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EFFECT OF SEEDING DATE AND
FURROW OPENER ON FORAGE CROP
ESTABLISHMENT AT SWIFT CURRENT,
SASKATCHEWAN
N. W. Holt
F. B. Dyck
S. Tessier
In arid and semiarid climates, perenni&l forage crops
are difficult to establish and this is a deterrent to their
use for pasture and conservation programs. Soil water
content, soil temperature, and seed-soil water contact
have m~or effects on seed germination and seedling establishment. Seeding date can be selected to coincide
with adequate soil water content and favorable temperatures. In the dry regions of the northern plains, three
dates of seeding have been recommended for the establishment of perennial forages: early fall; late fall (dormant
seeding); or early spring seeding.
Seeding equipment that places the seed in firm, moist
soil at the correct depth will increase the likelihood of a
successful stand.
The objective of this study was to determine the
effect of seeding date and furrow opener on forage crop
establishment.
could be interchanged. The standard for this experiment
was a double disc with depth bands at 2 em, the recommended opener to seed forages in this area. The double
disc was interchangeable with a hoe opener, a flat metal
bar, 1.2 em wide and 5 em long equipped with a seed delivery tube. The hoe opened a furrow about 1 em wide.
Depth control was provided by the support wheels of the
tool bar. Flat metal pieces could be attached to the hoe
opener to provide for lister (trench) seeding. The lister
was adjusted to provide a trench 10 em wide at soil surface and tapering to a point at 5 em furrow depth. The
lister could be used with the hoe or the double disc.
The study was initiated in September 1988 and continued for 3 years to examine the effect of seeding dates and
furrow openers on the establishment and subsequent
yield of seeded grasses. Data were collected on days to
emergence, stand (plants perm row), and establishment
year yield. In September 1988 data were also collected
on speed of emergence of the forage crop and effect of
opener on soil water, soil bulk density, and water loss
after seeding.
Treatments (openers nested in species) within each date
were arranged in a split plot design of two replicates.
Each date of seeding was adjacent and was replicated
only by location. The analysis of variance was carried out
on all of the data for each year and then for each date
within years if there was a significant location and date
interaction. Means were compared by Duncan's multiple
range test at P =0.05.
METHODS AND MATERIALS
These experiments were conducted near Swift Current,
SK, at two sites: the soil at one site was fine sandy loam
(fallowed prior to seeding) and loam at the other (always
wheat stubble).
Dates of seeding were early September, early October,
"dormant" seeding in late October, and one to three dates
in April and May. Altai wildrye (Leymus angustus [Trin.]
Pilg. cv 'Prairieland') (AWR) was selected originally as it
is difficult to establish. After the September 13 seeding
date in 1988, Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys juncea
[Fisch.] Nevskii cv. 'Swift.') (RWR) was substituted as it is
also difficult to establish in sandy soils and is much more
widely grown than AWR. Intermediate wheatgrass
(Elytrigia intermedia [Host] Nevskii cv. 'Clarke') (IWG) is
reported to be easy to establish and more rapidly growing
than AWR or RWR.
The seeding was carried out with a one-row plot seeder
attached to the tool bar on the three-point hitch of a small
tractor. The seeder was equipped with a fluted gear to
disperse seed from the seed box. Four furrow openers
RESULTS
Weather Data- Long-term average precipitation at
Swift Current for the months of September, October,
April, and May is 31, 19, 22, and 43 mm, respectively.
In 1988, September precipitation was 33 mm. Amounts
were 10 mm higher and 28 mm less than average in 1989
and 1990, respectively. October precipitation was less
than 10 mm in each year of the test. April and May precipitation was normal in 1989 and 1990 and much above
normal in 1991. Mean air temperatures were near the
long-term averages of 12, 6, 5, and 11, respectively. Average monthly soil temperatures at 10 em depth were similar to the air temperatures for the same month.
