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Has the soil crust blocked the emergence of your seed? Try these methods before you spoil the field.
Throwing seeds into the field in spring is like chess played with nature. You make the best move, adjust the seeder perfectly and bring the best quality RTS Seed seed to the soil. However, nature makes its move with a sudden downpour and a blazing sun that immediately follows. The result? The soil hardens like concrete. In agricultural language, we call it the "Cream Layer" .
That delicate seedling, germinating under the soil, begins to push upwards to reach the sun, but finds a hard wall in front of it. Its neck bends, its leaves turn yellow and it cannot debut. This is the moment when the farmer panics the most and says, "The seeds have not come out, I will spoil the field and plant it from the beginning".
So, what can be done before throwing away tens of thousands of liras of seeds, fertilizers and diesel costs?
Do not immediately run to the tractor and plow the field. Check the condition of the seed by digging 3-5 centimeters from different parts of the soil.
If the seed is swollen but the tip (rootlet) has not yet burst: You still have time.
If the seed has burst, the sprout tip has rested on the cream layer and has started to curl (bend its neck): It is time for urgent intervention. Waiting will cause the seedling to rot (collapse) from lack of air.
It is the most effective mechanical method that can be used to break the hard crust of the soil.
How is it done? Before the seeds come to the surface of the soil, only the top 1-2 centimeter crust of the soil is broken with very lightly towed tools (rotary hoe, star roller or special rakes).
Attention! This process must be done very precisely. If the tool goes deep, it cuts off the delicate shoots under the soil. It should only be aimed at cracking the "concrete" on the surface.
If you have a sprinkler irrigation system in your field, this is the most risk-free and effective method.
A very light (1-2 tons per decare) irrigation is made to soften the hard layer on the soil surface. This water is not to nourish the seed, but only to make the shell doughy. The seedling, which finds the softened soil, instantly jumps to the surface with the plowing energy provided by RTS Seed.
The quality of a seed is determined not in the best conditions, but in the most difficult conditions.
While ordinary seeds consume their energy and die under the ground even at a slight soil resistance; The corn, cotton and sunflower varieties in the RTS Seed portfolio genetically have High Vigor (Driving Energy) capacity.
This strong genetic infrastructure allows the seed to resist the negativities under the ground like a "battering ram" and to force that hard layer more strongly.
If, despite all interventions, more than 40% of the seedlings in the field have rotted or have not been able to emerge (the number of plants per square meter has fallen below the economic threshold), unfortunately, a decision must be made to replant (disrupt). However, this should be a last resort.
As a result; Being prepared for nature's surprises is the golden rule of profitable agriculture. Don't despair when your soil is creamy. The right mechanical intervention and the power of the RTS Seed seed underlying the soil will make that field green again.