A thorough planter check is necessary for the farmers before the planting season begins. Regular in-season checks are very helpful in order to avoid planting issues or committing mistakes that can affect the germination and emergence of the seeds. Planter with standard closing wheels may have several issues that are not new. These issues are very common but are sometimes hard to notice, especially in the case of planters that do not have a seed monitor.
Farmers are unable to do much when the seeds are planted by the faulty planters. The only option left to them is to identify the issues and fix these planter problems or the problems of the standard closing wheels. This will help in preventing the occurrence of these mistakes from happening in the future when using the same planter for similar or other crops in the fields.
A good planter will maintain proper and uniform spacing among the seeds when planting to ensure that they germinate and emerge consistently and uniformly in the field. The uniform spacing among the plants is an indicator of a good planter accompanied with Germinator Closing Wheels and Germinator Wheels Assembly for better and enhanced performance.
Common planter problems faced by the farmers
There are many planter problems faced by the farmers, a few of these issues are mentioned herewith.
1. Skips and Multiples
The skips and multiples largely are the result of the occurrence of the issues with seed singulation. A skip refers to the missing of a seed or plant from the row whereas. On the other hand, the multiple is known as the problem where more than one seed in the form of doubles or triples is planted at the same location. In other words, multiple means that the seeds are planted close enough in such a manner that they will impact each other.
The skips are not always caused by planter issues, but there can be issues with the seed in the soil, and that the seed may not germinate and emerge. The other reasons for the skips could be lack of moisture, heat, dead, diseased, or decayed seed. The issues of the planter can be found out if the farmer will dig the soil to find out if there is any seed or not if there is no seed then the planter has issues.
On the other hand, when we talk about some of the common causes for skips and multiples together, the following are some of the reasons:
a) Improper seed meter setup such as brush type and alignment, doubles eliminator, etc.
b) Applying low or high vacuum pressure than recommended
c) Absence of enough tension in drive or driven chains
d) Bouncing of seeds out of the furrow
2. Uneven Spacing of Seeds
Sometimes skips and multiples can occur due to uneven spacing of the seeds. When the plants are present in the row but there can be no uniform spacing among the seeds. This can be caused due to issues such as seed singulation, or because of the delivery of the seed from the meter exit point to the furrow. There are some common causes for the absence of uniform seed spacing such as:
a) Old out seed tube guard
b) Cracked seed tube
c) Higher row-unit bounce because of the variable field conditions
d) Faster speed of planting
e) Dropping of the seeds directly out of the seed meter
f) Inability of the standard closing wheels to cover the seed properly
3. Delayed or Non-Uniform Emergence
The non-uniform or delayed germination and the emergence of the seed can be identified at different growth stages. This can be seen within the same row in the field or among all the planter rows. Generally, the delayed or non-uniform germination and emergence of the seeds issues cannot be fixed. This is because these issues are hard to troubleshoot and add to the number of planter issues. The delay or non-uniform germination and the emergence of the seeds can be due to various factors such as quality of seeds, fertility, diseases, etc.
However, when in case the planter is at fault, it mainly affects the operation of row-unit components such as depth setting, standard closing wheel, opening discs, etc.
Some of the common planter related issues that can result in delayed or non-uniform germination and the emergence of seeds are:
a) Worn out opening-discs leading to improper furrow such as in the form of W-shaped instead of V-shaped)
b) Seed depth variations because of inadequate seed depth, or downforce pressure setting
c) Gauge-wheel wobble or if there is too much gap between the gauge-wheel and opening-discs
d) Inadequate closing wheel pressure or setup resulting in poor furrow closing
Considering the above-mentioned issues in the planters, it is recommended that the planters should be checked before planting the seeds and in every season. A planter that works effectively will provide a higher potential yield and performance while at the same time eliminating the issue of skips and multiples. Also, the farmers must invest in a high quality Germinator Closing Wheel and Germinator Wheels Assembly from Farm Shop to get uniform and consistent germination and emergence of the quality seeds.
