Soybean Research

Increasing profits through precision seeding and seed treatments
Horst Bohner, OMAFRA; Dr. Hugh Earl, University of Guelph

Traditional seed drills do a poor job of distributing seed evenly resulting in clumping of seed and leaving large gaps within the row. A planter allows for precise seed metering, resulting in more uniform stands. It also allows for better depth control.

Ontario research has shown that Cruiser Maxx seed treatment can significantly increase plant stands. Due to the cost of glyphosate tolerant seed, producers are beginning to lower seeding rates. This project will assess (2008-2010) if seeding rate requirements are different for Cruiser Maxx treated seed. It will also determine if seeding rate requirements are different when using precision seeding equipment.

Plant stand differences were observed (Cruiser Max versus Untreated) at one of the two sites during the pre-harvest count in 2008. The difference in stand was seven percent. However, this plant stand difference was not large enough to impact yield in 2008. This difference in plant stand is evidence that a reduction in seeding rate may be possible when using Cruiser Maxx even though in 2008 the stand differences were too small to make a statistically significant impact on yield. When seeding with a planter unit compared to a drill a plant stand advantage of 13 percent was observed in favour of the planter (average of two sites). This data set would suggest that seeding rates could be lowered when using a planter compared to a drill even though in 2008 the stand differences were too small to make a significant difference on yield. More site years are necessary to make robust recommendations.

Row width, seeding equipment, and seed treatment did not have a significant impact on yield in 2008. Soybeans yields increased significantly with higher seeding rates regardless of row width, seeding equipment, or seed treatment. The most economical seeding rate assuming a seed cost of $40 per unit, 2,800 seeds per pound, and a yield of 45 bushels per acre at a selling price of $10 per bushel would be 198,264 seeds per acre.