Background
The benefits of forage crops in terms of the improvements to soil health have been well established. Soil organic matter, increased microbial activity and added nutrients are some of the benefits that directly relate to reduced risk and greater return on investment. Further research is now required to examine various ways of incorporating forages into cash crop rotations with the limitations of the climate in western Canada. Length of growing season and limitations on moisture are the major obstacles to overcome in terms of forage cover crop establishment. In particular, the intercropping of cash crops and forages is reliant on good soil moisture to avoid competition between the two crops.
In 2022, Väderstad conducted a canola/forage intercrop at the Discovery Farm near Langham SK and while the soil test results indicated a slight bump in residual N in the forage crop compared to the monocrop, the main limitation of the trials was moisture throughout the growing season. The 2023 Väderstad intercrop trials featured a wheat/forage intercrop which produced good initial establishment due to sufficient moisture; however, beginning in June moisture amounts became reduced which led to both the forage and wheat being limited in their growth potential. During the month of August, sufficient moisture aided the restarting of forage growth and while it was too late to provide any benefits to the wheat crop, the forage was better established heading into the winter.
With a forage crop established in the existing field location, yet small enough to not yet provide major competition to a newly seeded crop, the intercropping project in 2024 features canola directly seeded alongside the forage crop. The aim of the project is to determine if canola is able to successfully grow alongside an established forage crop and if any synergistic benefits are obtained by the canola throughout the growing season. Additionally, soil testing is completed to examine the added benefit of forage to the soil.
Trial Setup
The established forage consists of yellow blossom sweet clover and HPS Premium alfalfa while the canola is CS4000 LL from Canterra Seeds. A monocrop of canola is grown alongside the forage crop directly to the west to establish a comparison of canola performance between the two trials. The seeding rate for both the monocrop and the intercrop is 6 seeds per square foot which translates into TBD.
Project Report
Vaderstad Discovery Farm Seed Hawk Wheat Seeding Rate Trials Project Executive Summary
A characteristic of modern agriculture is the ability to manage risk to ensure long term success on the farm. While factors such as the weather and grain markets are largely out of the control of growers, successful plant stand establishment in crops is largely based on management decisions. One of the most important factors in successful stand establishment is the optimization of plant spacing in the row to minimize inter-plant competition while allowing as many plants as possible to maximize yield. Wheat remains one of the most important crops in agriculture and optimal stand establishment is very important in delivering the best return on investment on the farm. The purpose of this project is to examine the performance of various seeding rates in wheat by utilizing precision placement with the Seed Hawk opener and the Fenix III metering system.
The first step in the project is to use seeding rates that are based on seeds per square foot instead of the traditional method of pounds per acre. In 2024, Vaderstad conducted wheat seeding rate trials with seed lots that featured thousand kernel weights ranging from 27.82 grams to 42.24 grams which therefore creates a substantial difference in amount of seed metered at the same lbs/ac rate. The seeding rates used in this trial, along with the other Vaderstad wheat seeding rate trials conducted, are 25, 31 and 38 seeds per square foot which represents low, average and high seeding rates respectively. GroWest Ag Ventures, Lazer Enterprises and Vaderstad collaborated on the trials seeding which tool place on June 6 into light canola residue from the previous year. Each seeding rate featured two replications for a total of six trial strips. The trials site, located directly east of the Ag in Motion show grounds, is characterized by highly variable soils as shown by SWAT MAPS.
In the early part of the growing season, crop germination and establishment was successful with the excellent early season moisture conditions. Even as the trials saw hail damage on June 23, the crop was able to recover and was not expected to cause detriment to yield. In the early part of July, weather conditions became much drier and subsequently more variance in crop performance and maturity was observed at the site which is consistent with the variance in zones shown on the SWAT MAP. Wheat head counts were conducted at the trials on August 30 and the trials were harvested on October 8. Average yields for the site are as follows: 25 seeds per sq/ft was 35.3 bu/ac, 31 seeds per sq/ft was 35.6 bu/ac and 41 seeds per sq/ft was 41.7 bu/ac. The individual trial strips were highly variable as evident by the higher yields seen on the first replication of the 41 seeds strip. While the results were highly variable, the project demonstrates how precision, in terms of product metering and soil placement, produces a successful crop in highly variable soils. Special thanks to project collaborators GroWest Ag Ventures, Lazer Enterprises and SWAT MAPS for their help in conducting the trials.
Update submitted by Väderstad
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