July 10, 2003

 

Planting Options on Hailed Out Fields

Producers that suffered severe hail damage may want to consider a cover crop replacement, according to Duane Berglund, North Dakota State University Extension agronomist. "Wet weather or severe hail damage often forces producers to abandon crops. A cover crop should be established yet this summer to use some of the subsoil water which will avoid salt accumulations that could hurt future crops."

Salts accumulate because of high water tables. Salts are harmful to crops because they produce drought in the midst of good moisture conditions. In 60 days a growing crop can use four to six inches of soil moisture, reducing the threat of salt buildup.

Sudangrass or a sorghum-sudan mixture would be an ideal cover and water-using crop, Berglund says. "Seeded at 12 to 15 pounds per acre, the seeding will destroy weeds through seedbed tillage and will germinate and grow rapidly."

Producers should make sure that government program requirements are compatible with any planting plans.

"Growers also need to determine if the herbicides that were applied on the original crop will have any affect on the cover crop selected," Berglund says. "Some type of tillage will also be needed in the fall so that fields will dry next spring."

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Source: Duane Berglund, (701) 231-8135, duane.berglund@ndsu.nodak.edu
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136), richard.mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu