Fendt Momentum Crop Tour

Of all the yield data, none was more telling than the row-by-row comparison made at the Ohio location where Lee described the soil condition at planting as “a little tacky.” This led to some soil compaction, which restricted root growth and impacted the corn crop later in the season when the weather turned dry.

Rows were designated as pinch rows (those with a tire track on both sides of the row), affected rows (those with a tire track on one side of the row) and non-affected rows (no tire tracks). The resulting agronomic message was clear: Pinch-row soil compaction reduces yield, especially in less-than-ideal planting conditions.

“Because of its in-line tandem wheel design, Momentum creates no pinch rows like other planters where there are tire tracks on both side of a row,” Lee explains. “The dual wheels on our row-crop tractor created two pinch rows, and those rows averaged about 194 bushels per acre, whereas the rows without wheel compaction averaged a little more than 203 bushels per acre.”

The two pinch rows created by the tractor yielded 9 bushels less than the rest of the rows across the planter. When that loss is averaged across the entire planter, the total yield penalty from pinch rows was 2 bushels per acre in this comparison.

“While it’s only one year of data at one location, our results mirror the same yield penalty that others have demonstrated. The more pinch rows in your setup, the larger the potential impact on overall yield in a field. That being said, how many pinch rows are you creating at planting?” asks Lee.

Lee notes it was interesting that the plot showed virtually no yield difference between rows affected by compaction on only one side and rows without compaction.

“I would have expected some yield loss. We’ll repeat these demonstrations in other soil types with varying planting conditions and tillage practices to see if the trend continues,” he adds.

Lee says that at three of the five locations, there was no yield difference on average between wing sections and the center planter section, regardless of the combination of air pressure in the tires and how the planter weight was managed.

“We recorded an average yield difference of less than 1 bushel per acre, so you have to ask why,” Lee says. “And the answer is simple: When we planted at those three locations, the conditions were ideal. The soil moisture was incredibly fit for planting, to the point we weren’t going to create enough compaction to produce yield differences. I think it really emphasizes the importance of planting into fit conditions.”

At the North Dakota location, wet soil conditions at planting led to soil compaction, providing a different yield result. With Momentum’s weight-transfer system enabled and spreading weight across the entire planter, rows from the planter’s center section averaged 8 bushels more per acre than when the system was disabled and weight was concentrated in the center rows.

“Yes, we want to plant into fit conditions, but oftentimes, Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate,” Lee says. “That’s what happened in North Dakota. Our location was super-flat and poorly drained. Planting into that wet soil made it quite evident that by spreading the weight of the planter across the entire machine, we can mitigate compaction-induced yield loss from high-capacity, central-fill planters, especially in the center section where the planter weight is typically concentrated.”

Growers often select high-capacity, central-fill planters to increase productivity and maximize the acres they plant during the short planting windows that provide optimum yields. However, the planter’s weight may have negative agronomic consequences leading to yield loss. The 2020 Crop Tour confirmed this conundrum but offers a solution in the form of Fendt’s innovative planter design.

“With Momentum, we don’t have to sacrifice the agronomics to be productive,” Lee says. “I’m looking forward to the 2021 Crop Tour and learning more about how we can help growers improve their planting practices and ensure their corn crop reaches its full yield potential.”

Crop Tour comparisons verify there can be yield penalties when corn is planted too shallow or too deep. Plant too shallow (1 inch deep or less), and the corn plant’s nodal roots will develop at or just below the soil surface. Limited nodal root development is detrimental especially when conditions turn hot and dry. Lee says this was especially evident at the Ohio location where soil was wet at planting, then dry during the growing season. Corn planted 1 inch deep exhibited more tip-back on the ears than corn in rows planted at 1.5 inches or deeper, due to the combination of poor nodal root development and dry growing conditions.

“When we get tip-back, there is little or no kernel development on the last one or more inches of the ear tip. That’s lost yield potential,” Lee says. “Over the past five years, we found that corn planted 1.5 inches deep yielded 13 more bushels per acre on average than corn planted 1 inch deep. At current corn prices, we’re talking about $50 or more in lost return per acre due to planting too shallow.”

In certain conditions, planting too deep can reduce the total number of plants that emerge and cause uneven emergence. Reduced emergence lowers the overall plant population; uneven emergence leads to runt plants that can’t compete with their neighbors for resources. Both reduce yield potential. At the Ohio location, corn planted 3 inches deep yielded 6 bushels per acre more in 2020 than corn planted 3.5 inches deep — a difference that closely mirrors the five-year average.

“Typically, a planting depth of 2 inches will provide the maximum yield potential in most planting conditions. This can vary, however, and adjustments should be made based on soil moisture and the extended weather forecast,” Lee says. “We know that planting depth is a simple adjustment to set, but it’s such a critical piece to maximizing corn yield.”

Once proper planting depth is determined, it’s crucial that enough downforce is placed on each row unit to maintain that depth. Inconsistent depth control also can lead to uneven corn emergence, resulting in yield loss.

“Soil type and condition changes across a field, and growers have different options for maintaining corn seed depth, including spring, air bag and hydraulic downforce systems,” Lee says. “As with planting depth, downforce is a balance. Set it too light, and the seed doesn’t get placed to the right depth because there’s simply not enough force to keep it there. However, too much downforce can create sidewall compaction in the seed trench, which can lead to root development issues.”

During the past five years, AGCO Crop Tour trials have compared three downforce protocols: light downforce, heavy downforce and automatic downforce. The results demonstrate that automatic downforce, which adjusts to field conditions in real time, provides a yield advantage.

“On average, when downforce is too light, we see a yield reduction of about 13 bushels per acre when compared to automatic downforce,” Lee says. “By contrast, we see a 2- to 3-bushel-per-acre penalty for heavy downforce. So, if you aren’t running a planter with automatic downforce and want to err on the side of caution, set your downforce on the heavy side.”

In addition to uniform emergence, the uniform spacing of corn plants within the row is crucial to maximizing yield potential. Evenly spaced plants result in equal competition for essential resources, allowing for optimal growth. The result is more bushels per acre.

“We want to avoid what are referred to as ‘skips’ and ‘doubles,’” Lee says. “Skips occur when the planter doesn’t drop a seed, resulting in a missing plant and no ear whatsoever. Doubles occur when the planter drops two seeds close together. The result is two smaller ears that don’t produce the same yield as ears that evenly spaced plants can produce.”

A planter’s ability to drop one seed at a time is referred to as seed singulation. Crop Tour field demonstrations have compared plots planted at two singulation rates – 93 percent and 99 percent using the vSet metering system.

“Our five-year data show that 6 percent reduction in singulation results in a yield loss of about 5 bushels per acre,” Lee says. “So, growers really want to avoid skips and doubles.”

Lee adds that while the AGCO team will continue many of the field trials from the past five years, some new questions are likely to be posed in 2021.

“We’re still working out details, but we’d like to do some plots comparing plant populations, the impact of starter fertilizer, as well as differences between types of tractor tires and tracks,” he says. “The whole team is excited to ask new questions, help growers improve their planting practices and ensure their corn crops reach full yield potential.”

Corn height at 6 weeks after planting in a 2004 study of soil compaction in conservation tillage at State College, Pennsylvania. A 6.3-inch height difference was noted between plants grown in soil with no compaction and in soil compacted by tires inflated at 100 psi. Height in treatments with flotation tires at low pressure was not statistically different from the no-compaction control.

Average corn plant height around V12 when measured in the two rows on either side of the in-line tandem center transport tires on a Fendt Momentum planter in Casselton, North Dakota. In the “tire pressure low” treatment, the planter’s Load Logic™ system kept the very high flexion tires inflated at the lowest recommended level for the weight of the planter (approx. 17 psi); tires in the “tire pressure high” treatment were inflated at a constant 55 psi

Footprints made by very high flexion planter tires inflated at 55 psi (left) and 15 psi (right). Note the longer footprint at lower inflation pressure covers a larger surface area and lessens pressure applied to the ground.