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Improving the Odds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Putting Planters to the Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Useful Planting-Related Websites . . . . . . . . . 7

‘The Most Important Thing You Can Do’ . . . . 8

Confection Planting Guide & Troubleshooting Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Planting Sunflower With An Air Seeder . . . 10

Protect Stands From Early Season Bugs . . 11

Articles Written by Don Lilleboe

Sunflower Planting Supplement / January 2008 1

Bruce Due suggests putting the issueof evenly spaced sunflower plant

stands in perspective: “It’s important.But is it as important as in corn?Absolutely not. With sunflower, youcan have a double or a skip, and thereare negatives associated with that. Yetit’s not like having a double in corn.”

Fair enough. But having made thatpoint, there’s no doubt Due would stilllike to minimize uneven plant spacingin sunflower fields — especially whenit comes to the number of doubles ortriples. “I’ve been in stands where70% of the [seed] drops are doubles ortriples,” says the Breckenridge, Minn.-based Mycogen Seeds agronomist.“Good for the seed company; reallybad for the grower!”

Any sunflower producer or seedcompany representative knows first-hand the benefits of a consistentlyspaced plant stand:

• More-efficient use of moisture,sunlight and nutrients.• Improved weed suppression

(superior plant canopy).• Similar pace of plant develop-

ment (aids in insect management).• Uniformity of head and seed size.• More-even plant drydown across

the field.• Better final yield and crop quality.Sunflower has long been touted for

its ability to compensate for inconsis-tent spacing within the row. Plantsadjacent to skips, for instance, will —assuming sufficient moisture and nutri-

ents — produce larger stalks, biggerheads and more seed weight. Thoughthat’s a positive attribute, it’s not, how-ever, what growers strive for — norshould they.

No Need to Overplant

Proper planter equipment, calibra-tion and operation are critical to thefinal outcome. But achieving thedesired plant population starts with theseed bag — and that can be a littletricky in itself. Tim Petry, field produc-tion manager for Dahlgren & Company,points out that seed tags commonlyunderstate germination because stateregulations require the tag to list the“minimum” germination percentage .

“If the bag says 85% germ, that’sthe minimum it can be. The majority[of seed lots] actually run in the low tomid-90s. So some guys tend to over-plant,” says Petry, who believes exces-sive populations are one of the mostcommon mistakes in confection sun-flower production. “The perception isthat overplanting is how to obtain theoptimum yield. Really, it just adds risk.

If you don’t have an ideal growing sea-son, if you have dry conditions or dis-ease, you leave yourself at a higherrisk. Any benefit you may gain in dry-down time doesn’t offset the down-side.” The increasing use of Cruiser®

seed treatment on sunflower in recentyears has further widened the gapbetween the germination percentage onthe tag and what often occurs in thefield, Petry adds, since Cruiser’s activityon insects aids emergence levels.

In the Red River Valley area, forgrowers planting confections in 30”rows, Dahlgren typically recommendsa seed drop of around 18,000. “If aguy is in 22” rows and looking at goodmoisture conditions, though, our targetmay be a little higher,” Petry indicates.To the west, under more-arid condi-tions, a seed drop of 16,000 is morestandard with confections, he says.

Kevin Wall, sales manager forBreckenridge-based Seeds 2000, sayshe favors an oil-type sunflower seeddrop within the 18,-22,000 range inhigher-rainfall areas (or for irrigatedfields), with 16,-18,000 more appropri-ate for drier areas. Wall has customersin the arid western Dakotas who arepulling in 1,000- to 1,200-lb yields —which is profitable for that area — witha 12,- to 13,000 seed drop.

Recommended populations varyconsiderably in the High Plains, wherea significant percentage of the crop(especially confections) is irrigated.

The High Plains SunflowerProduction Handbook suggests oil-typepopulations under dryland conditionsrun between 14,000 to 22,000,depending on moisture conditions andone’s yield goal. It also references aNebraska study in which yields weresimilar with populations of from 11,000to 20,000 plants per acre. (But the11,000 population averaged 300 moreseeds per head and a 2.0 lbs/bu lowertest weight.)

The university-recommended rangefor irrigated oil populations in the HighPlains runs between 17,000 to 22,000final plants per acre, while that for irri-gated confections typically is from15,000 to 18,000. For dryland confec-tions, it’s closer to 12,000.

What population justifies replanti-ng? Some situations have an obviousanswer, but “I’ll argue with growers inlate spring about whether to replant,”muses Bruce Due. “If they’re adamant,you can’t stop them. But we have lotsof data to show what sunflower will dofor yield at reduced populations. In myestimation, 14,-15,000 plants are justas capable of a [given] yield as 20,000plants— up to 2,300 or 2,400 pounds.”

Improving the OddsImproving the Odds

Agronomists Discuss Achievement of Optimum Stands, Optimum Yields

Agronomists Discuss Achievement of Optimum Stands, Optimum Yields

‘The perception is thatoverplanting is how to

obtain the optimum yield.Really, it just adds risk.’

2 Sunflower Planting Supplement / January 2008

Growing What You Sow

Everyone knows “seed drop” and“final plant stand” are two different ani-mals. Not all seeds will germinate, andnot all germinated seeds will emergeand grow into healthy plants. Some-times nine out of 10 will; at other times— due to unfavorable soil conditions,planter problems, disease, insects orother factors — the percentage will beconsiderably less.

Even if a grower achieves his target-ed per-acre population, some of thoseemerged plants are likely to be spacedunevenly within the row. It’s not a per-fect world out there, regardless of thecrop — and even less so for ’flowers. Sunflower seeds are odd creatures:irregular in shape, much flatter thancorn or soybeans, lengthy (especiallythe new ultra-long confection varieties),and just plain tougher to plant. Toss inthe fact that today’s planters weredesigned for crops like corn — whoseseeds are rounder and sown at a muchhigher population — and it’s little won-der the average sunflower grower dealswith skips and doubles.

Again, while a field’s per-acre plantpopulation may be on target, the issueis the distribution of those plants. “Thekey word is ‘even,’ “ emphasizes KevinWall. “If I have an even stand of15,000 with confections, I’m going tohave a pretty good crop with uniformseed size, uniform drydown. It’s theblanks (skips) and doubles that get youin trouble.”

