No-till planting of soybeans in barley stubble with chemical weed control

A study was conducted to examine: (1) the possibility that soybeans (Glycine max (L) Merr.) could be grown successfully in barley stubble as part of a double cropping system, (2) the effects of different methods of stubble management, (3) the effectiveness of different herbicide combinations for weed control, and (4) the usefulness of using no-till double cropped soybeans in both short and long term rotations.

The soybeans were planted on July 5 in barley stubble with five types of stubble management; viz., (1) stubble cut high just below the grain head, (2) stubble cut normal leaving 4 to 5 inches of standing stubble and bailing the straw, (3) stubble cut plus clipping with a rotary mower, (4) stubble cut close leaving 2 to 3 inches of standing stubble, and (5) stubble cut normal followed by conventional tillage. No significant differences were found in the yield from various stubble management systems. The ease and speed of planting was much better in the normal cut and where the straw was bailed since there was no residue to interfere with the planter operation.

The percent weed control obtained with alachlor (2-chloro-2, 6-dimethyl N-Methoxymethyl) acetanalide, linuron (3-(3,4,-dichlorophenyl)-1-methoxy-l-methylurea, and (dynoseb + naptalam) 2-sec-butyl—4,6-dinitrophenol + N-1- naphthylphthalamic acid was not significantly different.

The average yield of the soybeans for the herbicides treatments was 21.7 bushels per acre, while the average for the weed free check was 23.1 bushels per acre and no treatment check was 17.7 bushels per acre.

Several types of cropping systems can be utilized in a double cropping system and no-till planting of soybeans. In a limited acreage situation the barley-soybean rotation lends itself to a beef and/or swine operation. In a dairy operation where acreage is not critical, this type basic rotation is a means of raising additional feed and supplementing the income of the producer.