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Proper seeding rates save production costNebraska With corn seed running more than $250 a bag in some cases, producers will want to get the right seeding rate for maximum yield and minimum expense, said a University of Nebraska-Lincoln specialist. There are a lot of traits built into the corn, said Bob Klein, Western Nebraska crops specialist, but we want to use the right seeding rate. For western Nebraska dryland, research shows that producers get best yields with 12,500 plants per acre at harvest, which means they need to plant 13,500 to 14,000 seeds per acre. That applies to conventional 30-inch rows. A lot of people will consider skip row planting, Klein said, because crop insurance is finally available in many western Nebraska counties to cover that technique. Insurance coverage for skip row is new in 2009 for our area. This follows a limited area where it was available in 2008. In a plant-two, skip-two pattern, producers can reduce the conventional rate by about 20 percent to 10,800 to 11,200 because every row is an outside row. A lot of research has been done on irrigated corn seeding rates, Klein said. For full maximum yields, with plenty of water, producers could consider planting between 32,000 and 34,000 seeds per acre, depending somewhat on the hybrid and the management practices. If planting narrower rows, seeding rate should probably be closer to the higher number. For more information about recommended seeding rates, contact your local extension office or UNL's Plant Science Department. 12/15/08 Date: 12/10/08 Advertisement
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