Plants or Crops
All Plants or Crops Content
Plant Growth Regulator Reduces Height, Lodging in Oats
With the goal of reducing lodging in oats, SDSU Extension and a research team initiated a multi-location trial in 2018 growing season to study the effects of plant growth regulator (PGR) on oat performance.
May 2019 Climate Outlook: April Showers Bring May Showers?
The precipitation outlook for May does not show much promise of relief from moisture, as wetter than average conditions are slightly more favored than drier conditions. In addition, cooler than average temperatures are more likely for the first half of May and could continue for much of the month.
Farm Size in South Dakota: Where Are We Heading?
Agriculture is going through some difficult times not only in the United States, but globally as well. Aside from some short-lived price hikes for different products, the overall trend has been to higher costs of production and lower output prices.
Field Studies: Replicated Comparisons vs. Side-by-Side Comparisons
How should a basic study be set up or laid out in the field? One very common approach is to divide a field in half and compare the halves or possibly compare two fields in close proximity and see which variety or practice yields highest. This approach can end with very misleading results because of the variability that exists across a field or fields due to many factors.
Field Studies: What do You Mean 5 Bushels Per Acre is Not Significant?
Utilizing sound research results to help make decisions on the farm is a wise business practice. It can be confusing, however, when you see two numbers that are clearly not the same labeled as “not significantly different.”
Field Studies: Setting up a Trial
Increasingly, farmers are generating on-farm research data that encompasses a wide-range of practical topics. However, setting up those experiments so that the data is statistically valid is not necessarily common knowledge.
Planting Into Wet Soils
It is evident that there are high chances of planting into wet soils this spring. This is not a good decision when normal soil conditions appear to be attainable, but this year we may not have a choice.
Floods Continue With a Wet Outlook
As April unfolds, major flooding continues along the Eastern rivers. The James River is at crest in Brown county the first week of April and will slowly recede while maintaining flood level for much of April.
South Dakota Land Use Trends (2012-2017)
Significant education efforts for natural resource conservation have occurred in South Dakota during the last five years. Many stakeholder groups have brought awareness for soil health and water quality to the forefront.
2019 South Dakota Grasshopper Forecast
The USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service conducts an annual survey to monitor grasshopper populations in Western South Dakota. In 2018, SDSU conducted a survey to monitor populations in Eastern South Dakota. These previous-year surveys can be used as a prediction tool for where grasshoppers may be an issue during the upcoming season.