In general, Mycogen’s Bruce Dueviews doubles or triples as much moreof a yield-impacting factor than skips.“They (doubles and triples) are moredamaging from a disease standpoint,from a harvest loss standpoint,” hesays. “They’re thinner stemmed, so ifyou’re going to have plants breakingover, they’ll be the ones. And I’ll guar-antee you that if one plant in a clumpof three gets Sclerotinia, they all will.”

Due sees other effects as well —ones that may not be so apparent togrowers. “If you have a lot of doublesand triples and you examine thoseplants, most likely you’ll find some ofthe seeds rubbed out of the heads.”When the wind blows, the heads of the“cozy” plants tend to rub against eachother. “Over time, that will actuallywear seeds right out of the head.”

Seedset can also be affected.During pollination, heads jostlingagainst each other “will rub off anthers,will rub off the female portion of thepistil,” Due notes. “So you end up withheads that don’t set seeds normally.”

Long, consecutive skips down a row

obviously are not a good thing — fromeither a weed control or final yieldstandpoint. But for Due, the occasion-al, sporadic skip is not worrisome.“Sure, we’d like to see uniform spacingof every plant out there,” he observes.“But realistically, if I was to count 100plants and find I have 85 placed ‘nor-mally,’ I can live with that. The nearbyplants will try to compensate.”

Optimizing Seed Placement

John Smith, agricultural engineerwith the University of Nebraska atScottsbluff (see article on page 5)recounts a conversation he recentlyhad with a grower who used a JohnDeere vacuum planter to seed confec-tion sunflower. “He said, ‘You know,I’m just not happy with my planter.’

“He was using the [flat] plate thatDeere recommends for confections.But then I asked him where he had hisdoubles eliminator set at. And hereplied, ‘What’s a doubles eliminator?’“

After discussing that topic, thegrower next asked Smith what vacuumsetting he was using in his Scottsblufftests with the Deere vacuum meter forconfection ’flowers. Smith indicated hehad experimented with a wide rangeand settled on 12” water vacuum. Thegrower responded that he had beenrunning at just 1” vacuum.

In Smith’s view, that conversationunderscored the core problem inherentin many inconsistent plant stands:

inadequate information as to the rightequipment and settings for plantingsunflower — and confection ’flowers inparticular.

“This grower was used to the Deerecell plate-type planter,” Smith pointsout. For whatever reason, the growerdidn’t realize that when using the flatplate, he had to include the doubles-eliminator mechanism. “He installedthe [flat] plate, dumped in the seed andstarted down the field —and of course,he was getting [numerous] doubles,”Smith explains. “So he backed his vac-uum way down to where [the monitortold him] he had the right plant popula-tion. Well, in the meantime, he wasending up with long skips — and stillsome doubles.”

Calibrate, Calibrate, Calibrate

“Sunflower is one of the hardestcrops to calibrate for,” Bruce Dueaffirms. “Every hybrid is different.Some of have wide shoulders and nar-row points; others have narrow shoul-ders and are very pointy. Plus, thelength of the seed varies so much fromhybrid to hybrid.”

Seed company agronomists com-monly recommend that growers recali-brate their seeding systems wheneverchanging not only varieties, but alsoseed lots within a given variety —especially if there’s a seed weightchange. “Every lot number, as long asit has a significant difference in [per-pound] seed count, should be a reasonfor the grower to check to see if some-thing changes,” Due advises.

“If the [new lot] has only a 200- to300-count difference and it’s of thesame hybrid, it’s not likely to changeanything. But if you go to a differentseed lot — same hybrid, same seedsize — and there’s a 1,200-seed-per-pound difference, I'll guarantee you


‘If you have a lot of doubles and triples and you examine

those plants, most likely you’ll find some of the seedsrubbed out of the heads. . . .’Seedset can also be affected.

there’s a change taking place in howyour planter is planting that particularseed lot.

“The ‘one size fits all’ approach —for a grower to calibrate his first seedlot and then turn ‘er loose and keepdumping in seed — just doesn’t work,"he states.

Due views planter calibration as ahuge factor in laying the foundation fora successful sunflower crop.

“I used to work with a grower whoused the old IH Cyclo,” he illustrates.“They were a good planter in their day;but if you didn’t have them calibratedright, they could really do a ‘nasty’ onyou. He always told me, ‘I can plantanything through my Cyclo.’ And Ibelieved him, because he knew how tocalibrate that planter so it would workperfectly. He’d have to play with it forawhile; but when he got done, it wasplanting right.”

At the other end of the spectrum,“I’ve seen people take a brand newplanter out to the field and have noth-ing but nightmares,” Due states. “Ifyou don’t know what you’re doing, itcan be a wreck.”

While none of today’s commercialplanters were designed with sunflowerin mind, most can, if properlyequipped and calibrated, do a good jobwith this crop, adds the Mycogenagronomist. “I don’t see problems asbeing a ‘planter-specific’ issue by type,”he says. “It’s a ‘planter-specific’ issueby planter. If a grower has a planterthat hasn’t been calibrated right, if ithas worn components, or if it has anoperator who’d rather be driving thetractor than calibrating the planter,there are going to be issues.

“Every time you go to a differentfield, your planting conditions change.And if you go to a different field thathad a different previous rotation crop,it changes dramatically.”

Due maintains that one of thebiggest issues with planting sunfloweris the residue from the prior crop. “Iget more service calls based on residuemanagement than I do for any otherplantability [issue] in the spring,” hestates. The issue boils down to seed-to-soil contact and proper seed placementdepth. Unless the planter is equipped

with the right residue clearance tools,the sunflower stand will suffer.

Given the excellent 2007 wheatand barley crops in central and westernNorth Dakota, for example, Dueexpects heavy straw in many fieldswhen planting the ’08 sunflower crop.“If we have a lot of straw, we get a lotof hairpinning — especially earlier inthe morning when the knives designedto cut through straw just can’t do itvery well because the straw is wet withdew. Sometimes it just comes down tolooking at that and saying, ‘I need towait awhile, because I’m not puttingseed down into the soil; I’m putting itinto the residue.

