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Noah Newman:

Hello once again. And welcome to another edition of the Strip-Till Farmer Podcast, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment. My name is Noah Newman. And this week managing editor, Michaela Paukner, goes one-on-one with Dr. Fred Below. He is a researcher and crop physiologist at the University of Illinois. And they're going to talk about planting populations in a strip-till system. So the 2022 Strip-till Operational Practices Survey indicates the most common planting populations for strip-tilled corn ranged from 33,000 to more than 35,000 in 2021, but strip-tillers can go higher than that according to Dr. Below. What about soybeans? 41% said they seed soybeans at a population of 120,000 or less. Another 25% plant in the 130,000 to 140,000 range. Below thinks strip-tillers can get by on a lower population. Why does he think that? Let's find out. Here's Michaela and Fred.

Michaela Paukner:

First question, what does a strip-till need to consider when choosing their corn planting population?

Dr. Fred Below:

So the strip-tiller needs to consider the same things that any grower needs to consider when they choose their populations. I mean, so let's think of corn yield, Michaela. Corn yield is a product function of how many plants breaker, how many seeds on each plant and the weight of each individual kernel. And you have to increase at least one of those to increase yield. Now, which one does the grower have the most control over? This includes strip-tillers. Plant population. I mean, so if we sit here today and we say, "Oh, what are we going to do to increase yield?" I mean, we got to have more plants. More plants is what drives light interception and what drives photosynthesis and what drives yield. That's why that's the factor that has increased the most over the last 50 years. I mean, you have to buy the seed and manage the seed.

Everybody decides their population based on how much water they think they're going to have, how much nutrition they think they're going to have and a little bit the cost of the seed. And these are the same things for strip-tillers. Now, I'm guessing that many strip-tillers put the nutrients in the strip. And by putting the nutrition in the strip, that allows them to manage more plants easier than non-strip-tillers do. And I'm guessing that strip-tillers by the fact that they have more residue also tend to conserve more water. So my personal view is that by using the water conserving abilities of conservation tillage and by being able to place nutrients in the strip, that strip-tillers are probably able to manage higher populations better or easier than conventional tillage people.

Michaela Paukner:

What would you consider a good higher population for a strip-tiller who's in the Corn Belt?

Dr. Fred Below:

I'm going to guess that most strip-tillers are in 30 inch rows. And in 30 inch rows, because of plant to plant spacing, sort of a top end population for 30 inch rows is 38,000 plants per acre. Strip-tillers, again, the answer is it depends on the rainfall and it depends on the geography and the water holding capability, but I think that strip-tillers, again, because of the conservation tillage and the place nutrients, are more able to push the top end of the population for a 30 inch row than conventional tillage people are.

Michaela Paukner:

Okay,

Dr. Fred Below:

And I would tell you 38's the top end for a 30 inch row. Has to do with the plant to plant spacing. Each plant needs a certain amount of elbow room, if you will.

Michaela Paukner:

So when they are too close together, then they just don't grow well enough to yield any higher?

Dr. Fred Below:

Yeah. Yeah. They shade each other and the roots, roots don't like each other, so they don't grow into each other. They grow into the open area. I think you need five inches or so between each plant. And if you get closer than that, then you start to have self-shading and interplant competition.

Michaela Paukner:

Okay.

Dr. Fred Below:

Now that would be true of strip-till or conventional till, but I mean, strip-tillers have that advantage that they can conserve water because of the residue and they're not tilling the soil and they can place the nutrients. And both of these things, in my view, allows them to manage more plants, and that's one of the yield components. It's one of the ways to increase yield.

Michaela Paukner:

So looking at our survey data, it looked like the most common populations was about 33,000 to, and then we had a group that was more than 35,000, but they all kind of fell in there. So for those people that are at the lower end, how do they go about determining how much more they should increase to hit that?... Should they just jump to the 38,000? Or what do they need to do-

Dr. Fred Below:

No, no. I mean, they all need to experiment on their own. So there's a reason why growers are using the populations that they are. And I'm guessing the reason is mostly they're worried about how much water is available and they're worried about the seed cost. I don't think, I don't know this, but I don't think most strip-tillers are realizing that, "Oh, I have the nutrients right under the root. So this allows me to manage more plants." I would bet you, I don't know this, but the populations you're telling me, I think those would be fairly similar to conventional tillage people. I think you surveyed only strip-till people anyway. So I'm guessing here, I'm speculating that strip-tillers have a easier time to manage a little bit higher populations because of the place nutrients and because of the water conserving nature of conservation tillage. I'll bet you the average is around 32. I mean, and that's a wide range, but it's mostly based on how much water they think they're going to have.

Noah Newman:

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Michaela Paukner:

So then we had about half of the people we surveyed were using variable rate for seeding corn. So what do you think they need?

Dr. Fred Below:

And they did the variable rate based on management zones or topography? Or do you know what?

