Animals & nature · 2017
Can planting spring cereals earlier, despite frost, produce bigger harvests?
Yes—in southern Ontario field trials, early-April frost seeding produced higher yields than conventional late-April to early-May seeding despite lower plant populations. Average yield increases were 24% for wheat, 20% for oats, and 11% for barley, with the barley increase reported for 2004 only.
Details
Short growing seasons and mid-summer heat and drought limit spring cereal production in Canada. This suggested that seeding earlier in spring might allow higher and more stable yields.
Comparative field trials in southern Ontario in 2003 and 2004 examined the development and yield potential of hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and oat (Avena sativa L.). The trials compared frost seeding in early April with conventional seeding in late April–early May, using commercially available no-till planting equipment.
Frost seeding resulted in lower plant populations than conventional seeding. Before tillering, the reductions averaged 44 plants m−2 (12%) for wheat and 27 plants m−2 (10%) for oats.
Despite these lower plant populations, frost-seeded crops had higher yields than conventionally seeded crops. Yield increases averaged 0.66 Mg ha−1 (24%) for wheat, 0.72 Mg ha−1 (20%) for oats, and 0.36 Mg ha−1 (11%, 2004 only) for barley.
Key developmental stages occurred earlier in frost-seeded cereals. Average heading dates for frost-seeded wheat and barley were 5 days earlier than for conventionally seeded crops.
Frost-seeded cereals also had a longer vegetative period. This longer period, together with earlier heading, contributed to their increased yields.
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