Agronomy Library > Disease

Direct Seeding – Fine Tuning the Practice - Direct Seeding Advantage 2004
Author: Emile deMilliano, Agricore United
Date Created: November 23, 2004
Last Reviewed: November 23, 2004
So we are there!  It is safe to say there are enough direct seeded acres across Alberta and western Canada to label the practice a success. The ongoing challenge now is to sustain this success, as it is easy to become complacent – just ask the New York Yankees!  Innovation is what got us here. In this area, I salute the innovators (especially growers) who took up the challenge over 10 years ago and based primarily on instinct and courage, created practical reality from some basic theory.  Guiding Principles have not changed  “Creating the best possible environment for crop establishment and growth” has always been my guiding principle when discussing any aspect of direct seeding. From seed and fertilizer placement to weed control, straw management and crop rotation, our primary focus should be how these factors affect crop establishment and growth.  Today’s Challenges  In most cases, today’s challenges don’t require a complete re-tooling, just some fine-tuning. Here are a few of the issues I see today;  Canola Emergence In warm, wet springs there are few concerns about canola emergence. But a few dry cool spring soil conditions in recent years has many growers second-guessing what they’re doing wrong.  How to fix the problem has generated an unbelievable amount of discussion. One thing is for certain, several factors are involved and there is not always a quick, simple fix. Some of the factors discussed are listed below: • Cold soil temperatures  • Too much trash or residues  • Need to work fields in the fall  • Not enough packing  • Opener does not do a good job of seed placement  • Fertilizer injury  • Herbicide residues  • Late May and early June frosts  • Cutworms, flea beetles and wireworms  • Too much wind speed causing seed scatter  • Early seeding dates  • Lower seeding rates  • Seeding too fast  • Sod seeding  • Gophers!!  Factors To Focus On This paper includes an outline of some of the factors I believe will help us fine-tune our success.  Open the PDF for the complete paper