“[Inadequate] seed-to-soil contact isone of the biggest reasons for reducedstands.”

Dahlgren’s Tim Petry says seedingdepth and good seed:soil contact canbe particularly important for confec-tions. “Their thicker hull requires moremoisture to absorb through for the ker-nel to germinate,” he points out. “Also,the woodier, thicker hull requires morevigor on the seedling’s part to breakthrough to the soil surface.

“So seeding depth is critical. If yougo too deep, it takes too much energyto get out of the ground.” Petry, whorecommends a confection seed depthsimilar to oils (1.5 to 2”), says the bot-tom line is to “get it into moisture sogermination can take place.” In high-residue situations, that calls for theproper residue managers and downpressure — and good furrow closureafterward.

Air Seeders for SunflowerNumerous sunflower growers —

particularly larger-acreage ones in thecentral and western Dakotas and theHigh Plains — have used air seeders or

drills for a long time. While some haveencountered problems, others havebeen quite satisfied with the resultswhen using their units to seed thiscrop. Such growers like the more-equi-distant spacing of plants in all direc-tions, the quicker plant canopy, theability to combine in any direction —and, of course, the competitive yieldsthey’ve been able to achieve.

Again, though, calibration is critical.Using the right seed roller for sunflowerand then calibrating seed drop beforeheading out to the field are essential toa satisfactory stand. Most air seeder/drill manufacturers have developedrecommended procedures for calibrat-ing for sunflower — procedures typical-ly outlined in the operator’s manual.

Given that these planting tools wereoriginally developed for higher-volumecrops like wheat or barley, sunflowerdoes provide some challenges, howev-er. “One of the biggest challengeswith air seeders is getting the popula-tion down to where it needs to be,”says Seeds 2000’s Kevin Wall. “Whenplanting a crop like wheat with proba-bly 2.0 million seeds per acre, you canbe off a little and still be fine. But witha crop like confection sunflower, whereyou’re putting down only 15,- or16,000 seeds, it’s not very forgiving.

“Generally, with air seeders, I havemore problems with people over-seed-ing,” Wall continues. “If there’s oneword we have for growers who usethem, it’s calibrate. And if they stillhave any questions, calibrate again.”

Bruce Due says it stands to reasonthat a planter that singulates seeds “isjust going to do a nicer job” when itcomes to leaving a consistently spacedsunflower stand. But, he adds, “I’veseen some solid-seed design plantersthat work very well. I’ve seen somesolid-seeded fields that were beautiful,with no more doubles than you’d havewith a row planter. And I’ve seen oth-ers that you just shake you head andwalk away from — not just triples orquads, but five or six seeds dumped inthe same little spot.

“It’s all about knowing your planter,calibrating it and having the right com-ponents to get the job done on sun-flower.” n

‘Every lot number, as long as ithas a significant difference in

per-pound seed count, should bea reason for the grower to check

to see if something changes.’

‘I get more calls based onresidue management . . . .

Inadequate seed-to-soil contact is one of the biggest reasons for reduced stands.’


The question caused Tom Jensen to grimace a bit as hesteered his combine down the sunflower rows. Jensen’s

2007 irrigated confection field was yielding well; but his cha-grin sprang from the question about consistency of plantstands. The western Nebraska producer readily agreed that hisstand wasn’t as uniform as he’d like it to be — and that theproblem ultimately traced back to the planting seeds’ being solarge and irregularly shaped, compared to the other crops forwhich he used his planter.

“There’s nothing worse than planting large-seeded sun-flower,” Jensen affirmed with a wry smile. “I don’t care whatbrand of planter you use. We’ve had different brands, andwe’ve always had the same kinds of headaches: which planterplates to use, what air pressure setting, ‘what this, what that.’There’s a lot of room for improvement.”

Jensen, who seeded his ’07 crop with a John DeereMaxEmerge II, would like to see planter manufacturers placemore research and development emphasis on confection sun-flower. “Sometimes you just tear your hair out and think, ‘Iguess that’s as good as we can do,’ ” he observed. “Sometimesyou hit your mark; sometimes you don’t. So you just do whatyou can — and go from there.”

About 40 miles to the southwest of Jensen’s Box ButteCounty farm, University of Nebraska-Scottsbluff ag engi-

neer John Smith is generating research data that hopefully willhelp alleviate the problems faced by Jensen and other confec-tion sunflower producers. Last fall, in a study funded by theNational Sunflower Association, Smith conducted tests onmetering units and their associated seed tube from a Case IH1200 series flat-plate system, a John Deere MaxEmerge vacuumplanter and a JD finger pickup series. He chose to test thosethree based on their wide usage for planting sunflower.

Smith focused on the main components of each unit thatmight be interchanged, e.g., plates, brushes, vacuum plates,fingers. He then zeroed in on the best option offered by themanufacturer for that particular unit.

Seed spacing was measured on the opto-electronic sensingtest stand developed by Smith and his associates at theUniversity of Nebraska. This unit can account for when theseed passes through the sensor system as well as where it pass-es through. It senses the seed below the seed tube at the depthof where the seed would contact thebottom of the seed furrow. Itsgrease belt also provides a visualevaluation opportunity.

Smith used 9” as the targeted in-row seed spacing, with 4.5 milesper hour being the standard groundspeed. (He also evaluated seeddrop at 3.0 and 6.0 mph.) Testedseed types included (1) a large,long/narrow confection variety, (2) asmall confection variety and (3) a#2 oil-type variety. The larger con-fection seed length was commonly around 3/4” and sometimescloser to 7/8”.

For both the Case and Deere vacuum planters, Smith exam-ined sensitivity to vacuum as well as singulator sensitivity. Healso evaluated seed drop with both a new and worn tube foreach type of planter.

The tests incorporated four replications, with more than300,000 seeds dropped over the course of the study. The tableon the next page summarizes Smith’s findings in terms of howaccurately the various units placed the seeds.

Of the three parameters Smith used to describe seed spac-ing performance, two are defined by the InternationalStandards Organization (ISO).

