Enhanced OMAFRA Extension Support (2024)

Principal Investigator: Ben Rosser, Horst Bohner and Joanna Follings

Research Institution: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness

Timeline: January 2024 – December 2024  

Objectives:

• Enhanced Tech Transfer Efforts: through upgrades to websites, apps, videos, YouTube segments, PowerPoint presentations and print publications. Technology transfer will also be improved through the support of field diagnostic and plot day activities. Southwest Diagnostic Days, FarmSmart Expo, and the Eastern Diagnostic Days are excellent examples of “hands on learning” for farmers and agronomists.
• Improved Information Gathering: through the investigation of new management techniques (producer driven) or new developments in products or processes (agricultural industry driven). This would include searching out innovative practices abroad, identifying key players and bringing them to speak at Ontario meetings. Conducting searches of scientific literature, government publications and web-based materials to ensure a “state-of-the-art” position when formulating research proposals, writing extension articles, or interpreting Ontario data. Proper information gathering is essential to inform government policy to ensure practical solutions are created for Ontario farmers.
• Breaking Issues Support: throughout the growing season as challenges arise. Labour, travel, and lab costs associated with issues that develop (e.g., soil nitrate testing when weather is unusual, soy pest scouting, gathering, and testing of samples to monitor Fusarium levels in wheat or corn, wheat leaf disease surveys) are supported with this funding.

Impacts:

• Ensure the ongoing competitiveness and sustainability of the Ontario grain sector through extension and technology transfer.
• Information provided to farmers and agronomists allows them to make the best management decisions possible in a particular growing season.

Scientific Summary:

1. Can Nitrogen Fertilizer be Used to Improve Yellow Soybeans:

Excessive rainfall in many parts of the province delayed planting and resulted in uneven and yellow soybean fields. Previous research has been inconclusive on possible yield benefits from applying nitrogen fertilizer to encourage vegetative growth in these yellow fields to aid with field recovery. Seven trials were established using various forms of nitrogen fertilizer including foliar, soil applied, and biological sources to improve yellow soybeans. This project was conducted in conjunction with the Heartland Soil Crop Improvement Association (SCIA) and the University of Guelph (U of G). A treatment list as well as yield results are given in Table #1.

Table #1. Nitrogen and Biologicals to Improve Soybeans

					Treatment					Yield (bu/ac)
1	Untreated Control									72.3
2	Envita (foliar)				5 grams/ac + Agral 90 (0.1%)					72.8
					at V4 + 2 weeks later
3	Utrisha N (foliar)				135 g/ac					72.4
					at V4 + 2 weeks later
4	NResponse (foliar)				11.3 L/ac					72.3
					at V4 + 2 weeks later
5	Urea/Puryield (soil applied)				110 lbs/ac of 50/50 Urea/Puryield					73.5
					at planting
6	Urea/Puryield (soil applied)				110 lbs/ac of 50/50 Urea/Puryield					76.9
					at planting, June 10, July 7, August 5
7	Megafol (vegatative foliar)				500 mL/ac + Agral 90 (0.1%)					73.4
					at V4 + 2 weeks later
8	YieldON (reproductive foliar)				750 mL/ac + Agral 90 (0.1%)					73.6
					at R2
9	Megafol (vegatative foliar)				500 mL/ac + Agral 90 (0.1%)					73.2
		+			at V4 + 2 weeks later
	YieldON (reproductive foliar)				750 mL/ac at R2

Results:

Field trial yield averages ranged from 51 bu/ac to 95 bu/ac, making this a very robust data set.  None of the treatments resulted in a significant yield gain except for treatment #6. Treatment #6 consisted of a large amount of nitrogen fertilizer designed to completely supply all the nitrogen requirements for the entire crop with commercial fertilizer. The 4.8 bu/ac yield gain from this treatment was statistically significant, but it was not economically viable when considering the fertilizer and application cost. The results from this experiment provide strong evidence that applying a reasonable amount of nitrogen fertilizer, even in a wet year such as 2024, to soybeans does not improve yields.

