by David Rourke, Andrew Hargrave, Haisheng xie, Shaun Gorrie and Kieth Murphy

The Conservation Tillage Productivity Centre was cut back to only include the Rotation x Tillage trial in Minto for the year 1994. Other related projects, were initiated or continued through both private and public funds.

New projects which were initiated in 1994 included a satellite Conservation Tillage Productivity Centre (sponsored by ManDak ZTFA) in La Salle MB. on a Red River clay and a Pulses Productivity Centre (sponsored by the Manitoba Pulse Growers) in Minto. There was also continued work on one pass seeding with anhydrous (Westco Fertilizers and Sherritt) and row spacing in a one pass system (Ducks Unlimited).

The La Salle Centre initiated a large field scale Rotation x Tillage trial. There will be two rotations and four stubble management / tillage combinations.

The Pulses Centre includes work on peas and lentils. The objective is to develop and demonstrate the management component necessary to provide economic control of diseases in the production of peas and lentils under reduced tillage conditions. 1994 was the first of a four year mandate. The activities of the Centre include; 1) monitoring disease and disease control in commercial fields, 2) monitoring of disease and disease control in crop varieties and fungicide trials, 3) incorporate the use of cultural control with chemical control measures to monitor the success and economics of an IPM approach to control diseases in pulse crops, and 4) work with chemical companies who wish that their fungicide be evaluated for the control of diseases in peas and / or lentils. In 1994 Uniroyal and Gustufson were participating companies.

The Rotation x Tillage trial was in the 5th cropping year in 1994. Large disease differences have developed between rotations and tillages in wheat The wheat plots were split in the past year to include combinations of with and without seed treatment and / or foliar fungicide. Additional changes to the trial design included the removal of barley from the rotation in favour of wheat and the addition of peas or canola in place of mustard. Once again an economic assessment of all combinations were done as well as the monitoring of soil moisture, root penetration resistance, weeds, diseases and crop vigour. There are efforts underway to obtain funding for more in depth weeds and diseases assessments for 1995.

One pass seeding with anhydrous was studied in 1994 on four sites in Manitoba, 3 with wheat and 1 with canola. Between 2 and 4 sites will be set up for 1995, 2 for wheat and possibly 2 with canola.

A two year study was initiated looking at the influence of row spacing, fertilizer placement, tillage and herbicide rates on wild oat control and economic yields in both wheat and canola. The shank spacings included 10" and 15". The seed / fertilizer placements included a side banding narrow knife opener, a mid banding paired row opener and a wide spread with a sweep mixing fertilizer and seed. The herbicide rates were 0, 50% and 100% of the label rate. Conventional and zero tillages were compared.