On Aug. 26, 2014, a series of irrigation termination turnrow talks will be held at three Delta locations.  The details of these events follow in a News Release from Aug. 18.

NEWS RELEASE

 Learn How to Save Time and Money through Timely Irrigation Termination

Turnrow Talks Scheduled for Aug. 26

CANTON (Aug. 18, 2014) - You’ve implemented the tools necessary to help you irrigate more efficiently, but when is the right time to turn off the water? At an upcoming event, Mississippi State University (MSU) irrigation specialist Jason Krutz, Ph.D., and MSU soybean specialist Trent Irby, Ph.D., will show Mississippi soybean farmers how to determine the right time to end irrigation in their fields.

Krutz and Irby will present at multiple Irrigation Termination Turnrow Talks on Aug. 26. The Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board, Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service and stakeholder organizations of the Delta Sustainable Water Resources Task Force sponsor the talks.

“Farmers in this region irrigate more than they need to at the end of the season,” explains Krutz, who has been charged with decreasing over-irrigation by 20 percent. “We will demonstrate how to determine when it is the right time to stop irrigating fields based on portable and permanent soil-moisture sensors and the plant’s physiology.”

These informational sessions will enable farmers to stop over-irrigating, saving them time and money.

“Over-irrigating can cost Mississippi farmers a lot more than money,” said Jan de Regt, chairman of the MSPB. “The goal of the last irrigation is to have enough water available up to the R6.5 stage. I know that I have been over irrigating in the past too often.”

Mark your calendar for Aug. 26 to attend an Irrigation Termination Turnrow Talk at the following locations.  Call the local extension office for more information and directions.

9:00 a.m., Tunica County, Richie Bibb farm, Extension phone: 662-363-2911

1:00 p.m., Washington County, Delta Research and Extension Center, Stoneville, Extension phone: 662-686-9311

4:00 p.m., Leflore County, Reese Pillow farm, Extension phone: 662-392-8158

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MSPB is made up of 12 farmer-directors who oversee the investments of the soy checkoff on behalf of all Mississippi soybean farmers. These volunteers work to increase soybean farmer profitability by investing checkoff dollars in ongoing public research and extension programs that address Mississippi production challenges, thereby driving the adoption of best management practices developed through research and ensuring the sustainability of Mississippi soybean production.

Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MississippiSoybeanPromotionBoard

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MSSOY

View our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/MississippiSoybean

A White Paper published on this website provides data from an LSU study that indicates that yield of soybeans is maximized when seed have reached stage R6.5.  It is estimated that this stage occurs at about 7 days after R6.0.  Click here to see pictures of soybean growth stages.

For a thorough discussion of the issues associated with terminating soybean irrigation, see pages 10-12 in the Irrigation Guide posted on this website.

Properly terminated irrigation on soybeans will avoid two things.

• Irrigation that is stopped too soon will result in a reduced yield because of seed that are not full-size.


• Irrigation that is applied beyond the time of soybean’s ability to use the applied water will result in over-irrigation, which wastes water and will result in a field that may not dry by harvest time.

The second happening is critical to avoid as Mississippi farmers cope with a declining aquifer and strive to adopt more efficient irrigation practices.

Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Aug. 2014, larryheatherly@bellsouth.net