• The first, “ISO close spacing,” refers to placement that isless than one-half the target spacing. In this case, that wouldbe seeds spaced less than 4.5” apart (the target having been9”). Most spacings in this category are actual “doubles” butalso include very close spacings.

• The second, “ISO wide spacing,” refers to seed place-ment greater than one and one-half times the target spacing —i.e., 13.5 inches or greater in the UN study. This group wouldinclude mostly “skips” but also a few very long spacings.

• The third performance parameter was called “CP3.” Thisindicates the percentage of seeds falling within ± 0.5” of thetarget spacing (9” in this study). So the higher the percentagewithin this category, the better the spacing accuracy.

Smith’s preliminary evaluation of the Case vacuum planter isthat it performed very well with the long confection seeds.

The best seed drop consistency with the long/narrow confec-tion variety occurred when using plate #2440 with 26” ofwater vacuum, singulator setting #2 and a new tube. “At thisoptimum setting, ISO-close and ISO-wide spacings were below2%, and the CP3 was above 55% — which is a very good sin-gulation and spacing performance,” the Nebraska ag engineer

Putting Planters To the Test

Nebraska Ag Engineer Evaluates ConfectionSeed Placement with Three Popular Units

John Smith

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indicates. Optimum vacuum pressure with the smaller confec-tion variety and the #2 oil-type was 17” (The singulator settingfor small confection was #1 and for the #2 oil-type it was #2).The CP3 rating for the small confection was nearly 60%; forthe #2 oil-type, almost 70%. “One thing to look for whenplanting sunflower with the Case IH model 1200 planter is

seed fragments sticking in the seed plate hole,” Smith says.“The sunflower plates for this planter have 24 holes. If onehole plugs, seed population will be reduced by 4%. Watch theseed population on your planter monitor very carefully. If youhave one row that is about 4% (or a multiple of 4) less seedpopulation than the other rows, remove the plate and check fora plugged hole — it does happen and will cause skips.”

With the Deere vacuum planter and large, narrow confec-tion variety, the best results were with “flat plate” #A52391,with the doubles eliminator set with 3/4 of the hole coveredand 12” of water vacuum. “At this best setting, ISO close spac-ings were about 6%, ISO wide spacings were about 3% andthe CP3 was about 35%,” Smith says. “This is not as good asthe Case planter, but it’s probably acceptable, considering thedifficulty of singulating this particular seed.” Smith says adjust-ing the doubles eliminator and vacuum “could reduce the per-centage of either wide spacings or narrow spacings — but onlyat the expense of increasing the percentage of the other.”

The same flat plate proved the best option for the smallconfection variety and #2 oil-type as well. Top performancewith the JD vacuum unit for these two seed types was attainedwith 3/4 of the hole covered and vacuum settings of 5” and 6”,respectively. The CP3 rating for the small confection was justunder 40%, while it was about 48% for the #2 oil.

For Deere planter owners not familiar with the “flat plate”system, “the doubles eliminator must be in place and must becarefully adjusted,” Smith notes. “This adjustment may need tobe changed if the planter field speed is very slow or very fast.”Several “cell-type” plates — including those for corn andpeanuts — were evaluated; but none were even close toacceptable, according to Smith. The Precision Planting “eSet”option for the Deere vacuum planter did improve seed spacingperformance over the Deere plate options. (The eSet kitincludes a new plate, a brush and singulator.) “We did not testthe eSet to the extent I would necessarily recommend it,” Smithsays, “but the eSet kit with plate 7200034 was better than thebest Deere option we tried.”

The most serious problem the Scottsbluff researchers foundwith the Deere vacuum unit and the long, narrow confection

‘Best Setting’ Summary: ‘07 UN-Scottsbluff Confection Sunflower Planting StudyCase IH 1200 Vacuum Series

Large Confection (new seed tube) —Plate Option: 2440Vacuum (inches water): 26Singulator Setting: #2ISO Close (%): 2.4ISO Wide (%): 1.6CP3 (%): 57.6

Small Confection (#1) —Plate Option: 2440Vacuum (inches water): 17Singulator Setting: #1ISO Close (%): 1.4ISO Wide (%): 1.0CP3 (%): 59.9

#2 Oil-Type Seed —Plate Option: 2440Vacuum (inches water): 17Singulator Setting: #2ISO Close (%): 0.9ISO Wide (%): 0.9CP3 (%): 69.6

Deere Finger Pickup Series

Large Confection (new seed tube) —Finger Option: Deere LongBacking Plate: DeereBrush: DeereISO Close (%): 8.4ISO Wide (%): 23.3CP3 (%): 35.3

Small Confection (#1) —Finger Option: Deere ShortBacking Plate: DeereBrush: DeereISO Close (%): 2.3ISO Wide (%): 16.6CP3 (%): 42.3

#2 Oil-Type Seed —Finger Option: Deere LongBacking Plate: DeereBrush: DeereISO Close (%): 9.1ISO Wide (%): 1.5CP3 (%): 59.6

Deere MaxEmerge Vacuum

Large Confection (new seed tube) —Plate Option: A52391Vacuum (inches water): 12Doubles Eliminator: 3/4 hole coveredISO Close (%): 6.5ISO Wide (%): 2.6CP3 (%): 38.4

Small Confection (#1) —Plate Option: A52391Vacuum (inches water): 5Doubles Eliminator: 3/4 hole coveredISO Close (%): 3.1ISO Wide (%): 2.9CP3 (%): 39.8

#2 Oil-Type Seed —Plate Option: A52391Vacuum (inches water): 6Doubles Eliminator: 3/4 hole coveredISO Close (%): 2.5ISO Wide (%): 1.5CP3 (%): 47.9

ISO Close % equates to “doubles”; ISO Wide % equates to “skips”. The higher the CP3 %, the better the spacing accuracy.


The Good ... The Bad ...

These photos provide avisual summary of the find-ings of the confection sun-flower planting accuracystudy conducted in the fallof 2007 at the University ofNebraska-Scottsbluff.

The photo at left showsexcellent seed placementon the test stand’s greasebelt, while the photo belowdepicts a different storywith its obvious trail ofskips and doubles.

