Seed rates for delayed spring drilling

Brisel · Apr 2, 2018

I have all my spring drilling to do thanks to 154mm rain in March. IF it dries up in the week commencing 16th April I need 2 weeks to get everything in with some long shifts. Claydon drill. The heavier fields will get a pass with the Carrier to open the top 1.5" up and provide a bit of tilth around the seed.

I have Planet barley to go on gravel/clay at 392 seems/m2 if I drop a couple of the wettest fields that will take 3 weeks to dry out at least. I have some left over vetch/buckwheat/phacelia seed to go in these & the following crop is spring oats in this block.
Laureate 385 seeds/m2 for better land
Elyann oats 453 seeds/m2 for good chalk soils which seems too thick so I might swap into a field for beans to dilute or I'll just carry over the spare seed and drop the rate a bit to 375 - 400 seeds/m2
Vertigo beans 59 seeds/m2 on mixed chalk, clay and gravel land. Will probably go in with a plough & power harrow combination on some otherwise it's fallow for the worst fields too.

What kind of seed rates do I need? Barley ought to go up to 425/m2 in April in theory.

juke · Apr 2, 2018

If we can get our canyon oats in the ground we will be looking at 425 , was 415 last year in the drouty conditions sown April 5 th , if it stops raining we might get on in a week's time... Not worried yet

yellow belly · Apr 2, 2018

A week needed to dry out here
Heavy notill will be 500 seeds except on stewardship crop

Ideally need 900 tillers for yield but have to hold it down to 700 tillers for stewardship which pay at a tonne of barley per acre

In 2013 500 seeds on 24 April lodged and did over 7 tonnes per ha

Cow1 · Apr 2, 2018

All this talk of upping seedrate, surely your patience should be rewarded by warmer soils and better conditions. Would that not give you a higher establishment percentage compared to earlier drilling in cold wet soils?

Brisel · Apr 3, 2018

Cow1 said:
All this talk of upping seedrate, surely your patience should be rewarded by warmer soils and better conditions. Would that not give you a higher establishment percentage compared to earlier drilling in cold wet soils?

Yes, but later sowings mean less time for tillering, therefore seed rates need to go up to compensate.

Will7 · Apr 4, 2018

Brisel said:
Yes, but later sowings mean less time for tillering, therefore seed rates need to go up to compensate.

I wouldn’t worry too much about seed rate. There will be better establishment %age the warmer it is, and you won’t be short of moisture!!

I would be more interested in working out how to double shift the drill and make the process more efficient. For example I have a customer who brings the bags of seed to me on a tramline which saves a huge amount of time. Then it is a matter of plenty of food, diesel and just crack on.

Shutesy · Apr 4, 2018

Using Agrii's seed rate calculator app for my 32ha of S Barley this year my initial calculations for mid March sort of time sowing looked like this:
Target Pop: 375 plants/m2
TGW: 50g
Germination: 95%
Field Loss: 10%
Sowing rate of just under 220kg/ha, 7t of seed needed, sowing at 439 seeds/m2.
So I ordered 7t of seed which is in the shed.

What are others opinons on germination and field loss % ?

Given that its now looking more likely to be mid April sowing date, do I need more seed, I'm guessing I probably do.
If I aim for:
Target Pop: 425 plants/m2
TGW: 50g
Germination: 95%
Field Loss 15%
I now have a seed rate of about 265kg/ha, 8.5t total seed needed and 525 seeds/m2. Sound about right to anyone?

Lapwing · Apr 4, 2018

So, given wet clays will take a couple of weeks to dry out even if it stops piddling down now, how many are thinking of broadcasting seed into cover crops & trying a light grass rake to hide it from the rooks & pigeons?

Fuzzy · Apr 5, 2018

Lapwing said:
So, given wet clays will take a couple of weeks to dry out even if it stops piddling down now, how many are thinking of broadcasting seed into cover crops & trying a light grass rake to hide it from the rooks & pigeons?

I think your grass rake will block up fairly quickly.
The extended winter/wet period has pushed drilling/harvest back by up to 4 weeks i reckon, so time to up the seed rates but wait until the ground dries and warms up and we should be ok.

Steevo · Apr 5, 2018

Shutesy said:
Using Agrii's seed rate calculator app for my 32ha of S Barley this year my initial calculations for mid March sort of time sowing looked like this:
Target Pop: 375 plants/m2
TGW: 50g
Germination: 95%
Field Loss: 10%
Sowing rate of just under 220kg/ha, 7t of seed needed, sowing at 439 seeds/m2.
So I ordered 7t of seed which is in the shed.

What are others opinons on germination and field loss % ?

Given that its now looking more likely to be mid April sowing date, do I need more seed, I'm guessing I probably do.
If I aim for:
Target Pop: 425 plants/m2
TGW: 50g
Germination: 95%
Field Loss 15%
I now have a seed rate of about 265kg/ha, 8.5t total seed needed and 525 seeds/m2. Sound about right to anyone?

Sounds sensible figures to me.

My agronomist was suggesting 250kg/ha+ a month or so back. I doubt many spring crops will be too thick this year.

phil · Apr 7, 2018

All spring barley still to go
I’m not into counting seeds so Planet will still go in at 9 stone as it tillers like hell anyway
Late sown barley in 2012 was sowed thick, it then got the perfect growing season and was way to thick by harvest and we all know how that went
Just my observation and I will update during season

yellow belly · Apr 11, 2018

last year we drilled about now
I could not get any more seed
in one field we double drilled a run which at harvest was more even and earlier to be ripe

the biggest problem we had last year was the heat dried out the soil and germination was not quick there were late green tillers from may rainfall that delayed harvest these were left to ripen and maintained malting quality

I wlll be upping seed as plants will not tiller 500 or more seeds

Badshot · Apr 11, 2018

We all know that once we do get drilling it won't rain for 3 months at least, moisture conservation will be important .

tw15 · Apr 11, 2018

If you still have some spring barley in the shed just up the seed rate and on the last fields to drill just drill off the heap no panic of running out of seed then . As with most people bet you are in the same boat as others as all malting barley gone off farm though.

dannewhouse · Apr 11, 2018

got 2.5ton seed, 23 acre to drill that's 108kg/acre am I about right? for next week fingers crossed the forecast is correct

Two Tone · Apr 11, 2018

Badshot said:
We all know that once we do get drilling it won't rain for 3 months at least, moisture conservation will be important .

I'm not so sure. If it starts off wet, it tends to stay wet all season. Look what happened last year. It started off dry and stayed dry right up to the time we wanted to combine the Wheat and Spring Barley. The winter Barley harvest came in very dry though.

yellow belly · Apr 12, 2018

later drilled notill heavy land does not need much rain to grow a crop wheat would hurt would be hot weeks in june

Fuzzy · Apr 12, 2018

Two Tone said:
I'm not so sure. If it starts off wet, it tends to stay wet all season. Look what happened last year. It started off dry and stayed dry right up to the time we wanted to combine the Wheat and Spring Barley. The winter Barley harvest came in very dry though.

Metcheck showing 1mm for us in May, 11mm in June and 6mm in July.

yellow belly · Apr 13, 2018

Fuzzy said:
Metcheck showing 1mm for us in May, 11mm in June and 6mm in July.

Not sure any one can forecast weather that accurately
If it is that dry then we will be importing a lot of food in 2019

Norm · Jan 29, 2019

Badshot said:
We all know that once we do get drilling it won't rain for 3 months at least, moisture conservation will be important .

How right you were, I was telling people last spring to be careful what you wish for as rainfall levels itself out more often than not.

Seed rates for delayed spring drilling

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Moderator

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

Share this page