Time of seeding is the most important crop production factor!
Dr. Tarlok Singh Sahota CCA
Time of seeding is one factor over which all other factors come to play. And, choice of seeding time doesn’t cost anything though seeding itself has a cost (of seeds and seeding operation). Delay in seeding from the optimum time of seeding will lower the crop yield and minimize the return from applied nutrients. For example, at LUARS Thunder Bay, canola seed yield was maximum (7.30 MT/ha) when it was seeded on May 12 and was applied with 270 kg N/ha. Averaged over N rates (0-270 kg N/ha), delay in seeding by one week, two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, five weeks and six weeks lowered the canola seed yield by 0.36 MT/ha, 1.03 MT/ha, 2.34 MT/ha, 3.19 MT/ha, 3.66 MT/ha and 4.33 MT/ha, respectively, at the same rate of N. This means that early seeding of canola, on May 12, makes the best use of and maximizes the returns from the applied N.
Maximum spring wheat grain yield (4.64 MT/ha) was obtained with seeding on May 8, and application of N @ 80 kg/ha. Averaged over three years and N rates (80-160 kg N/ha), wheat grain yield declined by 0.99, 0.97 and 1.20 MT/ha by every delay in seeding by one week. Likewise in spring barley, maximum grain yield (6.64 MT/ha) was recorded with seeding on May 15, and application of N @ 80 kg N/ha. Averaged over three years and N rates (80-160 kg N/ha), barley grain yield didn’t decline by one week’s delay in seeding (from May 8 to May 15), but declined by 0.33 and 0.55 MT/ha by each week’s delay in seeding from May 15 onwards. It may be noteworthy that decline in yield by delay in seeding was lesser in barley as compared to canola and wheat.
However, all crops can’t be seeded on a single day. Farmers may give priority to seed canola and wheat first, then corn and lastly barley. Our farmers have obtained reasonably good grain yield by seeding barley even in mid June. Warm season forage crops, such as sorghum Sudangrass can be seeded between June 7 to June 15. Alfalfa, with or without underseeding barley for silage, could be seeded as late as mid July.
In short, seeding at optimum time maximizes returns from the applied inputs, especially N, at no extra cost!
“This project is funded under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial-initiative.”