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sunflower was that of an occasional seedsticking in the tube. It happened aboutonce in every 5,000 seeds; but when itdid, it resulted in very inconsistent place-ment from that point onward. While theseed tube did not plug, each ensuingseed would hit the lodged seed, leadingto a very inconsistent spacing. “The badpart is that the planter monitor will notsense the stuck seed, so the operator willnever know,” Smith points out. He doesnot know how often this actually hap-pens in the field, but assumes if it hap-pened that often on his test stand, it musthappen at least occasionally in the field.

The Scottsbluff group used the curvedcorn seed tube — the largest availablefrom Deere. So the only solution (untilDeere develops a different tube for thelong confection sunflower seeds) is forthe operator to occasionally stop, removethe tubes and check to make sure thereare no stuck seeds — a practice which,in reality, is not very practical.

Another issue — but far less seriousthen the stuck seed, in Smith’s opinion— is that of worn seed tubes. “A wornseed tube — one that feels like usedsandpaper on the inside front surface thatcontacts the seed — will deliver the cor-rect number of seeds; but seed spacingaccuracy is not as good as that with anew seed tube,” he notes.

Tests on the John Deere finger pickupplanter indicated excessive skips with thelong/narrow confection seeds. “The bestDeere configuration was with the longfingers,” Smith says. “But with the large,narrow confection seed, we had approxi-mately 8% close spacings (doubles) and23% long spacings (skips).”

The best results for the smaller con-fection variety with the finger pickup unitoccurred with the Deere short fingers(42.3% in CP3); for the #2 oil-type vari-ety it was the Deere long finger (nearly

60% in CP3). The Deere backing plateand brushes were used in both instances.

Illinois-based Precision Planting offersseveral optional parts for the finger pick-up assembly. “These components reducethe numbers of both close and widespacings; but we still exceeded 10%skips with the best combination we test-ed,” Smith reports.

The size of the seed exit hole in theback plate can make a difference in thenumber of skips. “We compared twoKinze backing plates and found that thesmaller hole (designed for corn) had 36%skips,” Smith observes. “The larger hole(original size and shape for both Deereand Kinze) had 15% skips.”

Since the Deere finger pickup planteruses the same or similar seed tube as thevacuum planter, the Scottsbluff investiga-tors again encountered the problem withsingle seeds sticking crossways in theseed tube — which resulted in “analmost-random seed spacing pattern.”

One of Smith’s concerns about plant-ing these large, narrow confection sun-flower seeds is: how does the planteroperator accomplish the correct planteradjustments like vacuum or singulatorsettings? And, how does the operatorknow the planter is delivering seed prop-erly while planting? The operator canprobably trust the planter monitor in thefield to provide accurate seed populationmeasurement. But most monitors pro-vide only an average population or seedspacing, without any information on thevariability of individual seed spacings.

For example, if all seeds were spacedat exactly 9”, the monitor would indicate9” seed spacing. But if the seed spacingpattern was 1”-17”-1”-17”-1”-17”, etc.(one double, then one skip), the monitorwould indicate the average spacing is 9”.So the seed population would be correct,but seed spacing would be unacceptable.

Smith suggests using a planter moni-tor that does provide information on seedspacing variability (one example beingPrecision Planting’s planter monitor) —or, use the combination of a standardplanter monitor and frequent checking ofseed spacing in the furrow behind theplanter. If a producer is starting with anunfamiliar planter or a different seed sizeor shape, it is a good idea to have thatseed run in his particular planter meteron a good planter test stand. n

Below: A long confection seed stuck inthe tube during the JD MaxEmerge test.


Compared to the teardrop-shaped back plate, the large-seed exit hole plate results insignificantly fewer skips with

the JD finger pickup unit.

Useful Planting-Related Web Sites

There are a number of useful web siteswith information and contacts relat-

ing to the planting of sunflower andother crops. Some are obvious; othersless so. Here’s a partial list.

— Planter Manufacturers —• Case IH: www.caseih.com — Go

to “Products,” then “Planting & SeedingEquipment” for full descriptions of theCase product line, including the 1200Series ASM planters.

• John Deere: www.johndeere.comand www.readytoplant.com — TheDeere “Ready to Plant” site is an excel-lent educational resource, includingdetails on planter maintenance, opera-tion and troubleshooting tips.

• Kinze Manufacturing, Inc.:www.kinze.com — Go to “Planters,”then “Seed Metering,” then “FingerPickup Seed Meter” for commentary onsingulating seeds for sunflower.

• Monosem: www.monosemplt.com— Monosem manufactures the NG Plusline of precision vacuum planters.

• White: www.whiteplanter.agco-corp.com — Go to “Seeding & Tillage”for complete details on the White line ofplanters and air drills.

Air Seeder / — Drill Manufacturers —

• Bourgault Industries — www.bourgault.com

• Case IH —www.caseih.com

• Flexi-Coil —www.flexicoil.com

• Great Plains Mfg. —www.greatplainsmfg.com

• Horsch Anderson — www.horschanderson.com

• John Deere — www.johndeere.com

• Morris Industries — www.morris-industries.com

— Other —• Precision Planting: www.preci-

sionplanting.com — This Illinois-basedcompany offers the MeterMax Plus cali-bration system, the eSet vacuum disks,Keeton seed firmers, Bullseye seed tubesand other products and educational serv-ices geared toward optimizing the preci-

Being a sugarbeet producer, TimSchumacher is very familiar with

planter test stands. For years, theThompson, N.D., farmer has regularlyhauled units from his beet planter to asite where the North Dakota StateUniversity-run sugarbeet test stand isoperating. There, the units are thor-oughly evaluated for worn parts andother potential performance issues.

But Schumacher was in store for abig surprise when, last winter, hechecked out the 16-row John Deere1780 MaxEmerge that he uses for corn,sunflower and dry beans. He broughtits metering units down to Oppegard,Inc., of nearby Hillsboro — a dealer forIllinois-based Precision Planting, Inc.Oppegard’s Randy Klassen mountedthe units on the MeterMax Plus® teststand, filled the meter with the exact lotof sunflower hybrid that Schumacherplanned to plant, and turned on theswitch. The calibration system’s photo-electric “eyes” detected seeds on a 50-cell gated belt, counting the number ofempty cells (skips) and the number oftimes two or more seeds were pickedup (doubles or triples).

