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News
Column
Paul C Hay, Extension Educator 
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News Letters: http://gage.unl.edu/news/news.htm
Saving Water For the Next Crop
Saving water for the next crop begins with the proper harvest of
this crop. Poor crop residue distribution can cause all sorts of
problems.
- Weed Seed Concentration - Weed
seed and grain residue are concentrated when the residue is
concentrated. This makes weeds and volunteer crops plants difficult
to control.
- Interception of Herbicides -
Poorly distributed residue can be a physical barrier that may
prevent uniform application of herbicides.
- Shading From the Sun - Heavy
concentrations of residue shade the soil surface. This depresses
soil temperatures 2 degrees F and can slow seedling emergence.
- Poor Tillage Performance - If
tillage operations are done, residue may plug the tillage implement
or impair its performance.
- Challenges for the Planting Equipment
- Todays planters and no-till drills cut and handle residue very
well. Windrows and piles of residue will challenge even the best
operator's.
- Poor Seed-Soil Contact - If
the planter or drill mechanism cannot cut through residue, it may
punch the residue into the soil with the seed. Often termed "hairpinning,"
this can cause poor seed to soil contact and poor germination.
How do we do a better job?
- Improve Existing Spreaders -
Repair or modification of existing straw spreaders and choppers will
often improve spreading of the long residue. If the spreader bats
are worn and have rounded edges, replace them. Square edges on new
rubber bats will normally increase spreading width. Try increasing
the rotational speed of the spreader by changing drive sprockets or
sheaves. Add more bats, longer bats, or increase the width of the
bats. Before attempting modifications, check with combine dealer or
manufacturer to determine if these changes could have an adverse
affect on the life or performance of the combine.
- Improvise for Chaff Spreading
- Some combine operators have improvised existing equipment to
obtain some degree of chaff spreading. This often includes some
method of getting the chaff back to the straw spreader and improving
the spreader to handle chaff. Increased or redirected air flow may
move the chaff far enough to reach the straw spreader bats, but
avoid sacrificing the cleaning performance of the combine. Deflector
pans or chutes may be used to move the chaff back to the straw
spreader. Lowering the straw spreader may help get the chaff into
the spreader. Longer bats, more bats, or a solid disk in the center
of the bat assembly may improve chaff spreading by the straw
spreader.
- Purchase Add-On Equipment -
Add-on equipment to spread straw and/or chaff can be purchased for
most larger capacity combines. Chaff spreading concepts include
horizontal spinning disks, axial fans, and other air conveyance
systems. Most add-on straw spreaders utilize a spinning disk for
blade mehanism. Longer and more angled deflector blades are
available for choppers. Many of these add-on devices will have
excellent spreading performance, but carefully consider other
aspects before making modifications. If hydraulically driven, does
your combine have adequate hydraulic pressure, flow rate, and
cooling capacity? Does it appear to be vibration-prone to cause
structural damage to your combine? Will the unit consume enough
power to detract from the combine capacity? Do the mounting and
mechanical drive features appear to be adequate to avoid early
maintenance problems? Is it detachable so it can be installed on
another combine? Is it convenient to operate the combine without
running or removing the spreader? Does the spreader limit access to
sieve or chaffer adjustments?
View other Gage County News Columns &
News Letters: http://gage.unl.edu/news/news.htm
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