Increased demand for barley has changed the proportion of crops grown in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic USA. Winter wheat is the predominant small grain crop, but barley can be a direct substitute, although much less of it is grown. Soybean is grown full-season and double-cropped after both small grains. Historically, wheat was the primary small grain in the soybean double-crop rotation because of its greater profitability. The barley-soybean cropping system is not a new concept in the region, but the literature is outdated. New agronomic and economic data that directly compares full-season soybean, barley-soybean, and wheat-soybean systems using modern cultivars and management practices is needed. The objectives of this research were to: i) determine soybean yield and compare cropping system profitability of the three cropping systems; ii) perform a breakeven sensitivity analysis of the three cropping systems; and iii) determine the effect of planting date and previous winter crop on soybean yield and yield components. Soybean grown after barley yielded more than full-season soybean in two of six locations and more than soybean double-cropped after wheat in three of six locations. Net returns for the barley-soybean system were the greatest. These data indicate that soybean double-cropped after barley has the potential to yield equal to or greater than full-season soybean or double-cropped soybean following wheat, but its relative yield is very dependent on growing conditions. The profitability comparison indicated that the barley-soybean cropping system was generally more profitable than the full-season soybean and double-cropped wheat-soybean systems. This conclusion was supported by the breakeven sensitivity analysis, but remains dependent on prices that have been extremely volatile in recent years. In another study, soybean yields declined with planting date at two of four locations in 2009, a year that late-season rainfall enabled later-planted soybean to yield more than expected. In 2010, soybean yield decline was affected by the delay in planting date at both locations. Winter grain did not affect soybean yield in either year. Yield component data reinforced these results and indicated that the lower seed yield in the later planting dates was due primarily to a decrease in the number of pods. / Master of Science

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DPL 41 and Pima S-5 cotton were planted at low, medium, and high planting rates on April 12, April 27, and May 10 on the Safford Experimental Farm in 1983. Heavy rains in late September and early October reduced lint yields. Pima S-5 produced 66% as much lint as DPL 41. Both varieties had the highest lint yield when planted on April 27. The highest planting rate produced the highest yield for DPL 41, while the medium planting rate produced the most lint for Pima S-5 on April 27.

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Sweet sorghum is a highly versatile C4 grass noted for its improved drought tolerance and water use efficiency relative to sugarcane. Sweet sorghum is well suited for ethanol production due to a rapid growth rate, high biomass production, and a wide range of adaptation. Unlike the 12-18 month growth cycle of sugarcane, sweet sorghum produces a harvestable crop in three to five months. Sweet sorghum and sugarcane crops are complementary and in combination can extend the sugar mill seasons in many regions of the world to an estimated 8 months. Seasonal growth and weather patterns both optimize and restrict production of each crop to specific times of the year, however these are different for the two crops. In addition to temporally spacing the date of harvest between crops, the genetic variability of maturity within the crops may also be used to extend the mill seasons; specific hybrids can be used and selected to maximize yield throughout the harvest season. Under favorable growing environments, sweet sorghum hybrids of all maturity groups produced sugar yields ranging from 2.8 to 4.9 MT/ha. Early/medium, late, and very late maturity hybrids planted during April, May, and June planting dates are necessary to maximize the mill season. In this study, early/medium maturity hybrids planted during April and May matured for harvest between late July and mid-August. June planting dates were unfavorable for early/medium maturity hybrids. In addition, late and very late maturity hybrids planted during April matured for harvest in late August; the additional growing season thus resulted in higher sugar yields. Timely planting of late and very late maturity hybrids in April, May, and June produce the maximum yields for harvests after mid August. Intermittent use of late and very late maturity hybrids can therefore extend sugar milling seasons into mid November if so desired.

