NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
September 23, 1999
Canola producers in this region can now purchase limited quantities of commercial seed covered with a polymer coating designed to reduce the risks associated with dormant planting, the fall planting of crops traditionally seeded in the spring. The key risk associated with dormant planting is fall germination, which leads to seedling death and insufficient spring stands. The potential advantages of this technique are increased yields and oil content, better prices due to an earlier harvest and more efficient time management.
To balance the risks of dormant planting canola against the benefits, a researcher at North Dakota State University is advising producers to research the information available on coated seeds, to learn as they go and to start with small acreages.
"The technology behind seed coating attempts to fasten seed into a dormant, non-germinating state," says Burton Johnson, an assistant professor in NDSU's plant sciences department. "The industry has been very careful to go slow with the development of these products, but because this technology is so new, there will likely be some unanticipated production concerns."
The North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station is in the initial stages of a long-term study focusing on the dormant planting of coated canola seed and subsequent stand establishment, Johnson says. Research thus far has shown that low stand densities can often produce satisfactory yields, provided the surviving plants are uniformly distributed.
Based on Canadian research, a current NDSU recommendation for the dormant planting of canola is to increase the fall seeding rate by 10 to 15 percent, which equates to about six to seven pounds of seed per acre. Given the cost of the commercial seed coatings available, about $1.20 per pound of seed, producers will be looking at an additional cost of about $7.20 to $8.40 per acre, Johnson says. With current canola prices, producers would need to see a yield advantage of about 75 pounds an acre to break even.
When applied to dormant seeding, the seed-coating technology promises to significantly expand the fall planting window. NDSU research shows that dormant planting of naked seeds requires precise timing--getting the seed in the ground just prior to the top 2 inches of soil freezing. Johnson says, "We're looking at a day or two. Sometimes this situation can change overnight." By comparison, planting coated seeds could open that dormant planting window up to two to three weeks.
"To provide an incentive to try this technology, seed companies are offering to compensate the grower with replant seed in the event of a stand failure," Johnson says.
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Source: Burton Johnson (701) 231-8895
Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136