Agricultural News
OSU Study Illustrates Soil pH Impacts Wheat Emergence and Forage Production
Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:58:10 CDT
OSU Small Grains Extension Specialist Jeff Edwards reports that the small grains extension and precision nutrient management programs initiated a soil pH experiment at Stillwater and Chickasha. A PhD student within the program, Romulo Lollato, oversees the experiment that includes replicated small plot evaluations and an "extension" block. The extension block has two rows each of twelve wheat varieties sown across a pH gradient from 4.0 to 7.0. Forage and grain will be measured at Stillwater and grain only at Chickasha.
The Stillwater site was sown into marginal moisture conditions the third week of September. As shown in the video posted below, as the wheat emerged, it became clear that soil pH was affecting emergence.
The wheat emergence ranges from 0 to 100% in the extension block. The same phenomenon occurred in the randomized research area on. Edwards says his proves that the difference in emergence was not due to a moisture gradient from one side of the field to the other.
If the entire field was pH 4.5 the poor emergence would have simply been blamed on moisture or high temperature germination sensitivity because there would be no "good pH area" for comparison.
The wheat in the low pH areas will emerge eventually; however, time lost is forage lost. A situation like this can easily be avoided by a $10 soil test and lime application as recommended, Edwards says.
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