Influence of soil pH on cotton morphology, lint yield and lint quality

The influence of commodity prices has led to an increase in cotton production in Oklahoma over the past decade. With this increase in production there has been growing interest in growing cotton in fields that have been traditionally managed for winter wheat production. The soils are sometimes found to be acidic, largely due to previous production practices, specifically, over application of nitrogen fertilizers. This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of soil acidity on cotton physiological growth and yield. The study took place at Perkins, OK and Stillwater, OK (EFAW Farm). Yield was evaluated using relative yield across a soil pH range of 4.0-8.0. Soil pH was altered utilizing aluminum sulfate and hydrated lime. Two cultivars, Nexgen 3930 and Deltapine 1612 were used at all locations. Soil acidity negatively affected cotton growth and yield. Relative yield was estimated to reach critical threshold at a soil pH of 5.4 while morphological measurements produced similar results. KCl extractable Al was also measured and relative yield was observed to be negatively correlated with Al. This study also conducted an evaluation of net present value of lime application as a function of soil pH, cost of lime application, lint value, lint yield goal, and location. Amelioration of soil acidity may be required to maximize profitability of cotton production in some conditions

Grain drill fertilizer calibration

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Evaluation of Nitrogen and Cropping System Management in Continuous Winter Wheat Forage Production Systems

In the central Great Plains, winter wheat is used for over-winter grazing for cattle and sheep until the late spring months, when livestock are moved to grass pasture. As the popularity of summer cover crops increases, interest in their use in forage production systems increases as well. There is specific interest in the opportunity to increase productivity by the inclusion of a crop grown in the fallow season of winter wheat fields. The intensification of systems in a resource (water and/or nitrogen) limited region could decrease winter wheat forage production influencing a system’s ability to sustain continuous forage production. Nitrogen (N) management could be effective in mitigating negative impacts on winter wheat. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of different summer forage crop species and different N management strategies in a multi-year continuous winter wheat forage production system in the central Grain Plains. Increased production of dry matter and crude protein was observed by implementing summer forage crops into a winter wheat forage system. A deleterious effect of summer crops compared to traditional fallow periods was observed but mitigated by the split application of N even compared to the same rate applied at pre-plant