Planting a crop isn’t just dropping seed in the ground and hoping for record results. It starts with uniform germination and emergence.
“In our higher yielding plots and higher yielding fields, usually one common denominator is that we’ve been able to achieve plant uniformity,” said Missy Bauer of B&M Crop Consulting. “If we have plants that emerge 12 hours behind the other ones, we’re able to hold about 98 percent of yield but by the time we got to twenty-four hours, we’re down to 88 percent of yield.”
Getting those seeds up and running requires both moisture and heat.
“When you put the seed in the ground and it imbibes water if that water is above 50 degrees temperature, there’s elasticity in the cells of the seed and they will swell,” explains Ken Ferrie of Crop-Tech Consulting. “If that water is colder than 50 degrees and it really shows up at 45 degrees, instead of the seeds having that elasticity to swell, they shred.”
Often in cooler soils, emergence timing will depend on how the seed is placed. Corn seed dropped spike down in those colder conditions will take longer to emerge.
“The farmer, when you show them that he’s got a spike down plant, that was two weeks later coming up while the rest of his plants are at one or two collars and you tell them it’s not going to put on an ear, it kind of looks at you like what are you talking about,” said Ferrie. “If your plant is more than a collar behind the neighboring plant, even when its small, I can tell you it’s not going to put on an ear.”
Good uniform emergence starts in the seedbed.
“If a seed is going to pull water in from the soil around it to germinate, we’ve got to have good contact,” said Bauer. “If you’ve got air gaps, or the soil is too fluffy, we’re not going to be able to achieve good contact.”
It’s not just soil but the environmental conditions that also play a role in starting with healthy, consistent emergence.
“Oftentimes just after planting we see a challenge from conditions that are conducive for seedling pathogens as well as insects,” said Nick Hustedde a technical service manager with FMC. “They can both influence emergence and root development.”
From the roots to the tassel, regardless of what is being planted this spring, uniform emergence is one step in the drive to win the furrow.
Master the planter basics by watching Planter Clinic Online Courses from Missy Bauer and B&M Crop Consulting.
To learn more ways to minimize mistakes at planting, visit bit.ly/WinTheFurrow
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