Drought could harm maize prospects for Federico Rolle

Maize planting is imminent, but I am concerned that the crop may suffer due to a lack of rainfall in recent months. I will shortly begin planting 181ha and I am praying that the rain forecast for the next few days arrives or the crop will be drilled in dry conditions.

In Argentina, prospects for maize are improving. Biofuel and international demand are driving up prices and improved genetics are giving higher yields, stability and pest control.

Maize offers a good gross margin of around $600/ha (£385/ha) and it also brings an increase in following crop yields. In my experience, soya beans planted after a maize residue will yield between 0.4 to 0.6t/ha more than after other crops.

Having maize in the rotation increases soil carbon, the stubble/straw remains on the surface and we drill through that with a no-till drill, which returns vital nutrients and organic matter to the soil.

Maize also benefits the following soya crop by improving soil structure and porosity. Consequently, compaction is higher in a field after many years of soya beans only, than one that has been rotated with maize.

Soya beans lock in nitrogen, although they leave a negative balance of phosphorus and sulphur. That’s why in a rotation of soya beans and maize, the nutrient balance is less negative than in systems dominated by soyabeans alone.

The rotation is what’s missing on many Argentine farms, which can be dominated by continuous soya bean crops. In reality, most farmers don’t fully understand the effect of soil deterioration, since the genetic improvement in crop yields in soya beans masks the real lost production potential of some soils.