AGCO Crop Tour comes to Ukraine

A field of corn (Maize) has been planted east of Kiev, Ukraine to show farmers in Eastern Europe potential yield improvements that can be gained from understanding the factors that affect germination.  The aim of AGCO’s Crop Tour in Ukraine was to get all the seed to germinate at the same time and show subsequent yield improvements. The AGCO team in Kiev worked in partnership with a local farmer to establish demonstration plots of corn using Precision Planting technology.

Borys Onyshchenko, product specialist, seeding and tillage, from AGCO’s Kiev office, in the field recording data from the trial plots to show the impact of good planting practices.

For example, the planter down force (force required to keep the planter planting seed at the correct and consistent depth) was varied to show crop establishment in relation to soil compaction.

Comparing root development between excessive downforce (left) and correct downforce (right). Root development is impaired with excessive downforce so the plant access to nutrients and moisture is restricted, adversely impacting yield.

Poor emergence due to inconsistent planting depth. Seeds planted at a shallow depth struggled to find moisture in the soil.

A series of field days on the farm are planned on September 11-12.  They will provide an opportunity for farmers to compare and discuss:

1. Planting depth, and its impact on crop emergence.
2. Planting speed, and it implications for: planting single seeds at the correct distance apart; gaps, where no seed is sown; doubles, where two seeds are sown when there should only be one.
3. Planter down force, and its implications for introducing compaction that will restrict root development.

Initial observations from the field show how important it is to understand and manage to crop establishment. Growth of the corn plants has been adversely impacted by inconsistent planting depths and planter excessive downforce.

Visitors to AGCO’s Crop Tour event in Ukraine will be able to see first-hand the impact of different planter settings on root development, plant population and subsequent yield.  They will also be able to meet members of AGCO’s agronomy and farm services team, where they will be able to discuss how planter technology can influence crop establishment and yield.  Please contact your dealer for more information.

Seeds planted at the correct depth and with the right amount of downforce ensures the corn plants germinate at the same time and can access soil moisture and nutrients.

Written by: Mark Moore, agricultural development manager at AGCO. 

Mark is involved helping organize the AGCO Crop Tour program in Eastern Europe, and is very familiar with demonstrating the agronomic value of using technology, having managed the agricultural activities on AGCO’s Future Farm in Zambia for the past 6 years.