Michaela Paukner:

No. We just said, "Yes or no, are you using variable rate?"

Dr. Fred Below:

Yeah. Yeah. So then I mean, my guess is that they changed the rate based on whether it's on a slope or something like that. I don't know what the reason is, but again, I'm speculating here, Michaela. My guess is that strip-tillers can vary the rate because of the same advantages that strip-till brings. They're probably going to more successfully be able to vary the rate than conventional tillage people are.

Michaela Paukner:

Okay.

Dr. Fred Below:

I know that's a cop-out. It's the same answer. I don't know the answer. I mean, I don't know what they're basing it on.

Michaela Paukner:

What do you think they should base it on?

Dr. Fred Below:

Probably water. Probably water availability and nutrient supplying power.

Michaela Paukner:

Okay.

Dr. Fred Below:

But mostly water is my guess.

Michaela Paukner:

Okay.

Dr. Fred Below:

I mean, the main detriment of... When you run the population up, you are worried about not having enough water and you're worried about the plant lodging. Now, strip-tillers, they can put the PNK right in the strip. Both of those who are huge advantage to keep, especially the K for standability and a little bit for water because potassium moves water to the strip zone. So I don't know what they should base it on. I mean, I don't. Not many people do it. I know planters can do it, but I don't know what they're basing it on, so I can't really comment.

Michaela Paukner:

Sure. Sure. Okay. And then what do you think is the best soybean seeding rate for a Corn Belt strip-tiller?

Dr. Fred Below:

Yeah. So where corn populations have gone up, soybean populations have gone down, largely because the soybean plant branches and we're planting premium seed. We used to plant bin-run seed, so we had to plant a lot of it and now we have treated seeds, premium seed. The plant can branch. The tendency for soybean populations have been to decrease, especially as we plant soybean earlier and earlier. So my guess is they're in the 110,000 range. Did you ask them what their populations are [inaudible 00:10:36]?

Michaela Paukner:

Yeah.

Dr. Fred Below:

I'll bet you conventional people put in 140, plant 140 where they're looking for 120. And my guess is that strip-tillers can get by with even a little less.

Michaela Paukner:

Okay. Yeah. It looks like 41% of strip-tillers used 120,000 or less, but that would be... I think next year we need to ask 100 and 110 ranges too, because like you said, it's gone down now, but...

Dr. Fred Below:

It's slowly edging down. What happens, what we're seeing is we're seeing soybean get planted earlier and earlier, because the uniformity of emergence isn't as important as it is with corn and because now we have premium treated seed. And if you got any itchy to plant something first, plant soybean. And when you plant early, if you have too many seed, then they get too tall. So I mean, if you said to me what's the sweet spot, it's in 100, 120 probably. That's what they're looking for as a final stand.

Michaela Paukner:

Okay.

Dr. Fred Below:

More corn, less soybean. That's sort of the message.

Michaela Paukner:

Got it. The takeaway. Is there anything else that you think strip-tillers should know about seeding and planting, rates and populations?

Dr. Fred Below:

Again, so the message I'd like to get out is there's some real advantages to strip-till. There's the place nutrients. There's the advantage of conservation tillage. And this allows them to probably manage a little bit higher population of plants than the conventional person.

Michaela Paukner:

Okay.

Dr. Fred Below:

And plant population is the yield component under their control that drives yield.

Michaela Paukner:

Okay.

Dr. Fred Below:

So they have to change something to increase yield, don't they? They have to either have more plants, more kernels on every plant, or they have to have heavier kernels. Now we'd like to have all three, but which one do they have the most control over?

Michaela Paukner:

The plant.

Dr. Fred Below:

It's the number plants. Yeah. Yeah. And strip-till has some advantages that allow them to be a little more comfortable with higher densities of plants. And that's, in my mind, how they might be able to get out a little extra yield. And that's because they're placing the nutrients in the strip.

Noah Newman:

And that'll wrap things up for this week's conversation. Thanks to Dr. Fred Below and Michaela Paukner for that insight. Can read more about the topic in the winter edition of Strip-Till Farmer, which comes out this week actually. Also, I want to remind you, registration is now open for the 10th annual National Strip-Tillage Conference, August 3rd and 4th in Bloomington, Illinois. Build and refine your strip-till system with dozens of new ideas and connections. Experience an energizing two-day agenda featuring inspiring general session speakers, expert-led strip-till classrooms and collaborative strip-till round tables, plus certified crop advisor credits will be offered. Just as important is a chance to profit from unlimited hallway networking with the most innovative, forward-thinking minds you will find in strip-till. So come see for yourself why past attendees say they take home an average of $8,333 in ready-to-use ideas. That's a lot of money. Head to striptillfarmer.com to register. Thanks for tuning in to the Strip-Till Farmer Podcast brought to you by Yetter. I'm Noah Newman. Have a great day.