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Thumb of Michigan | We did some split planter population stuff maybe 10 yrs. Not sure I can find the data now, might look if I get time.
We had been dropping 150K in 30" rows. Did a couple of side by sides originally with 150K being the low one. Never gained yield going heavier. Decided to go the other way. We had a White stack fold planter with 3 gearboxes. Set the center 4 rows @ 150K, used that as the checker. The wings were different across the plots except for the times we were planting the 150K pop plot. Replicated on 1/4 mile rows 3 times 2 yrs in a row. Target pops to be checked was (think I can remember them all) 135K, 120K, 100K, and 75K. Both years, we never saw any statistical yield difference in populations until we dropped below 75K. And even then, the difference was pretty small. Never thought about trying less than 75K for some reason I don't recall.
We kind of solved any emergence issues we had by going to no till many years previous to that. Hate to sound cocky, but replanting soys stopped for us when we sold the plow, the chisel, and the field cultivator in the 80's. Probably luck is all, but I'd rather be lucky than good. Anyway, kind of had gotten so we weren't interested in dropping "insurance" seed anymore.
Both years, the plots were on clay loam soils, pretty even across the field. No till/ zone till (whatever we're calling it now) with the planter running behind a Rawson coulter cart. Using starter fertilizer while planting. Weed control was good everywhere. No difference at all between populations. Had less plants is all, not sure we had any less foliage. Never measured that I guess. So, when all was said and done: we dropped to a target of 110K to 120K on all acres after that except on seed beans, the seed company still weren't comfortable below 140K. They were supplying the seed pretty reasonably to us, and the contract specified planting pops, so we had no reason to buck them on it.
** forgot to add: all plots both years were across tile, not with the tile runs. FWIW.
Edited by pat-michigan 10/2/2014 07:58
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Cut my soybean population plot today. (results)