2. A Recipe for High Soybean Yields:

Field trials are often established to determine the yield response of individual inputs or management practices. Testing each input separately is essential to evaluate their specific potential, but this approach does not fully assess the impacts of multiple inputs or strategies employed at once. There may be synergies or unforeseen benefits to a systems or recipe approach to management. Growers are also keen to know a recipe that can be employed across a broad acreage. Previous Ontario research has shown that planting a slightly long maturing variety for a given area in an early planting window will increase yield. Although the soil test did not require the addition of P or K, approximately ½ of crop removal was applied to help maintain soil tests and maximize yield potential if ideal growing conditions occurred. A relatively small amount of N and S were also applied to ensure fast canopy closure and vigorous growth.  New Ontario research is showing that S may be an important fertilizer on some soil types or in an early planting window. One application of a foliar fungicide was applied to improve crop health throughout the growing season. The intent of these treatments was not to apply the “kitchen sink” to achieve the absolute maximum yield but rather to apply a reasonable number of inputs to improve yields and more importantly, profits. Two replicated trials were established near Elora and Winchester Ontario in 2024. A list of the treatments tested is given in Table #1.

Table 1. Soybean “Recipe for Higher Yields” Treatments.

Variety	P K broadcast	Urea/PurYIeld + AMS	Fungicide	Planting
	(lbs/ac)	(lbs/ac)	(R2.5)	Date
Adapted	.	.	.	Normal
Adapted	91	110	Delaro Complete	Normal
Long	.	.	.	Normal
Long	91	110	Delaro Complete	Normal
Adapted	.	.	.	Early
Adapted	91	110	Delaro Complete	Early
Long	.	.	.	Early
Long	91	110	Delaro Complete	Early

Notes:

• The “adapted” soybean variety used at Elora was Cobra R2X (0.2 MG), and the “long” was Viper R2X (0.9 MG). The adapted variety at Winchester was Viper R2X (0.9 MG) and the long was Avalanche XF (1.4 MG).
• P K broadcast = 38 lbs/ac of 11-52-0 and 53 lbs/ac of 0-0-60 = 20 P and 35 actual K lbs/ac.Spring applied and incorporated.
• Urea/PurYield + AMS = 110 lbs/ac blend (68 lbs/ac urea/Puryield (50/50) + 42 lbs/ac AMS) =40 actual N + 10 actual S lbs/ac.
• Fungicide = Delaro Complete foliar fungicide sprayed at R2.5 at 237 ml/ac.
• Early planting at Elora was May 7 and May 13 at Winchester. Normal was May 16 and May 25 respectively. The early planting window was intended to be in April but the first opportunity when the soil was fit for planting was not until May.
• Soil test results for Elora were 7.2 pH, 5.5 organic matter, 65 ppm P, 133 ppm K. Winchester was 6.1 pH, 4.7 organic matter, 12 ppm P, 148 ppm K.

Results:

The yield results from these trials provide strong evidence that a recipe approach to improving soybean yields can significantly increase yields. For example, planting varieties that were 0.5 to 0.7 MG (Maturity Group) longer than would typically be considered adapted increased yields by 1.9 bu/ac (74.5 bu/ac to 76.4 bu/ac) when planted at a normal date. In the early planting date window, yields increased by 4.2 bu/ac (80.4 bu/ac compared to 76.2 bu/ac) when comparing an adapted variety to one that is slightly longer. Picture 1 shows how the early planting date helps to close the canopy quickly to maximize yield. It must be noted that the longer season varieties matured about one week later than the adapted in 2024 but were still harvested by mid-October. These results suggest that when planting early a long maturing variety is very important to maximize yield potential. Overall, yields increased by 7.8 bu/ac when comparing an adapted variety planted in a normal planting window compared to a long maturing variety planted in an early window with the addition of fertilizers and a foliar fungicide (74.5 bu/ac compared to 82.3 bu/ac). The first year of this study provided strong evidence that yields can be increased significantly by employing a basic recipe strategy for higher yielding soybeans as described in Table 1, even though no obvious soil and plant deficiencies were evident.

