The NK® Corn Seeding Rate Calculator is a data-based tool that helps farmers estimate, per acre, the most economical seeding rate for individual hybrids and yield environments. Seeding rate calculations are based on two or more years of data per hybrid and collected from 70 or more trial locations each year – because trialing across many environments increases the ability to predict how individual corn hybrids should be spaced and managed.
Todd McRoberts, NK Seeds Agronomy Manager, answers common questions about calculating seed rates and explains why considering a range of environmental factors is especially important in years like this one, when input prices are extremely high.
Q: What variables does the NK Corn Seeding Rate Calculator use?
| Todd: | We’re testing in five to six different yield environments of 120 to greater than 300 bushels. And we’re testing five seeding rates, from 20,000 to 44,000 seeds per acre, in each of those environments. We then consider water, nutrient availability and yield potential. Our goal is to have a minimum of two years of testing for each environment to give us a good handle on our seeding rate recommendations. There might be some tweaks farmers can make to their populations to maximize their return on investment, just by knowing what their high-end budget is for input costs versus their low-end budget. We want to help them balance the right seeding rate versus inputs, especially when input costs are high. |
Q: Farmers have been manually calculating seed rates for generations. Why should they give the NK Seeds Calculator Tool a try now?
| Todd: | Data driven technology provides a precise, accurate prediction of how a product is likely to perform, taking into consideration any hurdles that Mother Nature may throw at them. This tool gives farmers a solid seeding rate recommendation based on multiple years of tests. This is more precise than prior methods of testing, in which we’d look at whether we had a semi-flex ear or a semi-determinate ear type hybrid and match that to the environment based on fertility and water-holding capacity, then make an estimate based on the amount of fertility. We can now make a much more accurate prediction based on years of data and taking many more factors into account. |
Q: How do weather patterns and disease outbreaks affect seed rate calculations?
| Todd: | Water availability becomes a major factor in areas of extreme drought, which can really pull back performance of some hybrids. Then there are years when we have plenty of moisture in the soil profile, and the fertility is very adequate, so we can get by with moderate populations. Water and nutrient availability can drive yields higher than expected year after year. Likewise, if we overpopulate a hybrid in an area where disease is prevalent, we can expect yields to decrease if the stress of overpopulation causes breakdown of the plants. Overpopulation can be a factor of the environment that pulls things back more than people might expect. A great example is Tar Spot, which affected areas in the Midwest last season. Overpopulation in that type of environment could pull back yield potential by 10 to 20 bushels in some areas because of stress causing stalk degradation in many fields. |
Q: The NK Seeding Rate Calculator prompts farmers to enter variables step-by-step. What should farmers keep in mind while using this tool?
| Todd: | I’d encourage them to think about the ear type of the hybrid. Under higher fertility, hybrids that tend to be semi-flex or flex-ear type hybrids can perform just as well as semi-determinant hybrids at high populations. It’s just making sure we have fertility to support the root system of the plant. As you look at the NK Corn Seeding Rate Calculator, keep in mind that agronomic characteristics are key to selecting the right hybrids and seeding rate. |
Q: Any other agronomic advice for farmers for the 2022 growing season?
| Todd: | It looks like we’re going to see a cool, wet environment in half of the U.S. this season and maybe a cool, dry environment in the other half. So, with input costs being so high and variable for both nutrition and crop protection, seeding rate calculators are especially handy. And look at what you can feed into the crop to help support the populations. Whatever hybrids they choose, farmers can be confident that all NK products have hard data and years of testing behind them. We’re bringing new genetics to the market based on predictive modeling. |
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