Canola seeding rates

[greybeard]

What are your experiences with low plant count?
If you have GOOD WEED CONTROL have you been disappointed with yield on low plant populations?

[Guest]

we left canola a few years that had been froze 3 times. crop ins said we had 1 plant per square ft left we really concentrated on weed control like you say and combined 55 bpa all the reseeded stuff around us went 35bpa but weed control is key

[farmaholic]

perfecho, we're seeding at about 4.5. this year and last. Even last year there seemed to be too many plants. I am kinda scared to go too low. My goodness, 5 used to be the recommended rate, 4.5 is 10% less, 4 lbs./acre is a whopping 20% less than the old 5 lbs./ac recommendations. ......that's substantially less. What do you think?

[fjlip]

perfecho, we're seeding at about 4.5. this year and last. Even last year there seemed to be too many plants. I am kinda scared to go too low. My goodness, 5 used to be the recommended rate, 4.5 is 10% less, 4 lbs./acre is a whopping 20% less than the old 5 lbs./ac recommendations. ......that's substantially less. What do you think?

We have seeded about 4 Lbs/acre for last 8 years, lots thick enough. When we did 5-6, got thin spindly short hard to swath plants. All this with a worthless 5710 that NOBODY wants. Cost is near zero, crop is as good as $500,000 drills? Agree, way more than the 50% emergence suggested. Just drive SLOW, most are in TOO big a hurry due to size of farm. I have lots of time till June 7 to seed our little farm.

[farmaholic]

fj, seeding canola as low as 3.8 to 3.9 mph maybe creep up to 4 downhill, must look silly but I want to do a good job. Even the cereals and peas weren't seeded much over 4.3mph.

[furrowtickler]

Agree, canola - seed slow - pays everytime
We now stay below 4mph as well.
Rule of thumb : 4 gram - 3.5 lbs , 5 gram , 4.25 lbs , 6 gram plus stay at 5 With most drills
corn planters can be halved in good conditions

[bigzee]

I seeded Canterra 1990 and the CS2000, as well as D3155C @ 4.8-5 lbs that's 10-11 plants, all varieties were 4.2-4.3g/1000
Likely a bit heavy but rather that than the other way, seeded with a Seedhawk. Speed of 4.7 avg.

[JDGreen]

Spot on furrows rates here. I don't get the seed so slow thing. Not that I race down the field full retard but all day long at 4.8mph with a seedmaster. Every year do the same thing 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 check strips and see ZERO difference. Is speed really as crucial as air velocity and proper placement?? Secondly never put any fert down the seed knife therefore ultra low air velocities equals low damage equals lower mortality rate. Not huge acres of canola grown here so always find it interesting to hear others opinions from pure canola zones.

[farmaholic]

Seeding with Dutch 2 inch spread tips, not 3/4 inch knives. Slow speed helps from chucking the dirt on the first and second rows....more of a soil "flow" around the opener.

Glad you brought up the air velocity point. We don't blast it down the pipes either. Usually try to give it enough to carry it. Better to slow it down than blast and bounce at the opener.

[may-be]

In my early years/30 years ago I remember reading that 3-17 plants per acre made no difference in yield. In the last few years 3.5-7 lbs per acre made no difference to me. Only one year with damping off from cold soil.
When it comes to soy beans I personally think that air velocity and handling could play a big roll in seed vitality. I use a conveyer auger filling my drill, I have a small drill so the seed doesn't have to travel very far with less air. Wondering if this is why I have more plants seeded at the same seeds per acre as niebours?

[nicolaas]

I seed 4.5 to 5 pounds. I lose lots to bugs above and below ground. This year it is coming up a bit thick though. They say a viable crop is still only 1 plant per square foot. I seeded too deep once and had that, but still got 55 bushels an acre with 45H21 years ago.