The industry has come a long way since bushel per acre was the most common denomination used to set seeding rates.
“Going back even just a little, five years ago, you talked about planting canola in pounds per acre and that was kind of the standard, but now a thousand kernel weights have come into play,” said Shad Milligan, seed care specialist for Syngenta in Lethbridge, Alberta.
“Seed companies changed the language they use so it was just an amount of time, and we’re seeing it now, where growers are actually starting to talk about canola products in seeds per acre versus pounds per acre.”
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Corn and soybean growers have used this measure, called seed singulation, for a long time. The yield impact of seed spacing within rows and precise rates have been clear for years.
For canola, the jury is still out on the practice. But multiple equipment manufacturers have identified seed as an input cost they may be able to help reduce by redesigning equipment to alter spacing.
One hurdle for canola is natural variability in seed size, which can cause seeding misses and double- or triple-seeded canola. This affects emergence.
Syngenta’s proprietary Pelta technology can greatly reduce canola seed size variability. Milligan said it will be especially useful for precise seed delivery systems such as planters, where large variability in seed size has a significant negative impact on performance.
Pelta “enables better singulation and more accurate placement for greater survivability, and from there you’re actually getting a stronger stand establishment in your canola crop,” Milligan said.
Syngenta’s research trials have shown that Pelta combined with singulation planting improved canola emergence by up to 40 percent.
In the Pelta process, seeds are pelleted by tumbling them with coating materials and gradually adding moisture. Small or irregularly shaped seeds are coated with inert materials including a seed treatment to render them uniform in size, shape, and weight.
Pelta technology is offered with Syngenta’s canola seed treatment package with Helix, Saltro, Fortenza, and Advanced. It is only available with Canterra Seeds products.