Importance of wheat cultivation
Wheat is a grass from the Poaceae family, widely cultivated around the world. With a global production of approximately 750 million tons, according to data from CHBAGRO, wheat is of great relevance to Brazilian agribusiness.
Given the growing domestic production and economic importance of wheat for Brazilian agriculture, the interest of national producers in this crop increases every year, making it an excellent option for cultivation in the winter harvest. For this interest and productivity to continue to grow, it is essential to properly prepare and adjust seeders, considering the importance of sowing density and the depth of that seed in the soil. Density is crucial to determine the number of plants, their distribution and, consequently, the full development of plants.
Importance of density and sowing depth
The evaluation of sowing density and depth is essential for the good development of productive wheat crops. Sowing density will influence the tillering capacity of plants, due to competition between wheat plants and eventually with invasive plants that occur in the crop, resulting in direct effects on the productivity of this cereal's grains.
Wheat has some practical factors for determining its sowing density, taking into account past harvests that were successful, to the detriment of technical knowledge, but it is important to consider other factors that influence the success of this crop. Therefore, to define the quantity of seeds, the following must be considered: the weight of a thousand seeds, the germination vigor, the type of planting system, the number of plants you want to reach per square meter, the spacing, soil fertility and local climate conditions.
Sowing density may affect the productive components of the crop through the emission and survival of tillers, the plant's ability to adapt in terms of architecture to maintain its efficiency in the use of light by its leaves. Thus, this variable directly influences the increase in productivity, as it has direct effects on the number of ears and the individual yield of ears of the plants.
The sowing depth of this cereal is the factor that will most influence the success of germination and development of the crop, and the ideal is for the seed to be located at a depth where contact with soil moisture is possible, so that its need for water is met during its establishment. When sowing, uniform depth, combined with the supply of the required nutrients and good climatic conditions, will guarantee a good initial establishment of seedlings, which is extremely important for crops with high grain productivity, as illustrated in Figure 1.
Impacts on wheat cultivation
The sowing density of fine seeds has a significant impact on the tillering capacity of cultivated varieties. If plants are in a very dense population, this can lead to lodging, reduce tillering, and create a microclimate more conducive to disease occurrence.
Sowing depth is one of the most influential factors in the emergence and development of crops. In the case of Direct Planting, it is more challenging to control the uniformity of seed deposition depth due to the presence of straw on the soil surface. This problem is accentuated when the straw is not distributed evenly, as a result of poor harvester adjustment in the last harvesting operation.
Sowing depths greater than recommended can make it difficult for plants to emerge due to the greater energy consumption of seed reserves to overcome the layer of soil in which the seed is superimposed. Depths of less than 2 cm can cause germination and emergence problems in conditions of low soil moisture, in addition to reducing seed contact with the soil.
The yield component of the wheat crop that will be most influenced by these factors is the number of ears per unit area, which in turn are strongly impacted by the quantity of productive tillers as illustrated in Figure 2. Under ideal conditions, the wheat stalks wheat grow uniformly, with regularly spaced tillers. However, in stress situations, such as water and heat, tillering patterns change, which leads to less efficient use of resources, such as water and light, resulting in a reduction in the final productivity of the crop.
References:
Figure 1. Embrapa. Available in:
Source: https://www.embrapa.br/agencia-de-informacao-tecnologica/cultivos/trigo/producao/semeadura
Figure 2. Cultivar Magazine. Available at: https://revistacultivar.com.br/artigos/estrategias-para-boa-densidade-de-semeadura
COPETTI, Eduardo. Strategies for good sowing density. 2020. Available at: https://revistacultivar.com.br/artigos/estrategias-para-boa-densidade-de-semeadura. Accessed on: May 24, 2024.
?CRUZ, Diego. WHEAT: UNDERSTAND ITS CULTIVATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT. 2021. Available at: https://blog.chbagro.com.br/trigo-entenda-seu-cultivo-e-a-importancia-da-gestao-agricola. Accessed on: May 24, 2024.
DOS SANTOS, R. F. Wheat planting: learn about the fundamental steps. AegroRubens Blog, , 13 Mar. 2020. Available at: . Accessed on: 23 May. 2024
GIBBERT, R. A.; PALTANIN, R. V.; WUTZKE, Gabriel; BAVATTI, L. A.; NOZAKI, M. H. EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SOWING DENSITIES ON WHEAT (Triticum aestivum) CROP. Available at: . Accessed on: 22 May. 2024.
SAMUEL LUIZ FIOREZE; JOÃO DOMINGOS RODRIGUES. Wheat productive components affected by sowing density and application of plant regulator. Seminar. Agricultural Sciences, v. 35, no. 1, p. 39–39, 26 Feb. 2014.
Sowing - Embrapa Portal. Available at: . Accessed on: 23 May. 2024.
