Agricultural News
Westbred Introduces the Wheat Insight System to Help Wheat Producers Effectively Manage Seed Populations
Wed, 30 Mar 2016 05:23:29 CDT
At the Commodity Classic, WestBred launched their brand new management tool for the US Wheat Producer called Wheat Insight System. The Wheat Insight System aims to help growers improve production and profit potential. At the heart of the Wheat Insight System is what Westbred calls "Optimal Seed rate recommendations." These will help farmers plant the ideal number of seeds per acre.
"WestBred wheat wants to enhance the way wheat seed is planted and sold," said John Fietsam, Wheat Technical Product Lead for Monsanto. "Today, many wheat growers plant seed by the pound. But that doesn't mean it's accurate or what's best when it comes to maximizing yields in today's challenging economic environment."
The Wheat Insight System, available to wheat seed suppliers this spring, calculates how many seeds are in a pound - a number that can vary because of differences in size and density. That information, available for growers for planting this fall, is used to create an Optimal Seeding Rate recommendation that takes into account seed size and density, geography, planting date and production practices.
The system can process a small sample of seeds in about one minute, and the Optimal Seed Rate is provided to the grower in a printout or by email at no cost to the grower. The insights enable the grower to plant wheat based on the exact number of seeds per acre, which is much more precise and potentially more productive.
"Larger seeds mean less seeds in a pound, which can result in underseeding," said Fietsam. "Consequently, growers aren't taking full advantage of the land and rely too heavily on tillering for yield potential. Seeding rates that are too low can also delay maturity, increase weed competition and, ultimately, fail to get all the potential out of the crop.
"Small seeds mean more seeds in a pound, which can result in overseeding. With too many plants per square foot, there is competition for nutrients, moisture and light, which can lead to increased lodging and possibly reduced yields."
Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays talked with Fietsam about the Wheat Insight System - and you can hear their conversation about this new program that Fietsam says will help Westbred do a better job of serving winter wheat farmers that use Westbred seed.
More details about the Wheat Insight System is available here.
Click on the LISTEN BAR below to listen to their conversation.
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