How To Determine If Your Crop Stand Is Good – Ag Matters

Take the guesswork out of determining how well your crop is planted.  Keith Waldron with Cornell Cooperative Extension offers an easy way to calculate the plant population in your field.
Getting an accurate count can help you decide if you need to replant, have planter problems or even a pest problem.  Waldron says a 10% variance in plants compared to seeds planted is fairly common.

If your plant population counts are not up to snuff, sometimes waiting a few days and re-doing the estimate can make a difference if there is uneven germination from cool temps or variations in seeding depth.

His method is to count the number of plants in one-one-thousandth of an acre. Multiply your results by one-thousand and you have the plant population per acre. For the most accurate count, Waldron suggests doing 3 samples per field.

Get more details and a table that will assist you in determining how much one-one thousandth of an acre is, in the NY Weekly Crops Pest Report.

SOURCE:  Cornell Cooperative Extension