GMD #1 Crop Rotations - Kansas Water Office

Crop Rotations Effects on
Water Use, Yields, and
Economic Returns
Alan Schlegel, Loyd Stone,
Troy Dumler, and Freddie Lamm
Kansas State University

Crop Rotations with Limited
• Corn-corn (10”)
• Corn – Wheat (15”-5”)
Irrigation
• Corn – Wheat – Grain sorghum
(15”-5”-10”)
10”)
•
Corn –Wheat–Grain sorghum – Soybean
(15”-5”-10”-10”)
Tribune, KS

Yields of Limited Irrigated Crops
in Rotation (2003-2010)
Rotation Wheat Corn Sorghum Soybean
Continuous corn --
o
163b -- --
Corn-wheat 35 203a -- --
Corn-wheatsorghum
Corn-wheatsorghum-soybean
36 202a 134 --
37 203a 138 43
All rotations were limited to 10” of irrigation, except corn after wheat, which
received 15” and wheat which received 5”.

Returns to Land, Equipment,
and Management 2003-20102010
250
Corn
Wheat
Retu urns, $/ /acre
200
150
100
50
Sorghum
Soybean
0
CC C-W C-W-GS C-W-GS-SB
Irrigated Rotation, Tribune
Rotation

2011 Tribune, Kansas Irrigated Grain Sorghum Performance Test, Greeley County
BRAND NAME YIELD PAVG TW MOIST DAYS HT STAND Heads Plants
(bu/a) (%) (lb/bu) (%) (bloom) (in) (%) per plant per acre
DEKALB DKS49-45 204 110 55 13 71 63 87 1 60823
DEKALB DKS53-67 199 107 57 14 72 60 91 1 63888
DEKALB DKS54-00 187 101 54 13 73 60 81 1 56789
DEKALB DKS54-03 198 107 54 13 71 61 74 1 51546
PIONEER 84G62 185 100 57 13 74 56 89 1 62033
PIONEER 84P80 199 108 58 14 73 59 86 1 60097
PIONEER 85G03 201 108 59 14 68 61 86 1 60339
PIONEER 85Y40 180 97 58 14 69 57 78 1 54853
Average 194 56 13 70 58 84 1 59063
2008 Tribune, Kansas Irrigated Grain Sorghum Performance Test, Greeley County
BRAND NAME YIELD PAVG TW MOIST DAYS PHT LDG STAND Heads per POP
(bu/a) (%) (lb/bu) (%) (bloom) (in) (%) (%) plant (ppa)
DEKALB DKS 54-03 191 119 61 14 77 52 30 103 1 71,955
DEKALB DKS53-67 160 99 60 14 76 50 45 108 1 75,907
DEKALB DKS54-00 173 107 58 15 75 53 10 101 1 70,503
DYNA-GRO 751B 169 105 59 14 79 53 45 109 1 76,230
DYNA-GRO 772B 170 106 59 14 73 50 63 106 1 74,536
DYNA-GRO GX06170 178 110 60 14 74 61 93 98 1 68,405
PIONEER 84G62 147 91 60 14 81 48 23 102 1 71,390
PIONEER 85G46 143 89 61 14 66 44 8 100 1 69,857
PIONEER 85Y40 161 100 61 14 71 44 15 108 1 75,262
SORG. PARTNERS NK6638 178 110 60 14 79 51 55 101 1 70,987
Average 186 60 14 74 49 34 104 1 72,542

Alternative Crop Rotations With Limited Irrigation
Alan Schlegal--Tribune Experiment Station
Start: 2012
Duration:
Objectives:
6 years
Determine the impact of limited irrigation on yield and profitability
Rotations:
Continuous Corn
Continuous Sorghum
Corn-Sorghum
Corn-Sunflower
Corn-Wheat
Corn-Wheat/Double Crop Sunflower
Irrigation:
10 inches/year
>Moisture Sensors at 1 foot increments to a depth of 8 feet