The result for Schumacher’s units?“Though we already had doubles elimi-nators in the planter, we found wewere running about 25% doubles,” hereports — still rather amazed nearly ayear later. After switching to a recom-mended eSet® corn disk developed byPrecision Planting, Schumacher sayshis doubles dropped down to between1 and 2%.

“We’d never had a problem beforein getting the right seed drop per acre,”he notes. “Vacuum planters are knownfor their accuracy in that. The problemwas in where we placed the seeds.”

According to Precision Planting’sweb site, the company’s eSet disk offersfour key advantages over a standardvacuum disk:

• It singulates any seed size orshape. There’s no pocket or cell, whichmeans the disk is not seed sensitive.

• It improves seed release. Theraised platform means seeds releasedown the center of the seed tube, thusminimizing seed tube ricochet.

• No adjustments. Singulation of

98.5%+ is achieved on almost everyseed type without adjusting vacuum ordouble eliminators.

• Better seed agitation. Seed treat-ments can inhibit singulation becauseseeds pack together at the bottom ofthe meter. The eSet has aggressive seedagitation that keeps the seed pool fluidfor better loading.

Count Tim Schumacher among thebelievers. He ordered a set of the disksrecommended for the size sunflowerseed (oil-type) he was planting lastspring. “We could really see the differ-ence in the fields this [past] year,” he

states. “Thestands were soeven.”

While theplanter updatewas not cheap,Schumacherconsiders it anexcellentinvestment.“With the priceof seed and

importance of proper plant spacing —even more so with corn — we just feltit was something we had to do,” hesays. “When we saw on the [teststand] that we were throwing 25%doubles and were able to get it downto around 1 or 2%, well, that reallyopens your eyes.”

Oppegard’s Klassen says that whilethe eSet disks were not designed specif-ically for sunflower, “they do work. Itimproves the accuracy by far over whatwe were doing before.” The disk hasan automatic doubles eliminator, mean-ing it doesn’t have to be physicallyadjusted for different seed sizes —“unless you have a big seed sizechange. Then it comes down to basi-cally swapping the seed disk out to adifferent one — and back to the fieldyou go.”

“In today’s environment, with every-thing being so expensive, planter cali-bration is really important,” stressesTim Schumacher. “If you don’t plantright, the season is not going to turnout right. The most important thingyou can do is spend more time withyour planter.” n

‘The Most Important Thing You Can Do’

N.E. North Dakota Grower Discovers Way to Slash Doubles

Tim Schumacher


sion placement of crop seeds. • Pioneer Hi-Bred International:

www.pioneer.com — The seed compa-ny’s “GrowingPoint” website contains awealth on information on numerousaspects of crop production.

• Colorado State University:www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/pubcrop.html — Site lists a “PlantingGuide for Field Crops” that includessunflower.

• Kansas State University:http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/crpsl2/MF2384.pdf — You can down-load a pdf of the High Plains SunflowerProduction Handbook from this address.

• North Dakota State University:www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ machine.html— This site has a bulletin titled “Cali-brating Drill Seed Meters” (AE-1144).Though produced 10 years ago, it stillcontains useful recommendations forseeding a variety of crops.

• South Dakota State University:http://plantsci.sdstate.edu/precision-farm/paper/papers/SSMG/SSMG-37.pdf— While not speaking to sunflower, thebulletin “Estimating Corn Yield Lossesfrom Unevenly Spaced Planting” is agood introduction to the value of col-lecting and interpreting yield loss infor-mation. n

The February 2009 issue ofThe Sunflower magazine containsnew information on University ofNebraska-Scottsbluff ag engineerJohn Smith’s work with planterperformance and sunflower seedspacing accuracy.

• “Putting Planters to the Test”— This article reports on Smith’s2008 tests with oil-type sunflowerseed spacing accuracy. Threeplanters were evaluated: the CaseIH 1200 vacuum series, the DeereMaxEmerge vacuum planter andthe Deere finger pickup planter.

• “Planter Performance &Confection Sunflower” — Thisarticle discusses solutions for theproblems found in the 2007 test-ing described on the precedingpages 5-7.

To view these articles online,go to www.sunflowernsa.com.Click on “Sunflower Magazine.”

Updated Planter Performance Info

What’s the most important informa-tion source available for avoiding

or rectifying problems associated withplanting sunflower? It’s a tool everygrower has — but one that some maynot utilize as often as they should: yourplanter operator’s manual.

While some planter manuals aremore “sunflower friendly” than others, allof them provide some information onmetering systems, calibration procedures,depth control, planting speed, trou-bleshooting tips and the like. If youdon’t find the answers in the manual, acall or trip to your dealer is in order.

Beyond that, several sunflower seedcompanies have web sites with usefulseed selection and planting recommen-dations. A few even have developed —or are presently developing — bookletsthat provide specific advice on equippingand calibrating planters for top perform-ance when seeding sunflower.

One of those is Seeds 2000, whichmakes available to its customers a gener-al sunflower planting guide, as well asone that focuses specifically on planterrecommendations for the large “new-generation” confection varieties.

“For many years, confection sun-flower has been a challenge to plant withcertain planters,” the Breckenridge,Minn.-based company notes. “As theindustry moves to the new generation ofeven longer and larger seed, planting hasbecome even more challenging.”

The following confection plantingrecommendations were compiled by

Seeds 2000 from an variety of sources,including grower and dealer experiences,planter test stand results, and manufac-turers’ recommendations.

— John Deere Vacuum —• Recommended Disk — large sweet

corn (ProMax 40, #A52391)• Other Disk — small sweet corn

(#A52390)• Vacuum Setting — 8 to 12" water

pressure• Doubles Eliminator — #A61046• Knockout Assembly — #A37348Editor’s Comment: Deere itself rec-

ommends using the A52391 disk for seedlots that range from 2,250 to 3,250 seedsper pound, and the A52390 for seed lotsranging from 3,250 to 5,250 seeds perpound. Both are flat disks to aid with thepickup of the odd-shaped sunflowerseeds. For other seed sizes, Deere offersthe 30-cell sunflower disk #H136478.

