FAQ: Crop Establishment and Growth

22. How can I adjust and calibrate seed and fertilizer rates?
Seed drills of different make are fitted with seed metering devices to increase of decrease the seed rates with in specified limits. First fix the seed metering device at appropriate seed rate delivery notch. Now rotate the drive wheel to separately collect seed and fertilizer in polythene bags to determine the average seed fertilizer amount per unit distance traveled by the drive wheel. Calculate the seed rate using formula given in the supplier’s manual and again refine the adjustment if needed.

23. How can I control seed depth in ZT planted crops?
For proper seed germination it is important to place seed at the right depth. Zero till drills have depth adjusting wheels. With adjustment of the depth control wheels, seed can be placed at any soil depth.

24. Is it possible to place the seed in a narrow slit without spillover?
With good quality zero-till-ferti-seed drill, generally, all the seed and fertilizer can be placed in the narrow slit. Some seed could still be falling outside, in vicinity of the slit, depending upon roughness of the fields and the speed of the tractor. All such seed if not picked by birds will germinate after a post sowing irrigation. In the presence of anchored/standing residues of the previous crop or mulching with a ‘shrub master’ it is often difficult o pickup the seeds from the spilled over seed.

25. Is there any need to increase seed rate to achieve desired plant population in zero-till?
Normally it is not advised to increase the seed rate unless germination count is low for the seed lot.

26. Is there some way to improve germination in direct dry seeded wheat?
Seed priming can improve germination and early emergence in dry soil conditions. For seed priming, rice and wheat seed may be dipped in water for 6-8 hours and then dried under shade before seeding.

27. Does speed of tractor during planting affect seed rate?
Normally speed of the tractor does not effect the number of revolutions of fluted roller that delivers seed to the tubes joining the slit openers. Speed more than 4-5 km/hr can however increase slippage of drive wheel. Uneven surface can also increase slippage leading to uneven crop population in the field. It is advisable not to drive the tractor speedily as it will aggravate the problem of uneven crop stand resulting in low plant yield.

28. Is planking useful after ZT sown wheat?
Planking is usually done to avoid seeding picking by birds and to establish a good soil to seed contact in a drying soil. Since there is no loss of seed by birds and seed open to air gain moisture over night by absorbing dew in winter months there is no need to cover the seed and fertilizer slits by planking.

29. Would no planking result in enhanced seed picking by birds and poor crop stand?
It is observed that most birds are unable to pick up wheat seed placed in narrow slits (3-4 cm wide and 4-7cm deep). It could be further ensured by treating the seed with cow dung to give foul smell. It is advisable not to treat the seed with poisonous substances as it may kill some bird in some eventualities. Not covering the slit in fact helps seed to absorb moisture from over-night high humidity and assist early emergence of the young seedlings.

30. Is it possible to plant wheat with zero till drill in sugarcane ratoon fields?
No, sugarcane root stocks interfere with operation of the zero-till drill. It is easier to use the drill after harrowing the fields.

31. Does rainfall after planting will prevent seed germination due to crusting in ZT plots?
Seed placed at appropriate depth is little affected by closing of slits due to slaking. Hard set soil may delay the germination by few days and may also adversely affect germination.

32. What are the other crops that can be planted with ZT machine?
Zero till drills of different makes are usually fitted with various seeding devices such as fluted rollers and cupping systems. Drills with fluted rollers can easily handle larger sized seeds but have difficulty in planting of crops having small and light weight seed as Indian mustard etc or seeds of rice having small hair like structures on husk. For seeding small grains, farmers generally mix seed with sand to increase the volume of seeding material for uniform distribution. A multi-crop planter cum zero till machine can sow almost all the cereals and pulse crops are also available in the market.

33. Does seed enrichment improve the dynamics the seed germination?
Enrichment of seed with Fe and Zn increase the dynamics of seed germination.

34. Is it possible to go for row planting with surface seeding method?
In surface seeding, farmers just toss the seed on to the untilled moist soil. Using a drum seeder, it is possible to seed crops in line.

35. How to timely plant in inadequate soil moisture situations?
In situations where in planting is getting late /already delayed and soil moisture is inadequate, a pre-sowing irrigation is likely to further delay the sowing of crop and also facilitate the weeds to establish ahead of the crop. In such situations, it is advisable to place the seed at shallow depth in dry field and apply a light irrigation.

36. How can one sow crops in excessively moist soil conditions?
After harvest of rice, at times soils remain excessively wet. Low evaporation demands and over night dew often do not facilitate soils to attain workable moisture conditions soon enough particularly in winter season. Under such situations as to avoid "rice fallows" it is good option to go for surface seeding. In this planting practice seed is tossed directly on to wet soil surface in presence of crop residues. Using a drum seeder, crops can be surface seeded in rows.

37. Does no-till in any way adversely affect root growth by compacting the soils?
If free wheeling of tractors and other heavy equipment is controlled to tramlines, and residues are retained to create mulch, the resistance of the roots to penetration in soil is not increased and soil compaction can be reduced substantially. Tillage is not the only to keep soils friable. More over, in order to reduce penetration resistance to roots, it is advised to plant the crops at 2-4% higher moisture content than normal and also advance first irrigation at 4-6 days. Conventionally first irrigation is applied at crown root initiation, 21 days after germination. Seeding at relatively higher soil moisture content and application of an early irrigation facilitate root penetration by reducing mechanical strength of the surface soil layers.

38. Will ZT help reduce chlorosis that appear with first irrigation, in conventionally planted wheat?
Leaf chlorosis / yellowing generally appear after an irrigation or rainfall event. It is due to temporary water stagnation in the root zone. It is a condition that reflects poor aeration and imbalanced uptake of nutrients during the period of enhanced water stagnation. Chlorosis due to temporary water logging delays tillering in wheat and retard growth in other crops such as maize and pigeon pea etc

39. Would there be any appreciable change in crop lodging pattern with zero till system?
It is observed that crop lodging is generally less in zero till planted crop. In no-till system, plant seem to receive good mechanical support from undisturbed soil in close vicinity of narrow slit and also higher root biomass provides better anchorage to the plants against lodging.

40. Is there any varietal response in ZT in case of wheat?
Some of the modern cultivars do better than others in zero-till, no-till and bed planting systems. Therefore, Genotypes x tillage interactions are important for no till system. Modern cultivars that are more vigorous in early growth stages, have higher surface coverage and compete better with weeds. It is better to plant such cultivars in no-till system.

41. What other measures can further improve crop yields in ZT system without extra input?
Yes, it has been observed that paired row planting of crops such as wheat and rice etc. improves crop productivity by 4-6% with out any extra efforts. For paired row planting, we only need to adjust the seeding tines. Paired row planting in some ways mimics the benefits of bed planting system. But it is important to remember that maintaining an adequate plant population is crucial for higher productivity.