My two-year crop rotation plan will include seed corn and soybeans. Soybeans will be planted in the first year on a virgin land followed by seed corn in the second year. The inclusion of a leguminous crop, like soybeans, in crop rotation, improves the soil fertility as well as the structure (Mohler and Johnson, 2009). Legumes releases nitrogen to the soil, which will reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizer needed for the sweet corn in the following year (Griffin, Liebman, and Jemison, 2000). These crops will be planted in North Carolina.
Soybeans
The soybean cultivar to be planted is Envy, SS 5511N R2 of the yellow class sourced from the Southern States institution. Envy is an early maturity variety and has a high yield potential, suitable for different soil types; it is bushy with more pods and a desirable resistance to cyst nematode. During land cultivation, deep disking and turning will be employed to provide for deep rooting of the soybeans and moist seedbed besides a good seed-to-soil contact (Dubenok, Lytov, Ad’yaev, and Kravchenko, 2008). Duppong, Hatterman, and Valenti (2005) recommend inoculation of the seeds with soybean rhizobia should be done before planting to ensure plans receive enough nitrogen. The recommended soil pH is about 6.5 that allow adequate root formation, rhizobium formation, and nutrient uptake. To prevent premature flowering and stunted growth, Wada, Endo, and Takahashi (2006) note that planting is between May and June preferably when the soils are warm as from 70°F can be a solution. Adhering to 85% germination rate, the seeds will be sowed at the depth of 1.5 inches, row spacing of 30 inch and seed rate of 10 seeds per foot of the row using a tractor and planter.
Once the plants emerge, rotary hoes and subsequent use of herbicides like Dual II Magnum can be used to control broadleaf, grass, nutsedge, and sicklepod weeds. For general growth, metabolism and photosynthesis, 40 pounds of phosphate fertilizers will be applied since soybeans require a lot of phosphorous in addition to 80 pounds of potassium for a 50-bushel-per-acre of soybean. Some common diseases likely to attack soybeans at different stages include the southern stem blight, soybean rust, phomosis pod and stem blight. Tubuconazole fungicide can be used to manage the soybean rust whereas Quadris and Evito fungicides will be used to control the southern stem blight (Chawla, Bowen, Slaminko, Hobbs & Hartman, 2013). According to Delate and Kern (2007) and Hill et al. (2005), nematodes are also a threat to soybeans thus, the choice of resistant variety should be considered, and use of Temik 15G nematicide can be used when necessary (Venette and Ragsdale, 2004).
Dashiell, 2005) and Larry (2009) points out that harvesting should be done when the crops are mature and leaf color change to yellow by September, followed by falling brown leaf, which exposes matured pods in October and early November as temperatures get cooler. This is the right period for harvesting and will be done using combine harvesters. However, desiccant herbicide can be used to ensure even crop maturity, reduce seed moisture and dry off weeds before harvesting (Shurtleff and Aoyagi, 2013). Harvesting is then done when the moisture content falls to almost 13%, using machines that pick up leaves stalks and pods. The seeds will be threshed from pods into a hopper then move to a transportation truck that will take them to drying site (Islas-Rubio, Higuera-Ciapara, 2002). Wang et al. (2006) and Whitaker et al. (2013) recommends drying which helps reduce the moisture content to guarantee favorable storage conditions, processing, and handling. The harvest can be exported to foreign markets, which tend to fetch high returns. However, this may change depending on the market prices presented by both local and foreign markets.
According to Chicago Board of Trade, one acre is supposed to produce 41 bushels, and the cost of producing one bushel is estimated at eight dollars; hence, it will require $ 328 to cultivate one acre of land I target to use.
Sweet Corn
The SH2 variety, specifically Super Sweet 7210 cultivar of the sweet corn will be sourced from Syngenta and sowing done between March and early May. SH2 is one of the three genetic classes of the sweet corn. Given its high sugar content and Sugar-Starch conversion rate, SH2 is widely accepted by consumers. Sweet (2007) suggests that during land cultivation, sub soiling should be done on compacted soils using a heavy ripper-hipper which can improve root penetration and access to moisture layer. Fields are then leveled to eliminate wet, low areas that can cause poor plant growth and stands. To protect from insects and soil-borne diseases especially during seedling development or germination, treated seeds of 90% germination and high vigor will be used.
