Are You Paying Attention To Your Seedbed Floor?

BY CASE IH

Most farmers understand the importance of maintaining a healthy seedbed. But what is the seedbed floor? And how can you optimize the agronomic quality of yours to reach full yield potential?

If the seedbed is the home you’ve built to foster early crop development, think of the seedbed floor as the foundation. The seedbed floor is the narrow layer between worked and unworked soil, and it marks the depth where the seed is placed.
What is the seedbed floor? And how can you use it to your advantage? Via @Case_IH CLICK TO TWEET

Finding the seedbed floor

Finding your seedbed floor is the first step to optimization. Perform a “kill stall” during a normal operation to wipe away the top layer of loose soil to reveal the seedbed floor behind the tillage tool. Check for a flat surface and consistency in depths between the front and rear of the machine.

What the seedbed floor is not

It’s easy to mistake the seedbed floor as a layer of compaction. However, creating a compaction layer requires 250 to 300 psi. When correctly adjusted and operated under the right conditions — soil that is moist but not wet — sweeps on a field cultivator will not exert sufficient psi to create a compaction layer. Avoid working in fields that are too wet to create a high-efficiency seedbed with a level and smooth seedbed floor.

Benefits of a firm, flat seedbed floor

In addition to consistency and proper root development, a flat and firm seedbed floor ensures that roots grow correctly and that there are no delays in plant development. An agronomic growth environment puts your crop in the best position possible to achieve its maximum yield potential. Fast, uniform emergence from an optimal seedbed floor leads to row after row of photocopy plants at the same growth stage.

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Beat Compaction This Fall and Move That Moisture