Assuming a cost of $675/tonne for potash, $1100/tonne for MAP, $690/tonne for AMS, $750/tonne for urea, and $20 acre for Delaro Complete the cost of these inputs is approximately $100/ac, not including application costs. Assuming a selling price of $13.50/bu and a 7.8 bu/ac yield improvement, the total revenue achieved by implementing these strategies was $105/ac.  This initial look at a recipe approach shows that further fine tuning is necessary to improve profits with this kind of approach.

Table 2. Soybean Yield Response to a “Recipe for Higher Yields.”

Variety	P K broadcast	Urea/PurYIeld + AMS	Fungicide	Planting	Yield*
	(lbs/ac)	(lbs/ac)	(R2.5)	Date	(bu/ac)
Adapted	.	.	.	Normal	74.5
Adapted	91	110	Delaro Complete	Normal	79.3
Long	.	.	.	Normal	76.4
Long	91	110	Delaro Complete	Normal	81.3
Adapted	.	.	.	Early	76.2
Adapted	91	110	Delaro Complete	Early	81.4
Long	.	.	.	Early	80.4
Long	91	110	Delaro Complete	Early	82.3

*A yield difference of less than 1.8 bu/ac is not considered statistically significant.

Picture 1. Soybean planted early (left side of picture) in an early window closed the canopy approximately 14 days earlier in 15-inch rows. This early canopy closure is part of the reason early planted soybeans yield more than later planted soybeans.

3. Winter wheat Staging Guides – January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024:

Extension funding was utilized to support the printing and distribution of over 700 winter wheat staging guides to growers across the province. This included distribution of guides to all grower participants in the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network and growers attending the Ontario Crop Diagnostic Days, Eastern Crop Diagnostic Days, various soil and crop improvement association grower meetings, the Outdoor Farm Show, Ontario Ag Conference, Eastern Crop Conference and Midwestern Crop Conference. This guide has been a valuable resource for growers to utilize when making in-season management decisions in their winter wheat crop.

4. Ontario Cereal Crop Committee Trials, Emo – January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024:

Extension funding was used to support the Ontario Cereal Crop Committee trials at the Emo research station in Northern Ontario. These are the only trials that are available to support growers in northwestern Ontario. Cereals continue to be an important part of the cropping system in this part of the province and without these trials, growers in this region would have limited access to information on how varieties perform and respond in their unique growing conditions. This information is posted at GoCrops.ca. The most commonly used pages include the performance pages for all cereals as well as the head-to-head feature which allows growers to compare specific varieties and characteristics that may be best suited for their operation. GoCrops.ca is home to all Ontario field crop performance data.

5. Ontario Field Crop News Updates and Extension Videos – January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024:

Extension funding was used for support of the Field Crop News website update. The updated website provides more detailed crop specific information in addition to the existing blog. Agronomy information will be organized by crop in an easy to print factsheet format. This format will allow field crop specialists to update agronomy information more frequently. As information on new topics become available additional sections can be added. The website will also include the current in-season crop blog, breakfast meeting minutes, field crop Q&As, easy to access links to key decision support tools such as AgriSuite, Great Lakes Pest Monitoring Network, Ontario Crop Protection Hub, Field Crop IPM, GoCrops.ca and Field Crop budgets. Funding was also used for the video cataloguing and editing of the final Crop Chats video series which will also be accessible on the updated website. These videos cover topics including cover crops, compaction, case studies of no-till and reduced till producer experiences, and producer viewpoints on replacing seeding equipment. To date the series has over 1000 views. The updated Field Crop News website is planning to launch Spring 2025.

