So yesterday (Wednesday) was another busy day to take advantage of the nice weather. Like moving the wheat harvest operation over to Farm 7.
OK, this is pretty lame. But you have to admit that the chrome on the back of the grain trailer is kept pretty shiny. (See what happens when you go from researcher to management!)
As I mentioned earlier, there are two systems being tested here. The ones in the back have the spray hoses attached directly to the overhead feeder hose. So the sprayed solution goes directly from the hose through the small hose and out the nozzles. One nozzle is above the feeder hose and one is down in the canopy. In the canisters (or whatever they are called, I probably should have checked), they are filled with the volume of spray to be applied, then air pressure cleans the lines and blows it out onto the trees. As with the other system, one nozzle is above and one is down in the canopy. But this second system will apply the same amount per tree since the solution is pre-loaded into the volume of the canister. So it is perhaps more accurate, but we will see. What a test this will be.
Meanwhile back at the NCRS base, Stephanie and Jeff have been making some foliar applications, but now are loading up to do something different. Recall that we are evaluating a new type of nitrogen side-dress system, the Y Drops. See them on the front. This applies fertilizer solutions right against the base of the corn row, which should be more readily taken up by the corn.
Here is the view from the cab, in a pic by Stephanie. This is to evaluate the effects of late applications of nitrogen on corn. These treatments space out the apps over an extended period of growth stages for comparison to the more traditional single earlier application.
So lot's going on. And all of this will be on display at the Research Field Days. Don't you dare miss it!
