RED DEER – Too many farmers prefer to look for solutions rather than understand why a crop had problems.
Seeding rates are one factor that can cause problems, says George Clayton of Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lacombe, Alta.
Western Canadian farmers are probably seeding 25 percent less than they should, he added.
Weeds fill in the gaps when parts of a field are missed, seeding rates are too low, or the seed is planted too deep.
About 20 percent fewer seeds than expected emerge when seeded too deeply. Four to seven days are saved in maturity time if crops are seeded at the proper depth.
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Clayton said farmers assume seeds in the field will germinate at the same rate they do in the lab germination test, about 90 percent.
In reality, only 68 percent of the seed is likely to produce viable plants.
“Go out and count them. You will be surprised how many you don’t have,” he said at the recent Alberta Organics Association conference in Red Deer.
“Rather than thinking about how much you put in the ground, you really need to think about how much is coming out of the ground.”
Heavier seeding may yield better, but there are other considerations, such as weed and disease control.
Last summer the Lacombe centre started an organic plot that studied reduced outside inputs. Organic and low-input fields will be compared to discover the merits and drawbacks of each system.
