The global climatic change has also hurt corn yields. Air pollution has also been found to cause problems to food security.
As many factors continue to affect crop yields, corn farmers share a common desire and pressure to improve their farm management practices increasing yields. If you are looking to maximize your farm’s corn yield potential, here are some practices that can give you results.
1. Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is an excellent place to start your journey towards increased corn yields. Farmers need to understand how planning the same crops over an extended period affects their yields.
Crop rotation can increase your corn yields by 20%. Crop rotation helps enrich the soil with nutrients without the intervention of chemicals. Apart from regenerating the soil nutrients, crop rotation also breaks diseases, pests, and weeds cycle in farms that cause damage to crops.
Consecutive corn planting should be encouraged if you have limited landmass and if your soils have adequate nutrients to support the crop. Soybeans are ideal crops to rotate with corn.
Intentional crop rotating is, therefore, very necessary to meet the demands of your soil to support better yields.
Crop rotation also needs proper planning. As a farmer, you need to identify the crops with the chemistries and traits that will regenerate the soil nutrients.
Crop rotation diversifies the soil’s nutritional demands, maintaining the soil’s fertility and consequently increasing the yields.
2. Maintain A Proper Drainage System
Water is essential for the survival of corn, but you need to ensure your corn is getting enough water but not being overwatered.
Poor drainage results in a saturated field which causes the loss of nitrogen and oxygen in your crops’ root zone. This does not only increase the production of greenhouse gases but also impedes crop growth.
Excess water in your cornfield will also increase the likelihood of roots rotting and your crops’ vulnerability to infections like the crazy top and foliar diseases. Planting and harvesting in poor drainage conditions are also inefficient.
Identifying a sound drainage system for your cornfield will prevent waterlogging and diseases that can hamper the growth and survival of your crops.
If your yields have been unsatisfactory and you suspect poor drainage to be the cause, you can evaluate your farm to rule out other causes. Common signs of poor drainage include flooding even after light rains, the presence of aquatic plants, and soils with a mottled appearance.
Farmers should identify effective techniques for draining water from their farms if waterlogging is a problem. Drip irrigation can also be used to ensure your crops have an adequate water supply.
3. Plant at The Right Time
Previous research has shown that early planting is associated with lesser yield loss than late planting.
Farmers should take advantage of the ideal planting conditions as early as possible for the best plant emergence and stand. The best time to plant corn is when the temperatures are about 50° F and the prospects of rising.
This will give your crop the perfect opportunity to avoid the sun and have a longer growing season. It is important to note that the essential thing when planting is identifying the perfect time to plant. Plant when the soil is ready; do not shy away from taking advantage of favorable weather and soil conditions.
4. Monitor Your Field
Monitoring crop and growth performance is a critical component of farm management. You can scout your field on foot or use drones to get details of the health of your farm. Scouting and monitoring are recommended as it allows farmers to monitor the condition of their crops and create interventions on time.
Some of the factors affecting your yields include lack of water or poor drainage. When you identify this as a problem, you can decide on irrigating during periods of drought and water drainage techniques in case of flooding.
Competition for resources with other plants, infections, pest infestation, and nutrient deficiency are some of the things to look out for when monitoring your farm.
5. Consider Planting Cover Crops
Cover crops can help increase your corn yield. Health-building cover crops like cowpeas can help increase organic matter in your field’s soil. Increasing organic matter enhances your soil’s capacity to hold water, making your farm resilient even in extreme climatic conditions.
Cover crops also reduce erosion, protecting the nutrient-rich topsoil and, at the same time, increasing organic matter. The organic matter enhances water movement through the soil, improves aeration, and maintains moisture, enhancing nitrogen fixation.
Cover crops enhance soil health, improving your farm’s potential to produce.
Cover crops are also known to increase biodiversity and manage pests and diseases, which often affect your yield.
6. Manage Nitrogen Loss
Many factors cause nitrogen loss in farms. Leaching is one of the common ways nitrates are lost in the soil; soluble nitrogen moves with excess rainwater or irrigation water below the root zone, denying your crops access.
Nitrogen is lost through volatilization, whereby it is lost as ammonia. Crop removal is also one of the most common ways farms lose nitrogen. Surface runoff and soil erosion also rip away nitrogen from farmlands.
You can employ many practices to reduce nitrogen loss on your farms, such as applying part of your nitrogen fertilizer during planting, and most of it at mid-season.
Soil conservation practices such as planting cover crops, no-till, and conservation tillage can help reduce surface runoff nitrogen loss.
High Yield Corn Management with Professional Farm Management Experts
Corn yields can be complex but critical for the sustainability of your farm. Cotton Grave farm management experts can come to the rescue and take you through the multiple techniques you can employ to improve your corn yields.
If you are keen on increasing the return on investment, contact the Cotton Grave team for more information and guidance to increase your corn yields.