6. Financial Support of Fieldcropnews.com:

GFO funding supported expenses associated with updating, maintaining and operating FieldCropNews.com. This platform allows OMAFA Field Crop staff (cereals, soybean and corn specialists and supporting disciplines in the areas of entomology, pathology, weeds, soils, and nutrients) to quickly and easily produce and post extension articles – general production information, but more critically, timely breaking information (pests, diseases, growing season risks) and annual survey activities. Collectively, page views are in the tens of thousands by Ontario growers and those who support them (agronomists, crop scouts, salespersons). Without this platform, our ability to produce timely articles that can reach Ontario-wide audiences would be severely limited. A major upgrade of the layout/organization of the website is expected in 2025.

7. Annual Crop Surveys:

The fall corn ear mould and DON survey (Fig. 1) has continued to be supported by OMAFA funding and is forecast to continue to receive OMAFA support over the next couple of years. Supplementary costs for supplies (e.g., mesh collection and sample bags, tags) were supported by extension funding in 2024. Despite a very wet growing season, DON levels were generally low across the province in 2024 (Fig. 1). Full ear mould survey results are available at FieldCropNews: https://fieldcropnews.com/2024/10/2024-ontario-grain-corn-ear-mould-and-deoxynivalenol-don-mycotoxin-survey/.

Figure 1. Results of 2024 Ontario Ear Mould and DON Survey.

8. Ad-Hoc Projects:

To improve extension of a GFO-funded fertilizer placement project, a soil sampling project was undertaken in 2024 to assess where fertilizer is actually being deposited in fertilized strips (important to interpret and extend results of the fertilizer placement project). In the fertilizer placement project, fertilizer is released in the strips through 4 different methods (shallow shank, edge banding, deep shank, coulter mixed). For the fertilizer sampling project, potash fertilizer (KCl, 0-0-62) was applied in those 4 different placement methods at a rate of 450 lb-K₂O/ac in wheat stubble. Strips were dug out to reveal the profile of the worked areas of the strips and these profiles were segmented into 1” grids. These 1” grids were sampled individually for a total of 6’ of row length (12” x 6 areas). Samples were submitted for soil test potassium (K) analysis. 

 Soil test K information is very important for extending results (risks of fertilizer burn, responses to fertilizer by placement method) and for growers to compare to their own strip placements. Heat map results of soil test K for the strip till profiles are included in Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5.

 Figure 2. Soil test K heat map for row unit 1 – 6” shank depth, fertilizer released at 4” depth.

 Figure 3. Soil test K heat map for row unit 2 – fertilizer double banded at edges of strip.

   Figure 4. Soil test K heat map for row unit 3 – 8” shank depth, fertilizer released at 6” depth.

Figure 5. Soil test K heat map for row unit 4 – fertilizer mixed into strip with coulters.

9. Grower Calls/Diagnostics:

Some labs costs associated with grower calls were experienced in 2024. This included soil nitrate sampling and testing a new fertilizer product known as “Green Lightning.” While the primary purpose was to help growers, experiences gleaned from these visits often contributed to the production of new extension materials (articles, case studies, presentations).

Recommendations:

• Further research is necessary to fully understand the impact of sulfur fertilizer on soybeans.
• Monitor FieldCropNews.com for timely agronomic articles, crop reports and historical articles on many agronomy topics.
• In brief, when placing fertilizer with strip till:
  • shallow banding (6” shank depth, 4” fertilize release) appears to concentrate fertilizer in the centre of the strip from the 4” to 6” depth and there appears to be minimal mixing outside of this zone.
  • shallow double banding (~3” either side of the centre of the strip) appears to concentrate fertilizer at the 2-3” depth, ~2-3” on either side of centre of the strip and there appears to be very little fertilizer that mixes into the middle of depths of the strip.
  • deep banding (8” shank depth, 6” fertilizer release) appears to concentrate fertilizer in the centre of the strip from the 6” to 8” depth and there appears to be minimal mixing outside of this zone.
  • coulter mixed fertilizer appears to concentrate fertilizer shallow (~1-2”) across the width of the strip and there appears to be some mixing to depth in the centre of the strip.
• Keep an eye on FieldCropNews.com in October 2025 when the 2025 DON survey will be released, providing a quick update on the ear mould/DON status in Ontario.

External Funding Partners:

None.  

Project Related Publications:

None.