• Troubleshooting — Problem: Can’t set planting rate low

enough for target populationSolution: Plug every other hole with

silicone; then set planter at 2x the targetrate in manual to compensate.

Problem: Monitor reads sporadically.Solution: Mix talc slightly above

manufacturer recommendation of one-half cup per bushel. If seed is treatedwith Cruiser, double manufacturer rec-ommendation to 1 to 2 cups per bushel.

Problem: Seed plugging in tubes.Solution: Switch to large curved seed

tube #A56786.

— Deere Center Fill (CCS) —• Same recommendations (including

talc) as for the Deere vacuum planter.• Troubleshooting —Problem: Seed is plugged in hopper’s

seed delivery hose end.Solution: Reduce tank pressure, set

at lighter density seed setting. Use hoseend #A81580; cut hose end at 45°, withdeepest cut starting at fill side of the end.

— Kinze or Deere Finger Pickup — • Use large fingers. If planter setting

cannot be set low enough, some growerstake worn-out fingers, cut 0.5 to 1” offthe pickup end of every other finger, andthen set the planter at 2x the desired rateto compensate.

• Mix talc with seed at 1/2 to 1 cupper bushel. Use 1 to 2 cups if seed istreated with Cruiser.

Editor’s Comment: Deere recom-mends using sunflower finger #A37177for oil sunflower seed sizes 3, 4 and 5.

• Troubleshooting —Problem: New planter or updated

units are under-planting or planting spo-radically.

Solution: New teardrop-style meter-ing cradle (backing plate) will not plantseeds consistently, kicking seeds outbecause the opening is too small. UseKinze part #GR0664 (also works on JDunits) or the old-style JD metering cradle.Part #GR0664 is more rectangular andwill plant with 80-90% accuracy.

Problem: Seed tube plugging.Solution: Use large curved seed tube

— #A26184.

— White / Air Delivery —• Recommended Disk — large corn

(#852434) or medium corn (#852435)• Air Setting — #2• Tickler Brush — Set down 1/4 turn

so just two of the four brushes touch.

— Case IH / 1200 Vacuum —• Recommended Disk — large corn

(#275116A)• Vacuum — 20-22” water pressure• Baffle Setting — 2• Singulator Level (“old”, lever)— 0.75• Singulator Level (“new”, dial) — 3• Mix graphite (seed flow lubricant)

at 1/8 to 1/4 cup per bushel. Use 1/4 to1/2 cup if seed is treated with Cruiser.

— Case IH / Cyclo Air —Seeds 2000 does not recommend the

use of the Cyclo for planting confectionsunflower.

— Air Seeders / Drills —Follow manufacturer guidelines.

Varies by brand. n

Confection Planting Guide & Troubleshooting Tips

Seed Company’s Set of Recommendations


Editor’s Note: Using air seeders or air drill systems toplant sunflower is far from new. Some growers did so back inthe early to mid-1980s, and it’s now quite common in certaingrowing areas. In the 2006 National Sunflower Associationcrop survey, for instance, nearly half of surveyed fields inNorth Dakota were in row spacings of less than 20” — sug-gesting they were planted with an air seeder or air drill.

Saskatchewan-based Bourgault Industries is one of severalmanufacturers whose air seeders and drills are used to plantsunflower. In the following remarks, Ron Allan, general man-ager of Bourgault’s Minot, N.D.-based U.S. division, addressesseveral questions posed by The Sunflower.

What special challenges are posed by sunflower seeds, dueto their irregular shape and the low seeding volume?

The Bourgault air seeder uses one metering auger pertank to meter product. The rate of application is determinedby the speed the auger turns. These augers are designed witha large capacity to handle very large seeds and/or high rates.Sunflower seeds pose no issue at all. The metering auger issimply slowed to a speed that delivers the correct rate.

Years ago we used to hear about seed depth placementinconsistencies when using an air seeder for sunflower.How has that been addressed with the newer models?

Many of the new toolbars designed to be used with airtanks have much-improved contourability. Design featuresranging from floating hitches to independent depth controlopeners follow the surface of the field much closer thanearly converted tillage units.

Some folks suggest sunflower seed-to-soil contact and depthcontrol are not adequate when using the wider sweeps (8” or more). What are your thoughts on that assessment?

The seed-to-soil contact challenges experienced whenusing wide sweeps were more a result of insufficient packingas opposed to poor seed placement. In this type of systemwe often used coil packers or rolling baskets to firm the soilthat had been tilled during the seeding operation.

What we have seen changed is most sunflower is nowsown with a much narrower tip where on-row packing canbe achieved. This has increased seed-to-soil contact andimproved emergence significantly — especially in dry con-ditions.

How do you recommend that growers calibrate theirBourgault units for planting sunflower — i.e., the processprior to heading to the field?

All our seeding units are equipped with charts thatinstruct the operator on where to set the unit for the desiredseed rate. Once the initial setting is complete, we then uti-lize our powered stationary calibration system where themetering system is turned via a hydraulic motor until thesample box is filled. (This is all standard equipment.)

Once the box is filled, the sample is weighed and theweight entered into the air seeder monitor. The monitorthen calculates the actual application rate. If the applica-tion rate is correct, the seeding operation begins. If the rateis not correct, the operator begins the seeding operation andadjusts the rate from the tractor cab.

Are there additional steps growers should take to achievethe best possible seed placement and a uniform plant stand?

Proper fan speed is very important. Because the seed rateis typically lower with sunflower than many other crops, theoperator must ensure he adjusts the fan speed accordingly.Too high a fan speed can affect seed placement.

Seeding on a 20” row spacing is another option we haveseen many of our customers use when seeding sunflowerwith our units. Again, fan speed is an important setting.

