25 March 2025. Paul McIntosh, Pulse Australia and WeedSmart.
Fast coming around to winter crop considerations and part of these deliberations is having available or purchasing your planting seed.
This is a very old bandwagon subject of mine and I still believe we all forget or get sidetracked on the seed quality basics, at these times of huge workloads.
With our winter crop production, certainly farmers do keep their own grown seed of wheat, barley, oats or chickpeas. I have no issue with this process, however, I would like to point out that harvesting one of your own crops for future seeding operations commences, before the planting date of that seed crop.
Yep way back then is when you need to have your soil nutrition levels adequate at least, plus the best placement of these key nutritional elements like Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium in the future developing root zone of your intended seed crop. Not to forget more minor elements like Zinc and Sulphur as well.
So the aim is to have adequate or good germination and vigour levels in your seed crop after harvest time. Germination we all understand and can visibly see that in real time. However ,vigour is something else and is defined a not as single property or trait, more like the seed's ability to germinate and grow normally after harvest, the storage situation and perhaps some adverse conditions in your newly planted paddock.
We do push the envelope at times don’t we, starting large planting areas a day or three too early and finishing when it is a bit dry and many times our seed quality gets us across the line.
Seed vigour maybe better based upon the seeds own genes and environment, plus the other factors of soil water availability, soil and air temps, age of seed, previous harvest conditions and of course the all important storage conditions.
Especially for our small seeded crops like the Millets and Lucerne with their speed of germination and emergence, for being a good indicator of their vigour.
Don’t ever forget about your planting seed quality and link your growing environment including the soil nutrients levels and plant available water amounts, to determine which is your best paddock for planting seed retention.
Finally when you have seed lot of unknown or dubious origins and conditions, make sure you do a germination test on it, even if only a basic one.
When you get right down to it, good quality seed can be the cheapest input into your farming system or plant growing activities.
That’s all folks.
Two different seed lines of Chickpeas- which is the best planting seed …..if any?