Background
Wheat remains one of the most important crops in western Canadian agriculture and has taken on greater importance with global issues such as drought and geopolitical events causing disruption to supply. In recent years more focus has been placed on wheat agronomy with substantial discussion focused on wheat seeding rates and row spacing. While there is no silver bullet answer as each growing situation is different, it is important to continue the conversation by engaging in further research each year.
In 2023, Väderstad conducted wheat seeding rate trials at the University of Saskatchewan’s Kernen research farm to examine how the different rates would affect final yield. The low and medium seeding rates produced the highest heads per acre and highest yield in a virtual tie while the high seeding rate was two bushels lower. Utilizing the precision seed metering and seed placement in the soil provided by the Seed Hawk drill allows for evenness of seed spacing in the row and the ability to optimize plant stand to reduce inter-plant competition.
The project at the Discovery Farm in 2024 focuses on many of the same parameters regarding seeding rates but in different soil conditions. At the Kernen farm near Saskatoon the soil consists mostly of clay loam while the Discovery Farm near Langham features sandy to sandy loam soils. Because soil structure has a direct impact on the amount of available moisture, conducting trials at the two sites will provide a good comparison of wheat seeding rates in different conditions.