Trial confirms maize yield benefits from precision drill

The Lemken Azurit precision seed drill with DeltaRow in a trial conducted by Osnabruck University.

Greater yields, more energy, increased gas production – the benefits of DeltaRow sowing with the Lemken Azurit precision seed drill compared to conventional single-row drilling have once again been confirmed in a bachelor’s thesis submitted to Osnabruck University in 2020.

These positive effects were evident in all trialled variations, but were most pronounced at a seed rate of eight seeds per square metre, which is commonly used in the region, Lemken says. At this rate, the trial recorded increases of 4.5 per cent in maize yields, 8.2 per cent in net energy lactation (NEL), 7.9 per cent in metabolisable energy (ME) and 5.4 per cent in gas yields – compared to the respective values achieved with single-row drilling without DeltaRow.

Lemken says the DeltaRow approach delivers these yield and quality advantages as it gives plants around 70 per cent more space to develop, compared to conventional single-row approaches. As a result, each plant has more space from which to absorb water and nutrients and, therefore, more room to grow. This has a beneficial effect on plant development.

The trial was conducted in Borken (North Rhine-Westphalia) in the spring of 2020. The effects of the factors seed rate (seven, eight or nine seeds per square metre) and sowing approach on crop yield and quality were examined by means of a large-scale plot trial. Naturally, tillage, seed strain, sowing and harvesting times were identical for all trial variants.