I know this has been covered before, but now that more time has passed (since many converted to direct drills whether using conventionally, a mixture or DD), how are spring sown crops yielding at 25cm? How are the issues with brackling? In practice is there much difference between 16,7cm and 25cm row spacing?
25cm row width, Horsch Avatar
- Thread starter Properjob
- Start date
Not great yields from my Mzuri at 25cm, but no lower than 15cm row spacing either. The worst part of wide row spacing is when the spring barley brackles down into the row gaps. That said, my neighbour on 16.7 cm rows had the same trouble and similar header losses, back in the last bad brackling year.
- Location
- S.E
25cm fine in good soils, with good yield potential. IMO droughty soils, and certainly spring crops yield better at closer spacing.
oil barron
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
If you bought an Avator it would probably be worthwhile sowing spring barley twice. Either with a 12cm offset if your GPS is good enough or at 30deg angle. No way you are going to yield barley with a 10” spacing. Would be horrendous for meadow grass as well.
Tompkins
Member
- Location
- NE Somerset
What's peoples experience of drilling wheat at 25cm? Got some bean stubble that I think would go lovely the Sprinter and 1'' Dutch openers but worried about blackgrass between the rows, although if the land is undisturbed then should be easier to control?
This beast is on 25cm rows. It's the best blackgrass germinator I've ever seen! High soil disturbance and wide rows.
A blackgrass trial I hosted last year showed narrower row spacing was better for BG control, along with higher seed rates.
The trade off this autumn is no crop established or something that doesn't help BG control.
Looks like your loosing some seed?
This beast is on 25cm rows. It's the best blackgrass germinator I've ever seen! High soil disturbance and wide rows.
A blackgrass trial I hosted last year showed narrower row spacing was better for BG control, along with higher seed rates.
The trade off this autumn is no crop established or something that doesn't help BG control.
High disturbance and wide spacing definitely doesn’t make a good mix.
This beast is on 25cm rows. It's the best blackgrass germinator I've ever seen! High soil disturbance and wide rows.
A blackgrass trial I hosted last year showed narrower row spacing was better for BG control, along with higher seed rates.
The trade off this autumn is no crop established or something that doesn't help BG control.
Was there differences between wide rows and low disturbance, compared to close rows and high disturbance? I like the look of the serto for some new land we have
Tompkins
Member
- Location
- NE Somerset
Would you say this would have more or less disturbance than a Sprinter on 1inch coulters?
This beast is on 25cm rows. It's the best blackgrass germinator I've ever seen! High soil disturbance and wide rows.
A blackgrass trial I hosted last year showed narrower row spacing was better for BG control, along with higher seed rates.
The trade off this autumn is no crop established or something that doesn't help BG control.
I can change back to 5 inch coulters but would disturb a lot more, probably smear a bit and take a bit more pulling...
I had a pipe blockage a couple of days ago and haven't stopped long enough to clean it off.
Well spotted
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A strip till drill isn't really a fair comparison to a Sprinter. My neighbour has a 9m Sprinter which I think is 27cm spacing but he has fitted Metcalfe tines. Looking over the hedge, it certainly seems to move less.
There was a strong correlation between disturbance, row spacing and BG levels, which won't come as a surprise. The best drill was a 750A 16cm for BG levels. The other drills were an Avatar 16cm, Megant 15cm, and the iPass 25cm. 3 drill timings, 6 cultivation methods. Another spanner in the works was heavy rain before and after the Luxinum herbicide damaging the seed which meant lower establishment and less crop competition.
I've taken this off topic, but I'll send you a copy of the slides when we've worked everything out for a winter presentation. We are running the trial again with 7 drills this time, dropping the 750A but adding a Dale 12.5cm, Weaving Sabre Tine 16cm and Rapid 16cm. Same 3 timings and 6 cultivations. Plough/power harrow, Plough/press, Carrier, LD subsoiler, Topdown and direct into stubble.
- Location
- Lincolnshire.
If the 750A produced the best bg control why drop it from the trial?
Politics. My neighbour has a 6m Avatar and the local dealer has been very good.
Not that my JD dealer has been tricky at all, but they are good at selling the demo machines! That dealer sold us most of the kit we have here and they will get a stand at our open day next June too.
Avatars and 750a’s are very similar anyway, I doubt there would be a tangible difference
Exactly this
oil barron
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
Some good data from across the pond. If you want to grow big wheat you need 5” row spacing.
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