My son and I did a quick tour of our crops yesterday and looked at some neighbours crops as well. Compared results from different seeding dates as well as results from different seeding equipment.
First off we started seeding canola May 12, we use a Flexicoil 5000 tool with atom jet high rate side band openers, 41/4 rubber capped packers. Our first seeded canola is coming up decent and putting out it’s first permanent leaf, flea beetle damage is fairly minor so far.
Looked at a neighbour’s field seeded May 1, also seeded with a Flexicoil 5000 but Dutch low draft openers. Plant population would at present be 20% of what I observed in my later seeded crop. Also noted some frost damage and some plants with 2 permanent leaves, some still in cotyledon stage. Looked at another field, seeded a couple days later, this field had some new breaking which was worked black and the rest of the field was no-till. Plant pop. in the no till area was roughly 40-40% of ideal imo, in the breaking it looked pretty good. No trash certainly makes a big difference.
Looked at another neighbours field seeded roughly April 30. This field had canola and fert. floated on and worked in. Germination was good, plant population was good, frost damage was minimal. Didn’t say much for our fancy seed drills.
Also looked at a field seeded by a conservapak right across the road, also seeded May 12, was no better than our crop seeded with the Flexicoil, was a little surprised.
What I learned? Tillage definitely a plus in a cold spring?
First off we started seeding canola May 12, we use a Flexicoil 5000 tool with atom jet high rate side band openers, 41/4 rubber capped packers. Our first seeded canola is coming up decent and putting out it’s first permanent leaf, flea beetle damage is fairly minor so far.
Looked at a neighbour’s field seeded May 1, also seeded with a Flexicoil 5000 but Dutch low draft openers. Plant population would at present be 20% of what I observed in my later seeded crop. Also noted some frost damage and some plants with 2 permanent leaves, some still in cotyledon stage. Looked at another field, seeded a couple days later, this field had some new breaking which was worked black and the rest of the field was no-till. Plant pop. in the no till area was roughly 40-40% of ideal imo, in the breaking it looked pretty good. No trash certainly makes a big difference.
Looked at another neighbours field seeded roughly April 30. This field had canola and fert. floated on and worked in. Germination was good, plant population was good, frost damage was minimal. Didn’t say much for our fancy seed drills.
Also looked at a field seeded by a conservapak right across the road, also seeded May 12, was no better than our crop seeded with the Flexicoil, was a little surprised.
What I learned? Tillage definitely a plus in a cold spring?
Comment