Seeding Practices

When planting at the proper time and into soil that is not too wet, seed should be planted 1.5-inches deep. Row width should be 6 to 8 inches. Planting by bushels per acre is very inaccurate due to variability in seed size from year to year and from one variety to another. Low seeding rates result in inadequate stands and winter injury, while excessively high rates increase lodging and disease severity.

Do not plant weak-strawed varieties prone to lodging. Calibrate the drill each year for each variety and seed
lot planted. The optimum seeding rate is 1.2 to 1.6 million seeds per acre (18 to 24 seeds per foot in 7.5-inch row width) when planting during the two weeks following the fly-safe date. During the third and fourth week after the fly-safe date, plant 1.6 to 2 million seeds per acre (24 to 30 seeds per foot of row). Do not plant faster than the speed at which the drill was calibrated. The number of seeds per pound and germination rates are critical factors that need to be known before a proper seeding rate can be determined and the drill calibrated. This information should be listed on the bag of seed. The information in Tables 6-1 and 6-2 can be used to calibrate grain drills accurately.

Table 6-1: Pounds of Seed Needed to Plant From 1.6 to 2 Million Seeds Per Acre With Seed of Varying Size.

Seeds Per Pound	1.2	1.4	1.6	1.8	2
10,000	120	140	160	180	200
11,000	109	127	145	164	182
12,000	100	116	133	150	167
13,000	92	108	123	138	154
14,000	85	100	114	129	143
15,000	80	93	107	120	133
16,000	75	88	100	113	125
17,000	71	82	94	106	118
18,000	66	77	89	100	111

Table 6-2: Seeds Per Foot of Row for Different Row Spacings and Target Seeding Rates.

Desired Seeding Rate	Row Spacing in Inches*
	7	7.5	8	10
Million seed/ac		Seeds/foot of row
1.2	16	17.2	18.4	23
1.4	18.7	20	21.4	26.8
1.6	21.4	23	24.5	30.6*
1.8	24.1	25.8	27.5	34.4*
2	26.8	28.7	30.6*	38.3*

*At 15-inch row width, 25 seeds per foot of row is recommended.

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