Crop Rotations – Is Winter Wheat the "Dark Horse"? Twitter: Dave Hooker, PhD Bill Deen, PhD Dept of Plant Agriculture/Ridgetown Campus University of

Outline Overview of long term trials – Elora, Ridgetown Breakdown of winter wheat contributions in the rotation Question…..Is winter wheat the dark horse? “A dark horse is a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence, especially in a competition of some sort or a contestant that seems unlikely to succeed.” Rotation Budget

Acknowledgments + Technical Staff, graduate students, summer students

Elora Long-term rotation 2011 Initiated in 1980 Rotations – CCCC, AAAA, CCAA, CCSS, CCSW, CCSW(rc), CCOB, CCO(rc)B(rc) Conventional tillage and no-till Corn Soybean Alfalfa Barley Wheat NT CT

Established 1995 (by Doug Young) 5 Crop Rotations C-C S-S C-S C-S-W S-W 4 N treatments in corn and wheat Red clover underseeded in wheat plots Technical: Mr. Scott Jay Ridgetown Long-Term Tillage-Rotation

Corn Yields at Elora 2012

Seed Yield (bu/ac) Rotation Soybean Yields at Ridgetown 2012 MP NT MP NT MP NT S-SC-SC-S-W

Grain Yield (bu/ac) Rotation Corn Yields at Ridgetown in 2012 MP NT MP NT MP NT C-CC-SC-S-W

Complex rotations  higher yield, better soil properties at Elora and Ridgetown Benefits of red clover in rotation Benefits of wheat in rotation Demonstrated soybean a negative on soil properties and yield Demo lower optimal N rates at Ridgetown (not assessed at Elora) MB > NT at Elora; MB > or = No-till at Ridgetown Rotation and tillage interact, especially at Elora (i.e., complex rotations are less responsive to tillage) Rotation >> tillage on soil carbon/soil properties Rotation influences sustainable residue removal rates Messages: Elora and Ridgetown Trials

Wheat is the opportunity to improve complexity of corn- soybean-dominated rotations Is wheat a weak sister in a corn-soy-wheat rotation? But is wheat the dark horse?

Wheat: direct contribution to returns 1. The “Rotation Effect”

Grain Yield (bu/ac) The “Rotation Effect” Wheat on Corn Yields Ridgetown C-C C-SC-S-W 2012 C-C C-SC-S-W C-C C-SC-S-W C-C C-SC-S-W Note: Mean separation within year (p=0.05)

Rotation Seed Yield (bu/ac) 2009 Averaged Across Tillage and Corn N treatments at Ridgetown. Est. 1991; letters within year statistically different at p=0.05 Source: Hooker et al., 2011 (UofG Ridgetown) C-S C-S-W 2012 Note: Mean separation within year (p=0.05) S-S C-S C-S-W S-S C-S C-S-W S-S C-S C-S-W S-S 1. The “Rotation Effect” Wheat on Soybean Yields Ridgetown

1. The “Rotation Effect” Wheat on First Year Corn Yields Elora

1. The “Rotation Effect” Wheat on Soybean Yields Elora

Wheat: direct contribution to returns 2. Corn N Requirements

Fertilizer N Rate C-S-W C-C C-S Grain Yield (bu ac -1 ) Conventional-Till Corn Response to N and Rotation Ridgetown Long-term Tillage-Rotation C-S-W(rc)

Rotation Conventional Tillage No-Till/ Strip Till Most Economic N Rate C-S-W(rc)11095 C-S-W13095 C-S C-C+180 Tillage x Rotation Impacts MERN R idgetown

Wheat: direct contribution to returns 3. Value of Straw as a Commodity

Wheat: direct contribution to returns 4. Opportunity for Red Clover

Grain Yield (bu/ac) Corn Yields after Wheat +/- Red Clover, Ridgetown C-S-W C-S-W(rc) 2012 C-S-W C-S-W(rc) C-S-W C-S-W(rc) C-S-W C-S-W(rc) Ave

Seed Yield (bu/ac) No-Till Conventional Till C-S-W(rc) S-S C-S C-S-W C-S-W(rc) S-S C-S C-S-W Note: Mean separation within tillage system (p=0.05) Soybean Yields with Wheat +/- Red Clover, Ridgetown

Wheat: direct contribution to returns 5. Double Cropping Opportunities

Double Crop Soybean Yield Survey 2012 (bu/ac) 32 FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL 28

July 20 V1 Aug 14 R1 Phenology DC soybean trial Ridgetown, 2012 Oct 3 R6 Yield 20 $14/bu = $280/ac +/- Input costs = $175/ac +/-

Cover Crops? OMAFRA, 2012

Is Winter Wheat the "Dark Horse"? What is the REAL Value of Wheat?