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Agronomic Crops Network

Ohio State University Extension

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Battle for the Belt: Which crop should be planted first, corn or soybean?

  • Which crop has the smallest yield penalty for delayed planting?
  • Can we adjust management practices to mitigate losses due to late planting?
  • How are insects, diseases, weeds, and other factors affected by planting date?

We will address these questions (and more!) weekly during the growing season with a series of short videos. Watch Episode 1 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0U2vPdtEVc

To stay up-to-date on this project, make sure to subscribe to the CORN newsletter (https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/corn-out), subscribe to our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@OSUAgronomicCrops), or follow us on Twitter (@stepupsoy, @OrtezCornCrops).


For both soybean and corn, earlier planting is promoted to maximize yield. However, Ohio has a trend toward a lower number of suitable fieldwork days. With non-favorable weather, the planting date window is often short and disconnected. Farmers often ‘debate’ which crop should be planted first- corn or soybean. The ‘Battle for the Belt’ project is a field research and extension effort to help address the question, what crop should be planted first- corn or soybean?

This research project will include field experiments at three locations in 2023: Clark County, Wood County, and Wayne County and five planting date windows, 1) Ultra early = late March to early April; 2) Early = mid to late April; 3) Normal = early to mid-May; 4) Late = late May-first week of June; and 5) Very late = mid to late June. Additionally, management decisions will be adjusted to mitigate potential losses due to delayed planting. For soybean, varying seeding rates  between 100,000 seeds/Ac and 210,000 seeds/Ac. For corn, varying hybrid relative maturities between 100-day to 115-day RM.

Stay tuned for videos, updates, and results during 2023 and 2024!

 

 

Crop Observation and Recommendation Network

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.