Low seed rate can be a bad move – warning
Low seed rate can be a bad move – warning
DONT push your luck with lower seed rates. That is the advice to wheat growers from Dalgetys technical manager Mike Jeffes.
Farmers encouraged by recent research to trim rates when drilling early should be cautious. While it is technically correct to do so to avoid over-tillering and lodging, going too far risks below-optimum plant populations and reduced yields, he says.
"Growers should think twice before dropping as low as 72 seeds/sq m to achieve the target 60 plants/sq m as current research suggests.
"Trials tend to be carried out on near perfect seed-beds with drills working slowly. In practice many growers could find themselves with less than ideal conditions for establishment." Dry soils and slug and bird damage must also be considered, he maintains.
In many cases it could prove more effective to use seed as an insurance, he says. Drilling an extra 50-100 seeds/sq m will raise costs by £6-12/ha (£2.40-£4.80/acre). "But this will be more than offset by savings in machinery and labour costs associated with spending more time on creating the optimum seed-bed."