Pulses are well-known for their nitrogen-fixing capacity but not for their competitiveness. Weed pressure can really knock back yield, a situation made worse by a thin stand or early-season disease. Two key seeding management strategies for pulses are seeding rates based on an optimal plant stand count and disease control planning. Achieving the best established number of plants must take in to consideration seed mortality and also seed size.
In this episode of the Pulse School, Wes Anderson, agronomy manager for Richardson Pioneer, stresses the importance of measuring the thousand kernel weight of each crop prior to seeding. This is especially important in peas, as seed size differences can mean the difference between an optimal plant stand count and one that falls well short of what’s needed for early-season competitiveness. Anderson lists the stand density to strive for by crop type, and explains how to choose a reasonable mortality figure when doing your seeding calculation.
FOR MORE PULSE SCHOOL EPISODES, CLICK HERE.
For an easy calculation for figuring seeding rate using thousand kernel weight, click here.
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