Are low canola plant densities in western Canada limiting grower profits?
Plant density in canola fields is an important factor affecting profitability for a grower since hybrid seed cost is a significant input expense. Using pooled data from many seeding rate studies, this paper statistically estimated the hybrid canola yield response to changes in plant density. With average seed size and emergence success, and using recent crop and seed prices, this paper calculated economically optimal plant densities to be in the range of 62–73 plants per square metre. This is consistent with current western Canadian industry recommendations; however, recent field surveys report lower density levels on growers’ fields, suggesting that seeding rates are lower than optimal.
Read this paper on the Canadian Journal of Plant Science website.
The optimal canola plant density depends on a number of factors, including canola price, seed price, seed size, and emergence, but there are also subjective factors that growers consider in seeding rate decisions. Significant uncertainty exists at the time of seeding for some of these factors, and so the results presented here represent a foundation for further work. It also suggests the need to develop decision-making tools to support canola producers in making planting decisions.
Read the paper — Estimating the economic optimal target density of hybrid canola based on data from a western Canadian meta-analysis by M.D. Hartman and S.R. Jeffrey
