Planting equipment can play an important role in the germination of alfalfa, according to a Wisconsin crops specialist.
Dan Undersander of the University of Wisconsin said alfalfa is more challenging to plant than corn or soybeans, and that a farm’s planting equipment is part of the challenges. Two of three factors common for alfalfa seed-failure can be the results of faulty or misused planting equipment, he said.
Failures often result from low soil pH levels, seeds being planted into soil that’s too loose, and seed that’s planted too deeply, Undersander said. Planting into loose soil or seeds being planted too deeply are related to the equipment, he added.
Undersander said about 10 percent of alfalfa seed being visible on fields’ surfaces is an indication that alfalfa was planted at a proper depth.
Planting equipment is being produced with improvements in planting and depth-metering controls, he said.
Listen to Undersander’s views about planting equipment in an interview with WAXX farm director Bob Bosold:
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