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Stand Management: Laying the Foundation for Profit
Your yields depend on how productive your plants are. Key to that productivity is how the plants utilize sunlight. When plants capture solar energy, they use it to combine carbon dioxide, water and other nutrients into sugars, starches, grains and fibers… all of which comprise yield.
Managing and Producing Uniform Plant Stands
When it comes to developing uniform plant stands, there are three major factors that come into play. Optimal Soil Temperature, Soil Moisture and Seed-to-Soil Contact are all vital for the best seed germination.
How Productive is Your Plant Stand?
Uneven spacing, germination and emergence reduce plant stand productivity. It is important to consider all the factors that take away from producing the best yield possible. Remember, late plants may get to nearly full height, making their drain on other plants even less noticeable.
Calculating Productivity
To calculate productivity, consider a crop of corn and evaluate the plants as follows:
100% Productive - Plants at the same growth stage, where they should be.
50% Productive - Plants one to two leaves behind are actually half a weed because they do not add to productivity, and they take nutrients from 100% plants.
0% Productive or Weeds - Any plants that are three or more leaves behind.
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