one, followed by canola in year two and wheat in year three. On a benefit:cost ratio basis, three treatments – year-one cattle manure, year-one green manure crop, and annual application of bio-stimulants – would perform better than other cropping systems investigated in this study. Alberta...
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Fertility Management

Deep-banding fertilizer may have logistical benefits

Science Edition: Fertility Management
Key result: Overall, crop response was generally not linked to deep or shallow placement of phosphorus or potassium. Deep banding (5-6”) these nutrients at higher rates once every three years is an option if logistics make it a challenge to apply these products in a shallow band at the time of seeding. Long-term direct seeding...
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Fertility Management

Tips to improve safety of seed-placed fertilizer

Science Edition: Fertility Management
Key result: Farmers can increase the seed safety of higher phosphorus rates by increasing seed bed utilization (narrower rows or wider openers) and applying only phosphorus (not nitrogen or sulphur) fertilizer in the seed row. Current recommendations for safe rates of seed-placed phosphorus (P) recommendations are based on one configuration: 1” opener and 9″ row...
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Integrated Pest Management

Updated lygus threshold of 2-3 per sweep

Science Edition: Integrated Pest Management
Key result: This study validates a new threshold for lygus in canola. The general pattern is that abundances below two lygus per sweep do not reduce yield. Thus, the threshold of two to three lygus per sweep (20-30 per 10 sweeps) is recommended. Because current canola cultivars appear to tolerate lygus damage better than older...
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Integrated Pest Management

Biodiversity from non-crop areas can boost beneficials, possibly yield

Science Edition: Integrated Pest Management
Key result: Non-crop areas within or near to fields can serve as a source and a destination for beneficial insects at different times of the season. A correlational study of 60 million seeded acres of yield data obtained from Agricultural Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) showed that counties in Alberta where fields tend to contain more...
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