Soybeans will pop out of warm spring soil a few days after planting, but they often sit for weeks before breaking the surface when planted early in cool, no-till environments.
On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soybean School, host Bernard Tobin and Abhi Deora, head of Syngenta Canada’s Seedcare Institute, look at how soil temperatures can impact emergence and early-season vigour.
Deora demonstrates how the company uses a thermogradient table to test emergence across a range of soil temperatures — from 5 to 25 degrees C. After seven days, seeds planted in 5 degree soil are still fighting to break the surface while those planted in warmer soil are rapidly advancing through early growth stages.
Deora says the table is designed to simulate the range of conditions growers can experience on their farms depending on soil type, planting date and tillage practice. He notes that the growing trend to earlier planting and reliance on no-till and reduced tillage practices can create challenging growing conditions for fledging seedlings.
Those colder environments are also an invitation for soil-borne diseases and insects to attack the seed as it waits for the required heat to drive growth and emergence. In the video, Deora discusses how the company uses the thermogradient table to test seed treatments under cold, wet conditions to ensure products deliver the protection the seed requires. He notes that table is a tremendous tool for generating replicated trials across a full range of growing conditions.
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