Seeding Rate Effects on Spring and Winter Wheat Yields in Southeast Idaho.

Economic sustainability for producers requires effective management of all input costs. Recently, seeding rate recommendations have been inflated, and depending on the source of opinion, often producers don’t know the best planting rate. Producers are pressured into planting over the recommended rate based on their neighbor’s practices and sales recommendations without appropriate experimental evidence.

Most wheat producers outside of the Pacific Northwest plant according to seeds/acre rather than lbs/ acre or bushel/acre to make every seed count to lower cost. Wheat variety seeds differ in size, weight, and germination rates depending on seed source, location grown and fertility practices. This means that seeding rate will vary for every seed lot. This research project was completed in order to determine what recommendations are needed to decrease potentially excessive amounts of seed used at planting or to determine those varieties that require higher rates for maximum economic yield.

This is a continuation of a previous study done in 2013, done with spring wheat only. The 2014 study was winter wheat as well as spring wheat, with the same seeding rates, same data collection, and varieties.