Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, now offers a replant calculator to help corn growers faced with that difficult decision. The tool helps producers decide whether to keep their current stand or replant where their crops have been impacted by weather, pests or other issues. The calculator is available on Mobile Pioneer.com via the tools section, which can be accessed through the main navigation menu. It takes into account the original date for planting, original stand target and resulting plant population, and the possible replanting date. Growers are asked to consider their own likely replanting seed and input costs. The calculator presents both scenarios, current stand and replant stand, and provides estimates associated with each choice. “We want growers to get the best yields possible with our products,” says Chuck Bremer, Pioneer agronomy e-business information manager. “Although every grower tries to target the best planting date and stand, things happen that can negatively impact the crop early in the season. The replant calculator helps growers address the tough question of whether to keep their current stand or replant to achieve a new stand that more closely meets their original yield target.”
The timing of a replant decision means growers could evaluate different aspects of crop production. Early decisions often are based on plant stand and plant distribution. As the season moves on, the calendar becomes the key factor because yields decline with delayed planting. That said, replanting might not necessarily guarantee a grower will achieve the expected yield if the date is delayed enough. “The new replant tool is just that – a tool,” Bremer says. “To a great extent, it relies on the grower having a realistic yield expectation and taking the time to enter critical data, from optimum stand to grain price.”
The replant calculator is based on a long-standing chart developed by Dr. Emerson Nafziger of the University of Illinois and widely used across the Corn Belt, which illustrates the effects of planting date and plant population of grain yield for the central Corn Belt. The new calculator also takes into account the current shift to higher populations, as suggested by Pioneer research and data. The calculator is part of a suite of tools available to growers on pioneer.com and Mobile pioneer.com. Pioneer also offers a Planting Rate Estimator and Plantability Tool that can help growers make additional planting decisions about which population to target and how to set the planter for the Pioneer® brand product and the actual seed they have received. In addition, as the crop grows through the season, growers can access a Growing Degree Unit Calculator, PrecipEstimator, Growth Stage Estimator, Corn Yield Estimator and more.
Mobile Pioneer.com is optimized for iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, Blackberry and feature phones. It uses technology that provides geography-specific content, reducing the steps required to reach useful information. For more information about Pioneer’s suite of online and mobile tools, visit www.pioneer.com or contact your local Pioneer sales professional.
Source: Pioneer