Application of Liquid Humic to Wheat and Barley
Agricultural humic acid products have the potential to increase crop yields by helping plants take up nutrients more easily through the promotion of soil microbial activity. Humic acids can also stabilize soil structure in compacted soils, increasing water holding capacity while preventing erosion. There are numerous humic products available in Alberta that can be applied as either a granular or liquid soil amendment. Liquid humic is usually applied at seeding or as a foliar spray at the two to four leaf stage. This research trial investigates whether humic acid boosts cereal crop yields and grain quality in a dry growing season in Northern Alberta’s Peace Region.
This small plot trial studies the effect of liquid humic application at seeding on the performance of wheat and barley in heavy clay soils. The humic product sourced from Twin Rivers Farms was applied in furrow at a rate of 1 gal/ac. The crop varieties used in the trial were AAC Wheatland CWRS wheat and CDC Copeland barley.
Demonstration of spring triticale varieties compared to commonly grown cereal crops:
Gunner
Flex 719
Hybrid Surge
Triple Crown Mix
Diverse Mix
Surge
CS Camden oats
CDC Austenson barley
Compare the growth and performance of CDC Austenson barley treated with Nutrient Plus through different methods:
Seed treatment
In-furrow application at seeding
Foliar application
Seed treatment + in-furrow
Seed treatment + in-furrow + foliar application
No Nutrient Plus treatment
Performance and yield potential of popular malt barley varieties grown in Northern Alberta:
- CDC Copeland
- CDC Churchill
- CDC Bow
- CDC Fraser
- AAC Connect
- AC Metcalfe
- AAC Synergy
Objective: Educate ourselves more on how Insure Cereal FX4 works in the Peace Region weather conditions against untreated.
Canola
Same across treatments:
Emergence
Stand count
Test weight
Yield
Oat
Same across treatments:
Emergence
Stand count
Test weight
Yield
Barley
Same across treatments:
Emergence
Stand count
Test weight
Yield
Pea
Same across treatments:
Stand count
Test weight
Yield
Emergence
Control plots had 13% more individuals than the other treatments
Emergence (P=0.1341) and test weight (P=0.4265) were the same across treatments. Yield on the other hand varied according to variety (P=0.0214). CDC Fraser was the highest yielding variety. Varieties with same yield were CDC Copeland and CDC Churchill. In contrast AAC Connect was the lowest yielding. This growing season was an excellent year for barley as it grew quickly and matured pretty fast at the end of the growing season. It can be concluded that to choose a high yielding variety there is no doubt CDC Fraser is the best choice, although CDC Copeland and CDC Churchill could also provide as much great yields.
Greatest number of emergent stands were found in CDC Austenson, followed by CDC Copeland and CDC Metcalfe. Despite seeding rates emergence number were 8% higher in CDC Austenson compared to CDC Metcalfe and CDC Copeland varieties (P<0.0001) and CDC Metcalfe was 9% compared to CDC Austenson and CDC Copeland (P<0.0001). In terms of seeding rates, Number of individuals emerging above ground were greater at the highest seeding rates (34 plants per squared foot) of CDC Austenson and CDC Copeland varieties, but not in CDC Metcalfe at the same seeding rate (P<0.0001). As such, those plots sown at 34 plants per square foot showed 4% more of the number of emergent stands (P=0.0015) in comparison to those plots sown at 24 and 29 plants per square foot.
Height was evaluated twice during the growing season. Instead of pooling the data, height was treated as repeated measurements. Analysis showed an interaction between height and treatments, much more in relation to varieties rather than seeding rates (P<0.0001). It was found that average heights of CDC Metcalfe and CDC Copeland had a 4% difference (P= 0.0001) compared to CDC Austenson stand height. CDC Metcalfe was then 9% taller than average heights of CDC Austenson and CDC Copeland (P=0.0005) and CDC Copeland was 23% taller than average heights of CDC Austenson and CDC Metcalfe (P=0.0001).
Yield was the same in CDC Austenson and CDC Copeland and both were greater than CDC Metcalfe (P=0.0034). As such, CDC Austenson yielded 25% more than CDC Metcalfe and CDC Copeland (P=0.0032) and CDC Metcalfe yielded 40% less than CDC Austenson and CDC Copeland (P<0.0001).
In conclusion, CDC Austenson was the barley variety with most emergent number of individuals and yield whereas CDC Copeland was the tallest variety. Seeding rate impacted height but emergence and yield was mostly influenced by barley variety.
Field pea is a poor competitor crop. As a temporal solution to control faster growing weeds and alleviate competition, fields are sprayed with Group 2 herbicides which have shown to cause herbicide weed resistance. It is hypothesized that if the seeding rate is increased, yield will be compensated despite weed competition. In addition, if field pea is intersown with cover crops, there is greater weed suppression. This is an economic advantage as it removes the necessity for herbicide application and inclusion of cover crops supply additional organic matter to the soil. This two-year split block experiment consisted of a Group 2 herbicide (in this case REFINE SG) application to spring wheat. Plots were either sprayed with the herbicide at 12 g ac-1 or left untreated. The following year, field pea was sown at three different seeding rates (90, 180 and 270 lb ac-1). Each of these rates were either sown alone or intersown with either annual rye, barley, oat and rye at 5, 35, 35, and 17 lb ac-1. Weeds were counted using 25 cm quadrats every two weeks and grouped as either broadleaf or grass.