The yield of cereals is influenced by many factors: type of soil, presence of minerals, degree of soil moisture, crop variety. You also need to take into account the density of sowing seeds, which is indicated in pieces of grains per unit area. Although in practice, most often the wheat seeding rate is calculated per 1 hectare in kg. Manufacturers most often indicate the recommended rate in their seed certificates.
Wheat seed consumption rate per 1 hectare
For full growth and development, each plant needs a certain area of land.When sowing fields with wheat, one must take into account that the yield decreases both when the growth of stems is dense and when it is sparse.
Thickened seeding
A similar situation occurs when the recommended sowing rate for cereals is exceeded. Disadvantages of exceeding the sowing norm:
- The level of illumination of plants decreases, which leads to the death of shoots;
- the risk of diseases and the spread of harmful insects increases;
- plants do not harden, they become very stretched;
- the stems do not have enough nutrition.
Seed consumption rates, which it is advisable to adhere to by region, are: 120-155 kg/ha in the south-eastern regions, 160-175 kg/ha in the Central Black Earth Zone, 200-145 kg in Non-Black Earth regions.
Sparse seeding
Infrequent sowing of cereals also contributes to a reduction in yields. Inadequate use of area directly reduces productivity. Also, weeds quickly germinate on empty land, which leads to a decrease in soil fertility; wheat crops receive less nutrition and moisture. Because of this, defective grains are formed in the ears.
To prevent sparse sowing, you need to know the approximate seed sowing rates for a specific zone. To make it easier to calculate the amount of grain in kilograms, and not in units of seeds, it is taken as a basis that 1000 grains weigh 50 g.
Factors influencing this
When determining the sowing rate of seed, several parameters are taken into account: seed germination, bushiness of the plant variety, sowing methods, seed loss during wintering (in the case of winter varieties), soil moisture content and its fertility, seasonal precipitation forecast. The wheat seeding rate varies by region. For the northern regions this figure is higher than for the southern ones.
Sowing depth
Seeds expend a lot of energy during the germination process, and the depth of planting has a significant impact on the rate of emergence. When determining this parameter, it is necessary to take into account the quality of the soil. On light, quickly drying soils, it is advisable to plant the seeds deeper than on clay soils or loam.
For the northern regions, shallow placement of seed material (3-3.5 cm) is recommended; wheat is sown deeper in the regions of the Chernozem zone (4-6 cm). In the arid southern regions, grain is sown even deeper (6-8 cm).
It is also advisable to control the uniformity of sowing in one area. Because with unequal depth, seeds germinate unevenly, which affects the quality of the crop.
Sowing work for each crop has nuances. When growing wheat, it is necessary to take into account not only factors affecting the yield. It is important to take into account the area of the plot and select the correct grain sowing rate.
