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U of I agronomy day

Studies examine possible consequences of residue removal and refuge-in-a-bag.
Kay Shipman 
Published: Jul 31, 2010
Corn residue may be viewed as one farmer’s trash and another farmer’s treasure.

“Everybody who does corn after corn knows residue is an issue,” said Emerson Nafziger, University of Illinois Extension crop specialist.

Commercial interest in use of corn residue for bioenergy has generated questions about the consequence of removing residue from cornfields.

For the past five years, Nafziger has studied the impact of corn residue removal on yields and also examined the impact of different tillage systems and nitrogen applications in combination with residue removal.

Nafziger estimated a farmer would have to pay about $30 per ton or $75 per acre to replace the nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium lost if half the residue was removed from corn that yielded 200 bushels per acre.

Nafziger concluded partial residue removal might make sense for farmers, if the process doesn’t cause excessive soil compaction or increase soil erosion.

Mike Gray, interim assistant dean of agriculture and natural resources Extension, will discuss the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of DuPont’s refuge-in-a-bag for corn rootworms. Farmers have embraced use of a blend of transgenic and nontransgenic seed because of its convenience.

However, Gray questioned whether farmers would continue to support a 10 percent blend of nontransgenic seed if another seed company is permitted to offer a 5-percent nontransgenic blend.

“I think the refuge-in-the-bag will be the foundation of resistance management programs,” Gray said. “But what are the implications for other agriculture sectors?”

Gray questioned the market implications for soil insecticides if farmers plant blends of 95 percent transgenic seed: “If the soil insecticide industry gets smaller and we have fewer choices, should we be concerned? Those are unforeseen consequences that may come back to hurt us.”

Nafziger and Gray will join fellow U of I researchers who will discuss the latest research at the U of I Agronomy Day on Aug. 19. The event will start at 7 a.m. and conclude at 2 p.m. on the Crop Science Research and Education Center, also known as the South Farms, St. Mary’s Road and Wright Street, Champaign.

Field tours will depart every half hour from 7 a.m. to noon. An exhibit tent will house organization displays and additional research projects.

The tour topics will include: herbicide-resistant waterhemp, global climate change and implications on future plant diseases, new soybean viruses, a new source of genetic diversity to improve soybeans, corn yield variability, nutrient placement and tillage, and perennial grasses for biofuel.

Pre-registration is not required, and lunch will be available for a nominal cost. For more information, go online to http://agronomyday.cropsci.illinois.edu/.


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