Evenness of Crop During Herbicide Application
Even crop growth begins with precise seed and fertilizer placement, which ensures uniform access to nutrients and moisture. This uniformity is critical for safe and effective herbicide application, as inconsistent crop staging increases the risk of plant injury and yield loss.
An evenly growing crop is the function of precision metering and placement of both seed and fertilizer as seeds across the field access moisture and nutrients at the same time and rate. This evenness of growth results in many agronomic benefits during the crop year. One of the first instances of this is early in the crop season during herbicide application.
All herbicides have labels that give specific instructions on application timing relating to crop stage. It is very important to spray herbicides within the recommended stage or potential plant damage can occur which leads to a reduction in yield. A crop that displays inconsistent staging due to reduced precision in seed and fertilizer placement is more susceptible to this especially when an early herbicide application is necessary due to weed pressure. While most of the crop may be in the correct stage for herbicide application, plants that are just emerging and at earlier growth than the recommended stage are prone to injury.
It is therefore desirable to ensure even germination, emergence and development of the crop across the field regardless of changes in topography and soils. Precise and consistent metering combined with accurate placement of products, both in-row and in terms of depth, provide the crop with the evenness required to ensure safe herbicide application and preserving yield potential.