The growth and development of corns, from planting time to harvesting, is controlled primarily by temperatures and not necessarily by calendar date (Diver, Kuepper, and Sullivan, 2008). For this reason, planting should be scheduled based on daily heat temperatures with a base of 50 F. During planting, seeds should be sowed at one and a half inch deep at a row spacing of 30 inches and seed spacing of 7 inches that can result to 24,000 plants in an acre, using a calibrated planter for precision planting. To maintain required soil moisture, irrigation drip irrigation with buried tapes 15cm deep will be utilized when conditions become dry. To ensure that plants receive adequate nutrients for growth, 140 pounds of Nitrogen per acre, 60 pounds of phosphate (P2O5), and 90 pounds of potash.
Weeds such as broadleaf, Bermuda grass, crabgrass, foxtails, pigweed and sickelpod are common in North Carolina. Pre-planting, pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides should be applied and deep tilling during land cultivation can help control such weeds. Effective pesticides and insecticides can be used to prevent an attack on sweet corns from foliar pests, earthworms, webworms and corn rootworms. According to Delate and Kern (2007) and Jasinski et al. (2013), diseases such as stalk and root rots, leaf spots and leaf blights, sugarcane mosaic and maize dwarf mosaic caused by fungi, viruses, bacteria or organisms are known to attack sweet corns. Use of resistant corn varieties is recommended besides application of fungicides to the seed (Haley and Jasinski, 2014). Practices such as praying plants with fungicides, soil fertility adjustment using fertilizers, and maintenance of proper drainage can reduce losses from some diseases.
Sweet corns have a short harvest period with harvesting. To achieve high yields and quality, harvesting is practiced on the day of optimum maturity. Before the crop is harvested, a farmer is supposed to check that the silks are dry and brown, kernel being plump, milky, sweet and tender with a near maximum size. During harvesting, it can be done by hands or machines, which harvest all ears, culls, and trash included. Grading into U.S. Fancy and or U.S. No. 1 grades is then done based on freshness, cob length, freedom from infection or injury and maturity (Kemble, 2007). As Kemble (2007) shows in his study, processing sweet corns should be taken to processing plants immediately to maintain quality. Packaging is done in wire-bound wooden crates and plastic containers holding about 54 to 60 ears. Hydro cooling of sweet corns that are not processed or consumed immediately after harvest is recommended to reduce the loss of tenderness and flavor. Non-commercial sweet corn can be marketed via market stalls, direct marketing or to corn processing plants. The market chosen is determined by the quality of corn.
According to Chicago Board of Trade, one acre of corn is supposed to produce 171 bushels of corn, and cost of producing 1 bushel is $ 4; hence, it will cost $ 684 to produce corn in one acre of land.
References
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Dashiell, K. (2005). SOYBEANS: Improvement, Production, and Uses. Third Edition. Agricultural Systems, 83(1), 110-111.
Delate, K, & Mc. Kern, A.(2007). Sweet corn variety and pest management trial. Retrieved from extension.agron.iastate.edu/organicag/researchreports/nk07swcorn.pdf
Diver, S., Sullivan, P, & Kuepper, G. (2008). Sweet corn: organic production. National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. www.attra.ncat.org.
Dubenok, N., Lytov, M., Ad’yaev, S., & Kravchenko, A. (2008). Water resources are the limiting favor in growing soybeans in rice crop rotations. Russian Agricultural Sciences, 34(1), 32-34.
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Wang, Y., Bowen, C. R., Hobbs, H. A., Hill, C. B., Haudenshield, J. S., Bernard, R. L., Hartman, G. L., Domier, L. L. (2006). Evaluation of soybean cultivars resistance to two Soybean mosaic virus strains. Crop Science, Vol 46, 2649-2653.
Whitaker, J., Kemerait, R., Harris, G., Roberts, P., Prostko, E., Sumner, P., & Smith, A. (2013). Georgia Soybean Production Guide. The University of Georgia, USA. www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fieldcrops/soybeans/
