24 Like Us on Facebook: BetterFarmingON Better Farming | November 2023 Going forward as an industry the biggest limiting factor to higher yields will be water availability. If you live anywhere in Eastern Canada, you may be saying this was not the case during the 2023 growing season. Across most areas for the growing season in Eastern Canada, we received 115 to 150 per cent more rain than average, according to Environment Canada. Long-term however, we are seeing higher air temperatures and a general reduction of available soil moisture at critical periods in the corn and soybean crop’s lifecycle. Let us look at how much water the crop uses, what are the critical periods for this water use, and how the root system explores the soil rooting zone for moisture. Research data would say on average it takes about three thousand gallons of water to produce a bushel of corn. For soybeans it is three times as much! Textbook information would say corn needs about eleven inches of water to get through to the R1 ( owering) period from planting. Demand goes up for the last 60 days using another 15 inches of water. e critical periods for corn are the two weeks before and a er pollination. For soybeans, the month of August is the most critical. inking back over the years, this means from about July 1 through the end of August we need ample soil water reserves to achieve the highest yields for both these crops. You would think this all has to come at the right time in the form of rain. But luckily, each crop sends down roots exploring the soil reserves looking for water and nutrients. For corn, roots can achieve depths of up to four feet or deeper depending on soil texture and structure. Studies have shown that 40 per cent of soil water extraction occurs in the rst 25 centimetres of soil depth and 70 per cent in the top 50 centimetres of soil depth. About 25 per cent of water availability occurs between 50 and 75 centimetres depths and the remaining 10 per cent at depths greater than 75 centimetres. However, the key is ensuring our root system can get access to this water. Soybeans, on the other hand, place 70 per cent of their roots in the top 25 centimetres of soil. Hence a reason soybean responds to timely August rains, adding yield in the form of less pod/seed abortion and larger seed size. Soil as a Sponge DOES YOUR SOIL ACT LIKE A SPONGE? INCREASE YOUR SOIL’S WATER-HOLDING CAPACITY FOR LONG-TERM BENEFITS BY PAUL HERMANS Paul Hermans photo 30% of readers never throw away their magazines. And an average of six adults will pass along and read a single copy. (MPA Factbook 2021) FARMERS LOVE MAGAZINES
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc0MDI3