Serioun attention should be given to potential weed, insect, and fertility problems in the summer and fall before the first crop on CRP acreage.
Close attention must be given to all aspects of management to assure success of the first crop of either corn, soybeans, or wheat on Conservation Reserve Program acres. Soybeans may be the best choice and wheat the most risky for planting the first year.
Several potential problems must be considered that first year.
Prairie voles, a mouse-like rodent
The number 1 problem the crops, especially corn, likely will face is prairie voles. Voles, in fields which have vegetative cover maintained for more than a year prior to planting no-till, can severely reduce corn, soybean, or wheat plant stands.
Mature voles are reddish-brown to gray, larger than a house or field mouse, but smaller than a rat. Voles' ears are very small and their bodies torpedo-shaped. Tails are short-one-and-a-half times as long as their hind feet.
Voles require a full canopy cover for protection from predators. Established grass or legume-sod fields and field borders, including wheat or rye stubble, set-aside, and cover-crop seedings provide ideal habitats.
Voles' worst enemy is the moldboard plow. It is the most effective tool in controlling rodents because it destroys voles' habitat. Chisel plowing is less effective. Plowing breaks up the heavy organic mat on the soil surface. If not plowed, the soil will remain cooler and wetter longer than normal as a result of the heavy cover of residue. Plowing may not be a viable option if the CRP land is highly erodible.
One effective control can be use of contact herbicides in late summer of the preceding year to reduce the vegetative cover and to assist in the control of perennial weeds Mowing CRP land in the fall prior to spring planting can also be of help in reducing the vegetative cover. However, these practices force the voles to move to adjacent fields where they can damage developing small grains or legume seedings.
Another option is the use of zinc phosphide, but it is not certain this toxicant will be legal for use in Indiana next year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could ban its use or the manufacturer could quit paying federal fees for registration of the product.
Once rodents and weeds are under control, it would be advisable to return to no-till or minimum tillage practices. If no- till is used, planting should be a few days later than normal to permit the cool-wet soils to warm and dry for more rapid germination and growth.
No-till corn or beans can be successful when following CRP if good management practices are followed.
Planting depth on CRP lands is the same as for regularly cropped land, but in order to make good seed contact with the soil, planters and drills must be set to cut through the vegetative cover, place the seed at the proper depth, and close the seed slot.
Inoculation is recommended the first year beans are grown on ex-CRP acres to assure good nodulation. Phytophthora root rot must also be considered when planting beans no- till on CRP land. This disease is likely to be a more serious problem with no-till than a conventional system, particularly on poorly drained soils. Phytophthora root rot-resistant beans are highly recommended.
No-till wheat will be very risky if it is the first crop planted after CRP contracts expire. In order to establish a good stand of wheat, a prepared seed bed is recommended. Chisel or moldboard plowing is highly recommended with moldboard plowing preferred. Tillage [may bel needed to control rodents and weeds and to incorporate lime regardless of the crop to be grown. However, before tillage for wheat occurs, producers should check with Con- solidated Farm Services to make sure they would be in conservation compliance.
Serious attention should be given to potential weed, insect, and fertility problems in the summer and fall before the first crop on CRP acreage. For additional information, consult the following three references.
CRP-4, Attack Weeds Early
CRP-5, Scout for Potential Insect Problems
CRP-6, Sample Soil Months Ahead
New 9/95
Cooperative Extension work in Agriculture and Home Economics, state of Indiana, Purdue University, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating; H. A. Wadsworth, Director, West Lafayette, IN. Issued in futherance of the acts of May 8 and June 30,1914. Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service is an equal opportunity/equal access institution.