ProCrop

GEAR SUMMERFALLOW TO CONSERVE SOIL AND WATER

Farmers starting their summerfallow operations should gear fallow ground management to two principles: maintain residue to comply with conservation plans and conserve water for next years' crop.

About 2,000 pounds per acre of residue is required to reduce water loss from summerfallow. Spring wheat yields less than 20 bushels per acre may not produce 2,000 pounds per acre of residue to start the fallow season. Sunflower fields rarely produce 2,000 pounds of residue following harvest.

This means those fields are chem-fallow candidates. If more than 2,000 pounds of residue are present selective tillage operations can be used to control weeds and conserve residue.

Every tillage operations performed during the fallow period causes some loss of water.

Six inches of loam-textured soil holds about an inch of moisture. If not protected by sufficient residue, tilling soil to a depth of 6 inches will cause a half inch loss of plant available water. One-half inch of water could produce 2 1/2 to 4 bushels of wheat, depending on growing conditions.

Four to six tillage operations during the fallow season could lose 2 to 3 inches of plant available water -- valuable water that could be worth 10 to 15 bushels of wheat.

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