|
|
Fields Damaged by Wet Harvest in Need of Repair
By
Laura Skillman
 PRINCETON, Ky., (Dec. 13, 2006) – Crop fields across Kentucky
bear the scars of a difficult harvest. Poor weather forced
farmers to harvest their crops when fields were wet, leaving
them rutted and in need of repair.
But the damage likely is more cosmetic than anything serious,
said Lloyd Murdock, soils specialist with the University of
Kentucky College of Agriculture. Farmers may fear they compacted
the soil where the wheels of their equipment sank into the
ground, but Murdock said it is not possible to compact
waterlogged soils. If water and mud were squirting out from
beneath the wheels, compaction may not be a problem.
“You can’t compact a bucket of water,” he said.
It is easy to determine if the soil is compacted, he noted.
Simply take a long spike and push it into the soil when the soil
is wet. If it goes into the ground easily, the soil is not
compacted. If it is difficult to push through and suddenly
breaks and moves easier, then compaction could be a problem.
“If you’ve got compaction then you’ve got to get below that
compacted layer with a tool to take it out,” he said. “You
really don’t have a choice. If you don’t have compaction and
it’s just a rut from tires, and that happens a lot in these
kinds of years, then all you need to do is smooth out those
ruts.”
The challenge will be to find a time when the land will be dry
enough to smooth it out and have it back in shape for the coming
planting season.
“We’ve had these winters before and these deep ruts before and
what I’ve found is that if you have compaction in the first 12
inches but it’s too wet to till that deeply, if you can till the
first six inches, it does a lot to alleviate the compaction,”
Murdock said. “You probably remove about 70 percent to 80
percent of the potential yield loss.”
Compacted soils limit water and nutrient movement to the plant
as well as reduce root growth. As a result, yields are reduced.
Compaction is something farmers are concerned about each year
and some use deep tillage every few years. However, oftentimes
the tillage is not necessary.
“It seems to me that a lot of times it’s based on emotion or
what a person thinks rather than anything scientific,” he said.
“The only way tillage pays is when it is actually doing
something for us.”
To check soils for compaction in any given year, a penetrometer
should be used. The device is pushed into the soil and measures
the pounds of pressure it takes to push it into the ground.
Before tillage will pay for itself, the field must have at least
30 percent of its measurements at 300 or more pounds per square
inch.
“I can just about guarantee you will have compaction on the end
rows and where you enter the field, but outside of those areas,
it really depends on what you’ve done in the past,” Murdock
said. “Using a penetrometer is the only way I know that a guy
can make a decent decision.” |
Contact: Lloyd Murdock, 270-365-7541, ext. 207 |
|
The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
Questions/Comments,
e-mail the
webmaster
Copyright © 2001-2006 University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture,
Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service |
News Home
Other Headlines This Week
More
News
RSS Now Available
for those
using news aggregation programs
College News
|
