Green streaks in winter annuals

[Douglas]

So as I ride by the rye
field I notice a recurring pattern of light green and dark green forage streaks. Seems each streak is about 3 feet wide. Looks like a football field when each 5 yards was mowed in a different direction. This field was fallow/weeds in the summer. I mowed the tall weeds, and then burned down a couple weeks later with RU before disking a few weeks after that. I spread nitrogen in a wide swath, seeded, and chain dragged to cover up the seed and dry fertilizer. The only thing that might line up with the streaky pattern was the mowing. Could it be that the residue is more concentrated on one side of the mower and is now releasing more nutrients to the rye? All the other operations were a much wider swath. And would the darker areas be where the residue is or where it is not?

 

[1wlimo]

Could be either or, I have had crop turn light in colour where the new roots hit the decomposing organic matter, and dark spots when it has been better decomposed.

It could have been the fetiliser, had some funny streaks when the fert has hit the discs in the wrong way due to a semi blocked measuring slot, and some urea will not spread very far no matter what machine you use, and also some samples of fertiliser are just very badly graded so all small and large with no in between.

Does sound like it was your mower in this case,

 

[Stocker Steve]

It takes a while for the organic matter to break down and have a lot of N available for the plants. More/too much at once/planted in too soon/ organic matter can give you a yellow areas for a couple months.

I see this when I spread manure with a lot of bedding, without going though a composting step

 

[inbredredneck]

It takes a while for the organic matter to break down and have a lot of N available for the plants. More/too much at once/planted in too soon/ organic matter can give you a yellow areas for a couple months.

I see this when I spread manure with a lot of bedding, without going though a composting step

Steve organic matter is slow to break down in central and northern mn thats why the burn the wheat fields after harvest.

 

[Anonymous]

Good info inbred. Ill add that organic matter needs moisture to break down. Takes a while in dry winter months