2 pp. / Until the introduction of semi-dwarf wheat in the late 1960s, wheat varieties were typically one and a half to two times their current height. Most heirloom, traditional, or landrace varieties are considered standard-height wheat (e.g. Sonoran white); in general they are adapted to lower-input conditions, and cannot tolerate high-fertility environments without lodging. Lodging reduces grain yield, delays harvest, and increases harvesting costs. Standard-height wheat needs to be grown at a lower plant density and with less nitrogen and irrigation water than semi-dwarfs in order to prevent lodging, optimize yield, and make the most efficient use of resources.

Hard red winter wheat (winter wheat, Triticum aestivum L.) production has been historically low in ND due to cold winter temperatures resulting in winter injury and stand loss. The objective of this research was to determine if management practices could improve winter survival and yield of winter wheat. Field experiments were conducted at five locations. Due to high winter snowfall, there was little difference in snow depth and winter survival between previous crop residues. Planting at the recommended date always resulted in the highest winter survival compared to planting late. At Hettinger, soil temperatures reached nearly -15°C, and as a result, the less-hardy cultivar Hawken had only 50% winter survival. Differences in fertility treatment were not consistent across location during this study. ND soils are inherently high in P and K, so it is likely the high soil nutrient levels masked any potential benefit to seed-applied P and K.

Planting date (PD), seeding rate (SR), genotype, and row spacing (RS) influence hard red spring wheat (HRSW, Triticum aestivum L. emend. Thell.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yield. Evaluating HRSW economic optimum seeding rates (EOSR) is needed as modern hybrids may improve performance and have different SR requirements than cultivars. Two cultivars and five hybrids were evaluated in five North Dakota environments at two PDs and five SRs ranging from 2.22-5.19 million live seeds ha-1 in 2019-2020. Planting date, SR, and genotypes have unique yield responses across environments. Hybrid yield was the most associated with kernels spike-1 (r=0.17 to 0.43). The best hybrid yielded greater than cultivars in three environments. The EOSR ranged from 4.08-4.15 and 3.67-3.85 million seeds ha-1 for cultivars and hybrids, respectively. Hybrids are economical if seed prices are within $0.18 kg-1 of cultivars. In soybean, individual and synergistic effects of PD, SR, genotype relative maturity (RM), and RS on seed yield and agronomic characteristics, and how well canopy measurements can predict seed yield in North Dakota were investigated. Early and late PD, early and late RM, and two SRs (457 000 and 408 000 seed ha-1) were evaluated in 14 environments and two RS (30.5 and 61 cm) were included in four environments in 2019-2020. Individual factors resulted in 245 and 189 kg ha-1 more yield for early PD and late RM, respectively. The improved treatment of early PD, late RM, and high SR factors had 16% yield and $140 ha-1 more partial profit greater than the control. When including RS, 30.5 cm RS had 7% more yield than 61 cm RS. Adding 30.5 cm RS to the improved treatment in four environments resulted in 26% yield and $291 ha-1 more partial net profit compared to the control. A normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) at R5 was the single best yield predictor, and stepwise regression using canopy measurements explained 69% of yield variation. North Dakota farmers are recommended to combine early PDs, late RM cultivars, 457 000 seed ha-1 SR, and 30.5 cm RS to improve soybean yield and profit compared to current management trends.

Research was conducted in 2013 and 2014 to evaluate the postemergence control of Palmer amaranth [Amaranthus palmeri (S.) Wats.] with mesotrione alone and in mixtures with fomesafen and/or glyphosate and to evaluate the impact of lactofen and planting date on growth, development, and yield of indeterminate soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Studies included a greenhouse evaluation of different rates of mesotrione on the control of 5- and 10-cm Palmer amaranth and field studies evaluating the control of 5- to 10-cm Palmer amaranth with three rates of mesotrione applied alone and in mixtures with fomesafen and/or glyphosate. Lactofen studies include a planting date study evaluating one rate of lactofen applied at V2 soybean stage with planting dates of April 15, May 1, May 15, and June 1 and a lactofen timing study where one rate of lactofen was applied at soybean growth stages ranging from V1 to R5.