Poster paper presented at the Symposium on Ecology, Management,
and Restoration oflntennountain Annual Rangelands, Boise, ID,
May 18-22, 1992.
N. W. Holt and F. B. Dyck are Research Scientists at Agriculture
Canada Research Station, Swift Current, SK, S9H 3X2. S. Tessier is
a Professor at Universi~ Laval, Saint Foy, PQ, G1K 7P4.
1988/1989-Altai wildrye was successfully established
on each of two dates in the fall of 1988 and on one date in
the spring of 1989 (data not shown). Percentage stand
328
Table 1-Date of seeding effects on days to emerge, stand count,
Openers- While speed of emergence was highly variable among treatments, it was quickest for the double disc
and double disc with lister. Plants per meter of row were
also generally greater with these openers, and this was
reflected in establishment-year yield.
The openers were marginally different for effect on soil
bulk density and soil water loss. Soil water was at field
capacity and this may have affected the results.
and establishment year yield of two grasses at Swift
Current, SK, 1989-90
Grass'
Date of
seeding
Days to
emerge
Stand
Ylelcf
No.lmrow glmrow
IWG
RWR
Sept. 14, 1989
Oct.24,1989
Apr. 17, 1990
May4,1990
May29,1990
Sept. 14, 1989
Oct.24,1989
Apr. 17, 1990
May4,1990
May29,1990
14c
20b
31a
27a
21b
11d
24a
23a
24a
12b
10b
15x
34x
26z
22y
12w
47y
50xz
58z
8z
4y
7z
8z
2y
5c
CONCLUSIONS
3c
'Grasses were intermediate wheatgrass and Russian wildrye. Data for
each grass were analyzed Individually.
2Harvest date was September, 1990.
was greatest for plantings in early September (fall established) and April.
1989/1990-Seeding IWG or RWR in September, April,
or early May provided satisfactory stands and highest
establishment-year yields (table 1). Highest first-harvest
forage yields (July 1991) were obtained from the April and
early May dates of seeding (data not shown). Stands from
all dates were assessed as adequate, that is, 75 percent
complete. Seeding IWR or RWR in early October in 1989
did lead to a satisfactory stand in 1990, but dormant
seeding in late October was successful. The double disc
or double disc with lister provided complete stands most
consistently.
1990/1991-At the sandy soil location, which was previously fallowed, the fall plantings in September and October
of 1990 did not result in established stands of forage.
Rows were eroded by wind in the fall and water in the
spring. At the loam soil site (wheat as the previous crop),
no germination occurred in the fall due to the dry soil conditions. Three of four seedings in the spring were satisfactory (table 2). In the fall of 1991, seeding year yields
for all dates of seeding were similar.
1. In 3 years of adequate April and May precipitation,
there was no clear advantage of dormant-season Oate
October) over spring-season (April or May) seeding of
perennial forages.
2. No one opener was superior. Depth control and
stands were generally best with double disc and attached
depth band. A lister with double disc or hoe opener cleared
surface litter or dry soil for seeding into moist soil below
trash cover. Hoe openers passed through straw and chaff,
while the double disc tended to lay the seed on top of litter, if present.
3. When the soil water was at field capacity in the fall
of 1988, the four openers were not different for effects on
soil moisture and were only marginally different for effects on soil bulk density and soil water loss.
Table 2-Date of seeding effects on stand and establishment-year
yield of Intermediate wheatgrass and Russian wildrye at
Swift Current, SK,1990-91
Grasses
IWG
RWR
Date'
Sept. 13, 1990
Oct.19,1990
Apr. 18, 1991
May 17,1991
Sept. 13, 1990
Oct. 19, 1990
Apr. 18, 1991
May 17,1991
Stand
Ylelcf
No.lmrow
g/mrow
68a
6b
84a
15a
84a
44a
7x
18z
'One location only for September, October, and May results.
Establlshment-year yield, September 1991.
2
329
17z
28z
27z
22z