More than 19.4 million prevent plant acres were reported this year. Key states that were hit hard include South Dakota, Illinois, Ohio and Minnesota. In South Dakota alone, more than 3.9 million acres were listed as prevent plant. Illinois, Ohio and Minnesota saw more than a million acres each. Something important to think about as we head into harvest and the fall season is what will happen to those acres as they overwinter. You want to do what you can to protect your seedbed through the fall and winter. Here are a few tips for managing your prevent plant acres to ensure a smooth start next planting season.
Keep Weed Control Top of Mind
Hopefully you’ve been able to control weed populations this summer through mowing, spraying or tillage. However, if you continue to have tough weeds in your fields or are concerned about them popping up this fall or early next year, there’s still an opportunity to come use a burndown with residual right after harvest. If only a few weeds are present, you may want to physically pull the plants to avoid running weeds through the combine. Later in the fall, you can simply put down a burndown to control any weeds that are able to overwinter.
Prepare for and Mitigate Fallow Syndrome
If cover crops were not planted on your prevent plant acres this year and you have drier grounds, your fields may be at a higher risk for fallow syndrome. Fallow syndrome is essentially a phosphorus deficiency that occurs when ground has sat inactive (no crop or weed growth the previous year). According to the University of Minnesota Extension, “when there’s no plant growth in an area for an extended period of time, populations of ‘good fungi,’ called active arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM), are dramatically reduced because AM fungi need actively growing roots to survive.” The AM fungi are responsible for uptake of key nutrients in a plant, including phosphorus, zinc and other less mobile nutrients. When phosphorus cannot be properly distributed to the plant, a phosphorus deficiency occurs, leading to purpling of the leaves and stunted growth if not properly managed before planting. This typically affects corn and small grains planted the following year.
To help manage the threat of fallow syndrome, consider a fall cover crop such as rye, wheat or oats. You can also map out a plan for applying phosphorus in bands at planting next year. Banded applications are recommended over broadcast for fallow grounds. The South Dakota State University Extension recommends adding banded phosphorus and chelated zinc applications in or near the rows. They also recommend planting soybeans instead of corn on fallow ground as corn is more susceptible to fallow syndrome.
Consider Cover Crops
One way to prevent any of the aforementioned issues from occurring next year is to plant cover crops this fall. The benefits of planting cover crops are many, but some key advantages include protecting soil from erosion, offering an extra level of protection against tough weeds and adding vital nutrients back into the soil. There are a number of cover crop options to consider in the fall, including rye, clover and oats mixed with rye. Penn State Extension has a good guide for fall cover crops, but I also recommend reaching out to your local extension office to see which ones work best for your region.