DuPont Pioneer announced it has updated its Planting Rate Estimator tool ahead of the 2016 planting season. Version 3.0 allows users to compare three yield targets or three separate hybrids in one chart.
The app taps into a “wide-ranging set of data from dozens of field locations across North America, [and] you can examine yield response curves and see what’s best for your growing operation,” according to the developers.
Paul Carter, DuPont Pioneer senior agronomy services manager, says the app needed to evolve as more farmers use variable-rate seeding strategies on their operations.
“The changes we’ve implemented make the Planting Rate Estimator an even more valuable tool for growers as they plan for the upcoming season,” he says.
Users can select a yield goal in increments of 10 bu. per acre, and then test and compare the performance of various varieties. This hybrid yield data is collected from more than 260 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Ignacio Ciampitti, assistant professor of crop production and cropping systems at Kansas State University, says the app allows farmers, crop consultants and others to interact with a rich data set and use it to tease out the exact best mix of hybrids and planting populations for their fields.
“This tool helps to bring several years’ worth of data to life for growers in a dynamic environment,” he says. “Tools like this are an important step toward making big data useful for the future.”
The app is free but only available on Apple devices. Click here for details. For more than 90 more app reviews written with farmers in mind, visit www.AgWebAppFinder.com.
