Hi Ken.
Good to hear from you. I'm sure the story you have shared is repeated in many places throughout the region this year. I saw crown rot in first cutting that was unprecedented in my years with this crop. Then the weather really got bad. But Glory to God in this case an application of Presto Gold and the disease was knocked out and has never reared its ugly head again. Part of this scenario was actually related to the use of the Curse Buster in the field in the fall.
On to the situation you have described in Paulding.
The situation you have described here is pretty typical of what I encounter. In other words there is always some history (sometimes long and sometimes short) that has been moving in the plant development and is finally showing up as a problem when the demands of life hit. It would be nice to know more about the field conditions that existed when the crop was started but it is not the end of the world if I don't known in great detail.
For sure the crop was cut in 2014 if it was big enough to be harvest-worthy. If it was a late summer seeding then the harvest might not have taken place which could have actually helped to prevent what you have seen happen in the wheel track areas. Regardless let's cut to the core of the problem.
In either of these scenarios the tracks were made where the mower and chopper and trucks traveled in the field when the plant had relatively undeveloped root systems. They may have also been UNDER-developed root systems depending on how the crop was established. More information on whether the crop was frost-seeded/ drilled/ no-tilled/ conventionally tilled/ etc. are pieces of info that might help us understand better the early death in the track areas.
In any of these scenarios the constant of silt movement in the plowlayer and the resulting restriction of water percolation has been a key factor contributing to a poor environment for this plant to development a normal root system that can survive traffic. If the establishment was without mixing of the plowlayer at least 6 inches deep then there was a pre-existing silt layer which was perching water in the top of the plowlayer from day one of this stand's existence. A spade would reveal in the root system design of the plants that are still alive the extent to which this layer existed at seeding time.
We could talk a lot more about possible sources of root system environmental problems but more info is really necessary to go reliably further than where we are right here now.
So let's look at what can be done at this point in time to save this young struggling stand of alfalfa.
First of all we need to get a normal root mass under the plants that are still alive. This is the right time of year to be making the plan for a couple of reasons. We have two possible events ahead of us that could get the foundation we need for 2016 crop performance. One is letting the plants stand in bloom and the other is using the predetermined genetically inherited cold temperature induced dormancy trait. What a mouthful. Both of these events or crop conditions will cause the plants to generated tap root extension (hopefully downward) and the elongation of lateral feeder root mass (hopefully in the top half of the plow-layer. This recent piece on alfalfa goes into the details on these events.
www.dropbox.com/s/prrwc85yenvz373/Alfalfa%20Insights081515.doc?dl=0You are encouraged to circulate this piece among you clients as you see fit. or even tweet it.
I'm going to assume that the crop has some regrowth on it as we talk. If so then this is an opportunity to strike. We want to remove compaction and restore water and air exchange right now asap. If there is no regrowth or very little on some plants then wait until ALL of the crown buds have elongated into shoots. You already know probably that I am going to suggest the CurseBuster for doing this job. {Brian should own one to rent to your client.} A single rank version of this like a Smart-Till will do the same job but a lot less of it in a single pass. The harrows on the ST are potentially too aggressive too if they are the triple tooled version.
I also suggest that the best way to attack the situation is by traveling cross-wise the normal traffic pattern. This will give the best conformity to the wheel traffic depressions to help get them broken. The other operational guideline is in regard to the plant crowns. If the CurseBuster is evidencing a crushing and rolling effect on the plant crown then I suggest using the transport wheels to carry part of the frame weight to minimize this effect. Crown abuse can lead to entry of fungal pathogens who may be abounding on a year like this one esp. Really?
Do not be too aggressive with the Eagle tine offset angle. If you are you find the machine lifting smaller less developed root systems out of the soil. Similarly the rotary harrows should be adjusted in passive mode and at a modest offset angle. Hopefully the harrows will still be able to disturb the surface enough to get a measure of control of small germinating weeds in the base of the crop.
The unevenness of the stands which we are seeing is a direct result of differences in the sizes of root masses that were developed during the 2014 growing season. This tillage process is an opportunity to correct this problem. Remember though that the smaller root mass plants do NOT reach the bud and flower stage at the same time as the other larger root mass plants. So if one is electing to use the flowering event as the trigger to enlarge root systems on the plants one MUST WAIT until ALL of the plants including the slower smaller plants have reached flower before mowing the crop. If one fails to wait long enough to mow then the problem is actually aggravated instead of resolved.
I would be making a foliar application of MegaMag Foliar and High Energy Fish Hydrolysate on the regrowth that precedes the re-rooting event in the plants' life. I would spike the combination with Prudent 42 (Urea Phosphite) from Lido Chem (Agra Warehouse in Spencerville) at 1 oz. per gallon of applied total spray material. MM is suggested at 2 gpa and the Fish at 1-2 qts per acre. The plant needs energy at peak levels in order to maximize the three days of rooting system expansion that needs to take place. Phosphite will clean most of the invading fungal pathogens that are a potential threat if they remain unchecked going into dormancy this fall.
You might be puzzled by the use of the Fish product so I will explain briefly. This very unique natural product is the result of extraordinary advances in the fermentation of the fish. The result is a complete cross-section of all the minerals in the whole freshwater fish which is used chelated with amino acids which are completely balanced for all essential metabolic processes of the soil and plants world. Couple this with the presence of volatile fatty acids supplying energy at the cellular level in the mitochondria and a physical consistency like water and I can't find a down side to using this every place I intervene in the health of soil and plants. To top it off the product brings large concentrations of Subtilus/Amyloliquifaciens(both death on Fus. gram.)and pseudomonas to the mix.
If the soils we are working with here have a history of glyphosate on them or the crops that have been grown on them then there is a good reason to start addressing the air/water exchange problems these soils have in order to maximize the proliferation of beneficial fungi. These species are uniquely equipped to address the mineral tie-up of glyphosate residues and the F.Gram. levels in these soils. In addition it is important to track fertility when using this form of tillage on a regular basis using no more than three inch deep cores and Albrecht chemistry. When the good guys start to take off they are going to need strict attention to their needs for calcium and sulfur. They won't get it with a 6-7 inch core analysis.
Hopefully this has been helpful to you and your client Ken. Almost forgot to mention that Lynn Dettmer is probably interested in talking about renting or selling his 30 foot CurseBuster machine if it might be the right size. His is the closest to Paulding except for a 10 footer in Harlan. If I can help further let me know. I'm going to start a thread with your question on the Forums section of Soilcursebuster.com. You can reply with more questions or comments there if you wish.
God Bless.
