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 You
don't have to tell Arkansas farmers about the benefits
of flooding rice fields during the winter. Water attracts
waterfowl, which means better hunting. Better hunting
attracts more hunters, which can mean extra dollars
in the farmer's pocket. And it doesn't hurt if the migrating
birds eat a few weed seeds while they're visiting the
Natural State.
But what does winter flooding do to soybeans following
the rice?
University of Arkansas Rice Systems Agronomist Merle
Anders is looking for answers to the question with funding
from the soybean and rice promotion boards. More specifically,
says Anders, he's looking at the impact of winter flooding
and stubble management on tilled and no-till soybeans,
irrigated and non-irrigated, in a rice-soybean rotation.
Anders says initial funding for his project came from
the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geological
Survey. "They and the U.S. and Canadian wildlife services
have a major goal of increasing winter flooding in the
Delta for waterfowl.
"But before the agencies go out and encourage and
even subsidize landowners to flood more acreage for
waterfowl, as they've done through Ducks Unlimited,
they want to make sure winter flooding doesn't have
a negative impact on subsequent crops."
Anders has looked at three approaches to managing
rice stubble: leave the stubble standing, roll it, or
incorporate the stubble with a disk.
He's also looked at three approaches to water management:
drain the field, turn on the pumps and hold a 4-inch
flood from late November until early February, and either
install or recondition the levees after harvest and
let rain fill the field.
"The biggest cost comes from pumping up fields to
the 4-inch depth," notes Anders. "It's much more cost
effective to get the levees back in order in early to
mid-November and maintain them so they can capture as
much rainfall as possible. We generally have enough
winter rain in Arkansas to do that."
Anders says his research shows that, while winter
flooding certainly benefits waterfowl and hunters, none
of the various combinations of stubble and water management
practices he's tried have affected soybean yields.
"The soybean yields were higher with conventional
tillage than no tillage, but no-till production was
better economically," says the researcher.
"We saw no benefits from winter flooding, and of course
it costs more when you pump water into a field."
Anders says research in California has shown that
there is some benefit to flooding rice stubble instead
of burning it. "The data indicate that, over a period
of years, you increase the soil's organic matter. Subsequent
crops will benefit from that."
Soybeans Today January 2000
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ATTN: Brandy Carroll
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Little Rock, AR 72203-0031
Phone: 501-228-1268
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