August, 2019
The Process
Page 3
SARDA News
H
ave you ever wondered why it takes SARDA so long to do its plot work? Why do we need so many workers and what the heck are we doing out there? The plots are only small. Harvest is upon us and I thought it would be a great time to tell you what is involved in completing a simple trial. The first action in any successful trial is site selection. Landowners are contacted to ensure that they are agreeable to having plots on their land. Potential fields are scouted and assessed for location, slope, soil type and cropping history. The potential site location should not be in the headlands and should allow for the land owner to easily operate equipment around the area. It is also very desirable to be away from trees and wetlands which are often home to local wildlife. SARDA trial areas are on the highest productive land available as this encourages the expression of the desired genetics or treatment. Once a location is chosen, the area is flagged and composite soil samples are taken on the area to determine fertility requirements and ensure the site is free from any soil borne diseases. Protocols of the trials planned for the area are reviewed to ensure there are no special requirements. Residue issues are eliminated and appropriate pre-seed burn-offs are applied.
Residue Management
Fertilizer components
During the time the site is being prepared, a lot of work is going on in the office and the shop. Seeding maps are created for the sites and each trials. Fertility rates are calculated and blends created. Seed is acquired, germination tested, treated if required, weighed and packaged. The weight of each seed package is calculated by using the plot size, desired plant density, the thousand kernel weight (TKW) and the germination. Fertilizer package weights are usually determined based on plot size and the protocols of the trial that indicate the fertilizer rates to be used. Packages are sorted and placed in boxes according to the order they will be seeded in the field. For trials that are not assessing fertility, we are able to use a common blend and apply it using
Seed Drill
