• Consult with RTL agronomists and other direct seeders for information on how direct seeding will work for your specific situation. This includes such factors as your equipment inventory, crop rotation and soil types.
• Good crop residue management is essential. Straw and chaff must be spread evenly across the field at harvest. Ensure that the combine can spread crop residue over the entire width of the cut.
• Starting with a cereal crop planted into oilseed or pulse stubble, with well-spread residue, makes the transition to direct seeding easier. Pulses and oilseeds produce less residue cover, so fields tend to warm faster in the spring compared to cereal stubble fields. However a good pea crop leaves straw that hangs together even when spread so it must be very well chopped. Starting with a larger seeded crop allows you to carefully check the planting depth before moving to a shallow-seeded crop like canola.
• See also:
  Residue Management for Successful Direct Seeding, Agdex 570-4
  Equipment Issues in Crop Residue Management, Agdex 519-4
  RTL Agronomy Library - Getting Started

• Crop rotation is the best way to control disease, weed and insect pests in direct-seeded fields. Rotation of crops also enables the rotation of herbicide groups which can help prevent the development of herbicide-resistant weeds. A good rotation may include spring and winter cereals, oilseeds, pulses and forages.
• See also:
  Controlling Wheat Diseases in Direct Seeding Systems, Agdex 519-9
  Controlling Barley Diseases in Direct Seeding Systems, Agdex 519-23
  Controlling Field Pea Diseases in Direct Seeding Systems, Agdex 519-23
  RTL Agronomy Library - Disease

• Direct seeding systems rely on herbicides for weed control. An effective spraying system is a must. Crop rotation will help, as will competitive plant populations.
• Carefully assess how the weed problems on a specific field can be economically controlled without tillage. Some perennial weed problems may be difficult to control in a direct seeding system, and timing of herbicide applications is critical. 
• Direct seeding implements with minimum soil disturbance ground openers generally require a pre-seeding herbicide treatment. High disturbance ground openers achieve some mechanical weed control during seeding, but may stimulate germination of other weeds. The pre seeding burn-off is strongly recommended.
• See also:
  RTL Agronomy Library - Perennial Weeds
  RTL Agronomy Library - Annual Weeds
  RTL Agronomy Library - Winter Annuals
  RTL Agronomy Library - Application/Timing

• Placing fertilizer so that the roots of the young plant can reach it is important in direct seeding systems to avoid stranding crop nutrients at the soil surface. Broadcasting fertilizer should NOT be done.
• Under direct seeding, organic materials from the previous crop may decompose more slowly. Thus, for the first few years after changing to direct seeding, monitor fertility levels closely and use recommended fertilizer rates to prevent nutrient deficiencies early in the growing season. This deficit will be corrected in time as soil organic matter levels reach a new equilibrium.
• Fertilizer can be seed-placed if the seedbed utilisation* is high enough (single-shoot), or placed between a paired seed row, or to the side of the seed row (double-shoot). Anhydrous ammonia can also be applied at seeding if well separated from the seed. 
  See Anhydrous Ammonia Use at Seeding, Agdex 519-20. 
  Recently the introduction of Agrotain and polymer coated urea has “changed the rules” a little. Also, Bourgault has introduced mid-row banding technology that allows nitrogen and sulphur fertilizers to be placed safely away from the seed at the time of planting. Check the recommended safe rates of seed-placed fertilizer for each crop and your specific soil type, moisture level and opener design. Each ground opener type has a unique seed and fertilizer spread. Too much seed-placed fertilizer can reduce crop germination and vigour. See Alberta Fertilizer Guide, Agdex 541-1 for more information.
• Applying all of the seed and fertilizer in a single pass is only one option for a direct seeding system. Another possibility for most crops is to seed-place some of the nitrogen and all of the phosphate. The remaining nitrogen can be applied in a separate operation. The most popular method is to use a knife-type or disk opener in the fall or early spring. By spreading the workload, field efficiency is increased during the critical seeding period. A narrow opener must be used to reduce seedbed drying, especially if done in the spring. If not done neatly, it can cause difficulty clearing loose stubble during seeding, and it might stimulate weed growth in the early spring. Therefore the pre-seed burn-off should be done after wards. 
• See also:
  RTL Agronomy Library - Fertility & Fertilizer Placement

Equipment Considerations

• You may be able to adapt your current implement to seed directly into canola, pea or cereal stubble if the crop residue is well chopped and spread. For example, a hoe drill or an air seeder can be modified by adding specialized ground openers and mounted on-row packers.
• Find out which type of ground opener and packing design works best for the soil and crop conditions on your farm. Specialists, farmers and equipment dealers are all good sources of information. See wwwreducedtillage.ca article #48 ‘What’s the Best Opener’
• If crop residue is a problem, heavy harrows may help distribute straw and reduce implement plugging. Fall harrowing as soon as possible after harvest when the stubble and straw are dry will minimize the damage to standing stubble. Rotary or flail mowers can also be used to shred heavy residue before planting. See Handling Difficult Crop Residue Conditions in Direct Seeding Systems, Agdex 519-2.
• If you need a new seeder, contact other direct seeders or your nearest RTL agronomist if you have questions.   Demonstration units may be available from an equipment dealer. Custom seeding is also a good option for the first year or two.
• See also:
  RTL Agronomy Library - Equipment
  RTL Agronomy Library - Residue Management