Uneven emergence is one of the most costly problems you can have in your field.
Plants that emerge 24 hours or more later than the plants emerging on Day 1* start off at a considerable disadvantage. They will be competing all season with the plants around them for nutrients, moisture, and sunlight, but as they will be at an earlier growth stage, they will be shorter, have less leaf mass, and have smaller root systems than their neighboring plants. These smaller plants will be under stress all season as they will have less access to their needs.
Multi-year plot studies performed at the PTI Farm have shown the following losses associated with late-emerging plants in corn. These are days the plants emerge from the soil, NOT days after planting.
What does this mean for your crops? If you have 2 out of every ten corn plants emerging on or past Day 3, you would be losing 32 bushels per acre. That is a significant loss!
*Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4 refer to the corresponding days that plants emerge from the soil, NOT days after planting.
How do I know if I have uneven emergence?
If you aren't flagging plants for emergence, you don't truly know.
» Do I Have Uneven Emergence?
