Consider bumping seeding rate next year

March 3, 2021

Suppose you just upgraded your planter with electric drives and all the bells and whistles. You want to wind up with 32,000 plants per acre. So, you figure if you seed just over 32,000 seeds per acre, you will have all the plants you need to obtain the desired yield.

However, Dave Nanda, director of genetics for Seed Genetics Direct, has a piece of advice.

“I believe some growers may want to consider bumping seeding rate next year to get the plant population they really want,” Nanda said. “If you plant 32,000 seeds per acre, you won’t always get 32,000 plants per acre at harvest. No matter how much technology you have on your planter, you will still have some slippage between seeding rate and final population.

“In fact, most of the time, you would more likely get closer to 30,000 plants per acre. If you want 32,000 plants at harvest, you should consider seeding rates closer to 33,000 to 34,000. Germination isn’t 100 percent, no matter what seed you plant You just can’t assume every seed will germinate.”

Besides seeds which just don’t germinate, there will also be seeds which attempt to germinate, but encounter problems. Perhaps it’s cool and wet or soils are compacted. For whatever reason, the seedling may leaf out underground and not emerge. If it does emerge, it may be behind and not produce a productive plant.

Some agronomists suggest using the five percent figure as a guideline. If you want 32,000 plants per acre, then plant at least 33,600 seeds per acre. That allows for 5 percent which likely won’t germinate or won’t turn into a productive plant for whatever reason. Some agronomists suggest adding even a larger cushion to your seeding rate.

“Keep in mind, when you order seed, you need to account for some slippage and base your order on plants per acre,” Nanda emphasized.