21 april 2020 г.

CALCULATING THE SEEDING RATE CORRECTLY

In the crop industry, perhaps the most important sign of successful farming is getting a high yield at a reasonable cost. However, the potential of each variety or hybrid is fully realized only under the right conditions of sowing and cultivation.

Fertilizing and protecting crops from weeds, pests, and diseases are just the tip of the iceberg. A fundamental factor in growing crops is in compliance with the optimal seeding rate.

HOW TO CALCULATE THE OPTIMAL SEEDING RATE

Usually, seed producers, looking at the previous researches, make recommendations for each hybrid or variety about the optimum density at the time of harvest, at which maximum yield can be obtained.

It should be recalled that the recommended plant density is determined by:

in thousand pieces/ha (corn, sorghum, sunflower, soybean);
in million pieces/ha (cereals, peas, flax, etc.).

How to determine the optimal sowing density per hectare? For correct calculation, the following factors should be considered:

laboratory germination of seeds;
sowing suitability;
width of one spacing;
recommended plant density at harvest time.

Small-seed crops (but not vegetables!) are usually sown in view of the mass of thousands of seeds, laboratory germination, and sowing capacity since it is simply impossible to calculate the number of seeds per linear meter.

For other crops, seeding rates are calculated using simple formulas.