What to expect in this session:
- How to gain 2-4 bu/A for every 1% of singulation improvement with accurate meters.
- How properly cleaning, creating, and closing the furrow contributes to higher yield.
- A look at CornerStone, a complete planting system for your planter bar.
Mike Schlitt, Region Manager, and Ryan Howard, Product Specialist, review the agronomic priorities of the planter pass–no matter what brand you run–so you’re equipped to optimize your planter for its next pass. They break down key components from the frame to the row unit, such as row cleaners, downforce, closing systems, and more.
3 C's of Emergence
Emergence is driven by air, moisture, and temperature, and how we manage these factors affects uniformity. It's vitally important to set your planting systems up and manage those systems correctly so you don't have late-emerging plants. Follow along through the clean, create, and close process to set your planter up for success.
To figure out the cost of late emergence, Precision Planting research agronomists ran trials across 16 states, 148 fields, and 7,200 plots. The results were the same in every state. If a plant was just one leaf collar behind, it lost half an ear.
Clean
Residue can be a big challenge for even emergence, which is why row cleaners are so important. They are the first part of the row unit to engage with the furrow, clearing a clean path for planting. A clear furrow helps prevent residue from pulling moisture away from the seed, which can lead to late emergence. It also helps maintain proper soil temperature and reduces disease risk later in the season.
Proper row cleaning is especially important in early planted soybeans so they can survive potential frost and still emerge with ease when the soil warms up.
Create
So many variables feed into creating the perfect seed trench, but it all starts with the planter bar. Here are a few adjustments to keep in mind before you head to the field:
✔️ Level hitch height
✔️ Correct bar height
✔️ Level row units
✔️ Level bar
Planting depth
The old saying, "Set it and forget it" is a thing of the past. Don't jeopardize the emergence of your plants by setting the same planting depth across all of your fields. Adapting to different soil types and different levels of moisture is key.
Soil moisture
Appropriate planting depth and sufficient moisture are both important for uniform emergence, but Mike suggests that moisture is the heavy hitter.
Uniform emergence starts with uniform germination. And what is needed for germination? Good temperatures and moisture.
SmartFirmer simplifies depth adjustments by providing real-time moisture data in the cab on the 20|20. See soil available moisture and adjust planting depth on the go.
Downforce
Downforce maintains planting depth. There are typically three systems on the market: springs, airbags, and hydraulics. All of which are adjustable. We might not like constantly adjusting them, but why is the option there?
Typically, shallow planted seeds are late to emerge because they don't have enough moisture. Seeds planted too deep with too much force may suffer from sidewall compaction and also emerge late. So, how can you find the happy medium? Automated hydraulic downforce control.
Close
Closing wheels are the final piece of the row unit that touch the furrow. The job of the closing system becomes much easier with a properly managed planter that cleans and creates up front. Ideally, there is a perfect balance between the moisture and air within the soil profile.
The closing system has two jobs ↓
1. Get rid of the sidewall compaction.
2. Press out the air pocket to reset the soil density layer, and retain moisture.
The highest yielding fields are a result of consistent emergence. The goal is for plants to emerge as uniformly as possible in the first 12 hours. The clock starts when the first plant emerges.
Research agronomists in Tremont, IL and Pontiac, IL routinely do emergence flagging trials to test this theory. Harvest proves the earliest emerged plants produce the highest yields.
If plants take longer than 12 hours to emerge, there's an 8% yield loss by hour 24. By 48 hours the loss increases to 80%.
At the PTI farm, we've tested a bunch of closing systems, and FurrowForce came out on top with the best emergence. It’s a two-stage automated system that you can adjust manually, or from the cab on the 20|20. The first stage lifts and fractures the soil. Secondly, stitch wheels carry weight to firm the soil.
The complete package
Tim Schwind, R&D Product Manager, walks through a CornerStone install (47:00) on a 30-year-old John Deere 7200 planter bar. A local farmer chose to keep his existing bar and upgrade to CornerStone to get the new technology he wanted without fully investing in a new planter.
CornerStone was developed around Precision Planting products to build the best planting system your planter bar can run. With integrated harness routing for products, the row unit is sleek and clean, offering protection from wear and tear. Plus, it’s fully customizable to fit your needs. It's now available with a green or grey shank.
