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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Double cropping decisions

As we move into the first part of July, producers possibly need to re-think double-cropping decisions. In the case of soybean, it is not recommended planting past July 10. Planting after this date greatly reduces yield potential.

Grain sorghum can be planted until July 15-19 in most areas. Planting after this date reduces the chances of properly maturing before the first frost.

The only grain crops that can be planted after this date is sunflower and sesame. Both of these crops can be planted until July 25 and even as late as Aug. 1 in the southern part of the state.

What drives the decisions for double cropping, is it soil moisture, time of year, crop rotation, or some combination of these? I realize it varies in different parts of the state and some areas simply to not get enough precipitation to double crop. I would like to hear what drives the decision making process.

In my opinion if you have the moisture available after wheat harvest you should use it because soil water retention during summer fallow periods in Oklahoma is not efficient in storing water. Only about 20% of water is stored during a summer fallow period.

1 comment:

  1. Since winter wheat does not need stored sub moisture in the fall, planting a summer crop doesn't erode wheat yields most years. But I have seen a slight decrease in fall forage. Saying this, all years are different!

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