Fontanelle
Making the difference for you
Achieving a Desirable Plant Population
April 10, 2008
By Gabe Hardman
Fontanelle Regional Agronomist
Achieving a desirable plant population is one of the most important and crucial elements in farming. Everything that occurs after emergence is highly dependent on your stand, including yield. The effects of a good nutrient plan and irrigation schedule are weakened by a poor stand.
To ensure desirable populations are achieved, the planter must go to the field in good condition. Now is not too early to start preparing planters for the field.
Make sure true V’s are at recommended measurements and all bearings and bushings are in working order. Seed tubes and sensors need to be looked over for excessive wear and damage, along with depth wheels and closing wheels.
Damage to sprockets, drive chains and worn bearings can cause the seed drive to jump, resulting in erratic seed placement. Replacing brushes, worn backing plates and warped seed plates will save headaches later.
When planting, get out and dig behind the planter to inspect proper seed depth and spacing. Adjustments often need to be made in the field since field conditions often are different from field to field, or even within the same field.
Spending a little time and money now looking over your planter will pay dividends at harvest and help lessen some of the stress at planting time.