Seeds turn into plants, plants make grain and grain in the bin turns into money. The rate you seed your crop establishes your overall plant population in the field. Plant population in the field establishes the tone for your yield in the subsequent harvest. Combined with your seed’s thousand kernel weight (TKW) and expected seedling survival rate, your seeding rate can be determined through a simple equation.
Thousand kernel weight is simply how much 1,000 seeds weigh. You can determine this by counting and weighing 1,000 seeds of any crop you are seeding. Estimates of your variety TKW are also provided in the table below for your crop type. The expected seedling survival rates can be determined using guidelines for average growing conditions. For cereals, expected seedling survival is 80 to 90 per cent. The expected seedling survival rate for canola is 40 to 60 per cent. Pulses have an expected seedling survival rate of 80 to 95 per cent. These rates may need to be adjusted depending on expected soil moisture, weather, seed quality, amount of seed placed fertilizer, weed pressure, and seeding date. To have exact measurements of both your TKW and expected seedling survival rates, get your seed tested by an accredited lab. Not only will you get these two measurements, but you’ll also be able to get numerous other measurements that are helpful when seeding your crop.
To calculate your seeding rate, multiply your target plant population (per square meter) by your TKW. Divide this by your expected seedling survival rate. This will give your seeding rate in kg/ha. To convert to lbs/acre, multiply by 0.89.
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