WESTERN PRODUCER — Yellow pea prices hover around $14 per bushel at the elevator, so growers want to be confident their drill isn’t damaging valuable seeds.
Charley Sprenger, an engineer at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute, did a study to determine the level of seed damage caused by large air seeders. These require higher air velocity and volume for adequate seed distribution and to prevent plugging.
Her research also investigated the effect of seed moisture content on seed damage. The report was first published in Pulse Beat: the Science Edition, the online magazine of the Manitoba Pulse Growers.
Sprenger found that varying the fan speed did not affect seed germination, vigour or seed coat. Seed moisture was the primary factor determining damage.
“This wasn’t really a surprise. Our conclusions were in line with previous studies on seed damage in air delivery. The drills are getting bigger, so fan speeds are increased to ensure seeds get all the way out to the ends,” Spre