Seeding speed is also an important consideration. As soiltypes and conditions vary, so should ground speeds. Withnarrow-row spacing, soil can “step” from one row to theother, leaving more soil covering the rows seeded by thedrill’s front row. Maintaining an even amount of soil overeach row will contribute to even emergence.

Any other comments pertaining to the use of your units toplant sunflower?

With the ability to direct seed into standing stubble, weoften find our units seeding sunflower directly into many dif-ferent types of residue with low-disturbance openers. We’vealso seen many different crops seeded into sunflower stalkswith our drills. n

Planting SunflowerWith An Air Seeder

Manufacturer’s Advice on HowTo Achieve Optimum Results


Life is good. You selected a high-yielding sunflower hybrid with

strong resistance to key diseases, yourplanter was calibrated to perfection,seedbed conditions were excellent, andseed placement consistency was thebest it’s ever been. The foundation hasbeen laid for a superb sunflower crop.

But there could be one cloud hang-ing over this otherwise giddy scenario:bugs. Serious infestations of certainearly season insects can poke holes inthat otherwise-stellar plant stand andultimately take a chunk out of yourfinal yield. So well before you headout to the field, it’ll “pay to pay” someattention to those potential early seasonthreats. Here are brief descriptions ofthree key culprits.

— Wireworm —Wireworm larvae and adults over-

winter anywhere from nine to 24 inch-es deep in the soil. At about the sametime that planting gets under way (soiltemperatures of 50-55°F), the larvaeand adults move toward the soil sur-face. After mating, adult females bur-row down to lay their eggs — some-times re-emerging, moving to othersites and laying more eggs.

Wireworm larvae feed at around a6” depth in the early spring, movingdeeper as the topsoil warms up and/orbecomes dry.

Field history is the best indicator ofwhether wireworm problems can beexpected in a given year, though con-siderable population variation canoccur between years, both within andbetween fields. The only insecticidecurrently labeled for wireworm is theseed treatment Cruiser. Since it is aseed treatment product, the decisionwhether to include Cruiser must be

made at the time of hybrid selection.Recently, FMC received a label

amendment for Mustang Max® to con-trol wireworm and other early seasoninsects with an at planting in-furrowtreatment.

One point: Seeds treated with theearlier Cruiser formulation sometimeswould sometimes stick to seed plates,creating seed flow problems and hurt-ing seed placement consistency. Thenew CruiserMaxx is significantly betterin that regard; also, some seed compa-nies now use special polymers to mini-mize the problem even more.

— Cutworm —There are three species of cutworm:

the darksided, the redbacked and thedingy cutworm. The female darksidedand redbacked cutworm moths depositeggs in midsummer, with the eggs stay-ing dormant until the onset of warmweather the following spring. Larvaeemerge from late May to early June.

The adult dingy cutworm emergesanywhere from August to mid-Octoberin the Northern Plains, with peak emer-gence in September. Eggs are deposit-ed in plants of the Compositae family(e.g., sunflower) in the fall, and the lar-vae eventually overwinter in the soil.

Cutworm damage in sunflowerfields typically consists of plants beingcut off from 1” below the soil surfaceto 1 to 2” above the surface. Youngleaves may be severely chewed aswell, due to cutworms climbing up tofeed on plant foliage.

Most feeding occurs at night.During the day, the cutworms residejust beneath the soil surface underrecently damaged plants. Scouting forcutworms should start as soon as plantsemerge, with monitoring continuing at

least twice weekly until around mid-June. North Dakota State Universitysays the sampling should encompasses100 plants at each of five sites withinthe field. The economic threshold isone larva per square foot, or a standreduction of 25 to 30%. (Kansas StateUniversity recommends treatment ifcutworm feeding has caused a standloss of more than 15%.)

Several insecticides are labeled forcutworm control in sunflower, includ-ing Asana XL, Baythroid XL, Lorsban 4Eand 15G, Sevin, Mustang Max andWarrior. Except for Sevin, all arerestricted use pesticides.

— Sunflower Beetle — Though quite similar in appearance

to the adult Colorado potato beetle, thesunflower beetle is a separate speciesassociated exclusively with sunflower.It is more common in the NorthernPlains than in the High Plains.

Adult beetles overwinter in the soil,emerging in late May to early June.They’ll start feeding on sunflowerplants immediately following emer-gence. Damage can be very pro-nounced on the first true leaves (some-times completely consumed), and fieldscan be severely defoliated if beetlepopulations are high enough. Theadults feed mainly on leaf margins,while sunflower beetle larvae munchon the entire leaf surface. Most larvalfeeding occurs at night, while theadults feed during the day.

NDSU recommends counting bee-tles on 20 plants at each of five sam-pling sites in an X pattern. Samplingsites should be at least 75 to 100 feetfrom field margins. The larger theplant, the more damage it can tolerate.In the seedling stage, the recommendedeconomic threshold is one to twoadults per seedling. With beetle larvae,treatment is recommended when thepopulation reaches 10 to 15 per plant,or when about 25% defoliation occurson the upper eight to 12 leaves.

The sunflower beetle can be effec-tively controlled with insecticides suchas Asana XL, Baythroid XL, Furadan 4F,Lorsban 4E, Mustang Max and Warrior— all of restricted-use pesticides. n

Protect Stands FromEarly Season BugsThree Insects That Can Have An Up-Front Impact

Wireworm Larva Darksided Cutworm Larva Adult Sunflower Beetle


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It’s Become EasierTo Grow Sunflower!

• More herbicides to control both broadleaf and grassy weeds, includingtwo post-emerge herbicides for most broadleaf weeds.

• New seed treatments for wireworm, flea beetle and downy mildew.• Improved hybrids with good standability, disease tolerance and yield.• Excellent rotation crop.• Extracts deep unused nitrogen.• Great for limited irrigation.• Super option for double cropping after wheat.• Strong domestic markets for sunflower oil and confections.• High oil content hybrid choices for maximum oil premiums.• Multiple market choices from human consumption to bird food.• Increasing local delivery points.

Here are some key reasons why:

This message brought to you by the National Sunflower Association, which combines grower checkoffs in Kansas, Colorado, South Dakota and North Dakota, along with industry checkoffs from oil and confection processors and hybrid seed companies.

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