ARS | Publication request: Proso Millet Yield and Residue Mass Following Direct Harvest with a Stripper-header

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract
Publication Acceptance Date: May 1, 2008
Publication Date: September 15, 2008
Citation: Nielsen, D.C., Henry, W.B., Vigil, M.F., Calderon, F.J., West, M.S. 2008. Proso Millet Yield and Residue Mass Following Direct Harvest with a Stripper-header. Agronomy Abstract. Presented at the International American Society of Agronomy meetings, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America (ASA/CSSA/SSSA) annual meetings. Oct. 5-9, 2008. Houston, TX.

Technical Abstract: Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) (PM) is an important crop for dryland agricultural rotations in the central Great Plains. The crop is traditionally swathed prior to combining to promote uniform drying of the panicle and to minimize seed shattering losses. Direct harvesting of PM with a stripper header would eliminate the swathing operation resulting in cost savings and increased standing crop residues to enhance erosion protection, snow catch, and precipitation storage efficiency. This study was conducted to determine yield differences between conventionally swathed and stripper-header harvested PM and to compare PM residue mass and orientation following the two harvest techniques. The study was conducted over four growing seasons at Akron, CO. PM was harvested either by swathing and then picking up the swath with a combine, or by direct harvesting with a stripper-header attached to the combine. Seed yields and seed moisture contents at harvest were not different between treatments. About 24% more seed was found on the ground with the stripper-header harvest than with the conventionally swathed harvest, but the increased shatter was relatively small and unimportant to final yield (about 1% of the average final yield). Using a stripper-header resulted in much greater mass of standing residue following harvest which caused the silhouette area index to be four times greater than in conventionally swathed PM. A stripper-header can be used to successfully direct harvest PM thereby reducing harvest costs and increasing surface crop residues following harvest.